Drone got crazy and crashed after RTH! Possible warranty? [log inside]

krem · Nov 11, 2020

Hey everyone!
Unfortunately, the worst has happened and my dear Mavic Air 2, only a week old, got crashed... Would like to understand whether I can activate the warranty and other repair options.
How it happened: I was flying in the park, open area but with some trees around. I was after 10pm.
I was just hovering near some trees, when the battery reached low levels and RTH was automatically lunch. In the setting, it is lunched to go up as 30 meters. So, the drone went up, hit some branches and crashed the ground.

So far sounds like pilot error (eventually, it is set to RTH in low battery and I knew it, just wasn't aware of the battery). However, there were some unexpected issues:
1. The drone was only 25 meters from the home point! It should not RTH at such a short distance.
2. Instead of just going straight up to 30 meters, it first went forward, hit a tree in the front, then rotated to the side and then ascended up to hit the branches for the final impact. Why? It is programmed to go straight up!
3. The all thing took a second and a half. Didn't get a countdown or something. Didn't have time to cancel it not it reacted to the control sticks ordering it to go down.
1. My question is: Given that info, can I qualify for activating Dji warranty? The drone did not RTH as needed, nor it had to RTH at such a short distance from the home point!
Perhaps there was some mechanical issue, or a firmware issue with the new updates. Flight logs (txt and dat) are attached. Will appriciate if you guys would take a look.
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In case this incidant doesn't qualify for Dji warranty, what are my repair options?
The damage is: 2 broken arms and gimble holder. Pics:

Screenshot-20201110-083447-Messenger hosted at ImgBB

Image Screenshot-20201110-083447-Messenger hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

Screenshot-20201110-083459-Messenger hosted at ImgBB

Image Screenshot-20201110-083459-Messenger hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

Screenshot-20201110-083507-Messenger hosted at ImgBB

Image Screenshot-20201110-083507-Messenger hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

2. What do you think is the extent of the damage? Is it possible to have any other, unseen, damage such as motherboard etc.?
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Is there an option for a self repair?
I saw on Aliexpress and Amzaon they sell mavic air 2 arms for 20$. For instance: US $5.19 20% OFF|Original DJI Mavic Air 2 Arms Body Shell Middle Frame Bottom Shell Upper Cover Mavic Air 2 Replacement Repair Spare Parts|Drone Accessories Kits| - AliExpress
The reviews are very good. However they are not original Dji manufactured parts.
3. What is your take on that? Has anyone bought such? How much does it differ from the parts a drone lab will install for me?
I thought to buy the 2 broken arms and give to a friend who's working in an electronic lab to fix it (for free).
What do you think? Might save me a lot of money.
4. What about the gimble? Any ways to save it, or is it a 100% replacement?

Deeply appreciate you opinion.
Thank you all and safe flying !

z28lt1 · Nov 11, 2020

Someone will probably be along to look at your logs soon, if not I'll try to take a look in a while when I've got some time.
I did want to post that, per the manual, at greater than 20 meters (so your 25 meters will fit) the drone will orient itself towards home, and then ascend to the RTH height. So, the drone did RTH exactly as documented.

If you were between 5 and 20 meters it would have RTH at current height, and within 5 it would have landed.

Modra · Nov 11, 2020

If you have The Dji Refresh start the replacement process. Pilot error is a valid reason for warranty you will have to pay a few $$. And yes it was 1000 % pilot error (IMO).
Know your aircraft backwards before you put it in the air for your safety and the safety of others. And flying at night ???? no

krem · Nov 11, 2020

z28lt1 said:
Someone will probably be along to look at your logs soon, if not I'll try to take a look in a while when I've got some time.
I did want to post that, per the manual, at greater than 20 meters (so your 25 meters will fit) the drone will orient itself towards home, and then ascend to the RTH height. So, the drone did RTH exactly as documented.

If you were between 5 and 20 meters it would have RTH at current height, and within 5 it would have landed.

Thank you. Did not know that.
What is your take on buying replacement arms and installing them? It could save me about 150$ (rough estimate).

Modra said:
If you have The Dji Refresh start the replacement process. Pilot error is a valid reason for warranty you will have to pay a few $$. And yes it was 1000 % pilot error (IMO).
Know your aircraft backwards before you put it in the air for your safety and the safety of others. And flying at night ???? no

Thank you. Unfortunately, we do not have Dji refresh in my country

. Only the Dji manufacture warranty.
What is your take on buying replacement arms and installing them? It could save me about 150$ (rough estimate):

US $4.69 20% OFF|Original DJI Mavic Air 2 Arms Body Shell Middle Frame Bottom Shell Upper Cover Mavic Air 2 Replacement Repair Spare Parts|Drone Accessories Kits| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Is anyone experienced with self repair? How hard is it to install (have a friend who can do all the soldering in a professional electronics lab).

DanMan32 · Nov 11, 2020

Self repair, or repair by a center not certified for warranty work will potentially void your warranty on future issues.
Don't confuse a DJI certified repair center from a DJI recommended repair center. DJI will only maintain warranty on the former even if the latter is factory trained. If you're close to the end of the 1 year warranty, then getting it repaired won't matter much.

At 10pm ambient light was likely insufficient for OA to take effect. OA might have helped if it indeed went forward on RTH and approached a tree and there was sufficient light. MA2 I don't believe has upward sensors so it couldn't avoid overhead obstacles. Even if it did like the M2 does, it's only IR.

Tony McDrone · Nov 11, 2020

If you decide to self repair, or have an electronics professional repair it, they will visibly be able to determine if anything else detached from the motherboard. All of the electronics are attached to it. It is unlikely that you caused internal damage to the motherboard without either heat or water being the introduced.

Whoever repairs it needs to very good at micro soldering. The joints are microscopic, and the board is very easily fried if you touch it too long with the soldering tip. The actual repair itself is not difficult, just watch a couple of YouTube videos to learn how to tear it down.

I can’t tell from the photos the extent of the camera damage, but if it needs replacing, there you will find the biggest challenge. Replacing the camera is also quite easy, but the initializing seems to give everyone someone of a headache. There are posts on the forum about how to get that done, just bring plenty of patience...apparently.

Not sure if you can tell by my post, but I fried my motherboard during the repair and eventually needed to send it in. To my knowledge DJI only offers the refresh program in first 72 hours after activation, or by sending in a video of your drone after the 3 day activation. If I am wrong, someone will be along to correct me.

Sorry for your loss, and I hope you are to get back in the air ASAP.

Modra · Nov 11, 2020

krem said:
Thank you. Did not know that.
What is your take on buying replacement arms and installing them? It could save me about 150$ (rough estimate).

Thank you. Unfortunately, we do not have Dji refresh in my country . Only the Dji manufacture warranty.
What is your take on buying replacement arms and installing them? It could save me about 150$ (rough estimate):

US $4.69 20% OFF|Original DJI Mavic Air 2 Arms Body Shell Middle Frame Bottom Shell Upper Cover Mavic Air 2 Replacement Repair Spare Parts|Drone Accessories Kits| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Is anyone experienced with self repair? How hard is it to install (have a friend who can do all the soldering in a professional electronics lab).

I have heard it done but everything has to be just right or your bird might not fly straight .But yes if your friend can help give it a shot. Also when you open it up make sure to inspect the rest of the airframe for cracks. as well as the board. Good luck brother.

DanMan32 · Nov 11, 2020

Tony McDrone said:
If you decide to self repair, or have an electronics professional repair it, they will visibly be able to determine if anything else detached from the motherboard. All of the electronics are attached to it. It is unlikely that you caused internal damage to the motherboard without either heat or water being the introduced.

Whoever repairs it needs to very good at micro soldering. The joints are microscopic, and the board is very easily fried if you touch it too long with the soldering tip. The actual repair itself is not difficult, just watch a couple of YouTube videos to learn how to tear it down.

I can’t tell from the photos the extent of the camera damage, but if it needs replacing, there you will find the biggest challenge. Replacing the camera is also quite easy, but the initializing seems to give everyone someone of a headache. There are posts on the forum about how to get that done, just bring plenty of patience...apparently.

Not sure if you can tell by my post, but I fried my motherboard during the repair and eventually needed to send it in. To my knowledge DJI only offers the refresh program in first 72 hours after activation, or by sending in a video of your drone after the 3 day activation. If I am wrong, someone will be along to correct me.

Sorry for your loss, and I hope you are to get back in the air ASAP.

You are correct about criteria in getting refresh where available (though DJI seems to be vague about the video method). However OP is in a location where refresh is not available.

krem · Nov 11, 2020

DanMan32 said:
Self repair, or repair by a center not certified for warranty work will potentially void your warranty on future issues.
Don't confuse a DJI certified repair center from a DJI recommended repair center. DJI will only maintain warranty on the former even if the latter is factory trained. If you're close to the end of the 1 year warranty, then getting it repaired won't matter much.

At 10pm ambient light was likely insufficient for OA to take effect. OA might have helped if it indeed went forward on RTH and approached a tree and there was sufficient light. MA2 I don't believe has upward sensors so it couldn't avoid overhead obstacles. Even if it did like the M2 does, it's only IR.

I see. My drone is only a week old, so I could use the warranty. However, how can dji, in case of a future warranty claim, see that I went to a not certified center?

Tony McDrone said:
If you decide to self repair, or have an electronics professional repair it, they will visibly be able to determine if anything else detached from the motherboard. All of the electronics are attached to it. It is unlikely that you caused internal damage to the motherboard without either heat or water being the introduced.

Whoever repairs it needs to very good at micro soldering. The joints are microscopic, and the board is very easily fried if you touch it too long with the soldering tip. The actual repair itself is not difficult, just watch a couple of YouTube videos to learn how to tear it down.

I can’t tell from the photos the extent of the camera damage, but if it needs replacing, there you will find the biggest challenge. Replacing the camera is also quite easy, but the initializing seems to give everyone someone of a headache. There are posts on the forum about how to get that done, just bring plenty of patience...apparently.

Not sure if you can tell by my post, but I fried my motherboard during the repair and eventually needed to send it in. To my knowledge DJI only offers the refresh program in first 72 hours after activation, or by sending in a video of your drone after the 3 day activation. If I am wrong, someone will be along to correct me.

Sorry for your loss, and I hope you are to get back in the air ASAP.

Thank you!
What would you say is more complex - gimble change or arms? Sounds like the gimble is more a software issue (recentering it), which I can handle, and the arms replacement is more a technical issue. Right?
By the way, are the part sold on AliExpress (gimble/arms) any good?
And no Dji refresh in my country

Modra said:
I have heard it done but everything has to be just right or your bird might not fly straight .But yes if your friend can help give it a shot. Also when you open it up make sure to inspect the rest of the airframe for cracks. as well as the board. Good luck brother.

Thanks! Yea sounds like it.. Its actually a friend of a friend (which I'm not sure how good she is), so I'm naturally a bit hesitant to trust her with my drone. What is your take? How easily can an arm replacement go wrong?

Tony McDrone · Nov 11, 2020

For clarity.
The only warranty DJI offers is the refresh program, so you have no warranty. Since the crash was pilot error, not hardware or software related, you can’t return it or exchange it. You will have to do the repair yourself.

The arms are far more difficult to replace, as they require micro soldering. The camera is held in by 6 screws and can be replaced without opening the drone. And yes, it is a software issue that challenges most DIYers once they’ve installed the new camera.

I cannot speak to the quality of the parts on AliExpress. For me, it would be quicker to order them from Amazon, but I don’t live in Israel either. Maybe getting them from China would be quicker for you. If so, give us an update on the quality of the parts?

itsneedtokno · Nov 11, 2020

Tony McDrone said:
For clarity.
The only warranty DJI offers is the refresh program, so you have no warranty. Since the crash was pilot error, not hardware or software related, you can’t return it or exchange it. You will have to do the repair yourself.

The arms are far more difficult to replace, as they require micro soldering. The camera is held in by 6 screws and can be replaced without opening the drone. And yes, it is a software issue that challenges most DIYers once they’ve installed the new camera.

I cannot speak to the quality of the parts on AliExpress. For me, it would be quicker to order them from Amazon, but I don’t live in Israel either. Maybe getting them from China would be quicker for you. If so, give us an update on the quality of the parts?

DJI warrantied my MA2 after 3 days because of a faulty gimbal.

Warranty does exist, just limited

z28lt1 · Nov 11, 2020

Tony McDrone said:
For clarity.
The only warranty DJI offers is the refresh program, so you have no warranty. Since the crash was pilot error, not hardware or software related, you can’t return it or exchange it. You will have to do the repair yourself.

The arms are far more difficult to replace, as they require micro soldering. The camera is held in by 6 screws and can be replaced without opening the drone. And yes, it is a software issue that challenges most DIYers once they’ve installed the new camera.

I cannot speak to the quality of the parts on AliExpress. For me, it would be quicker to order them from Amazon, but I don’t live in Israel either. Maybe getting them from China would be quicker for you. If so, give us an update on the quality of the parts?

Huh? Of course DJI offers a warranty. They will determine if it is pilot error, and if not for an entire year, will send out what is usually a new or refurb replacement. Refresh is valuable to get a replacement (for an exchange fee) in the case of pilot error or something that is not a manufacturer defect.

Unless you are talking about something else, or a drone bought from an unauthorized source or something....

RayOZ · Nov 11, 2020

Once you crash it, chances of warranty claim is very slim. And if you self repair, and they find out, that’s definitely out of the question. Basically, if you break it, they aren’t going to replace it.

DanMan32 · Nov 11, 2020

I would think DJI has means of determining tampering such as a sticker somewhere such as over a screw.

If the repair after a crash is repaired by an authorized repair center such as themselves, warranty could be maintained. This may be accomplished by a refurb replacement rather than an actual repair, even if only charged for repair cost.

DJI only charged me $2 to replace one broken antenna on my remote in conjunction with a refresh claim on the AC, but the remote was clearly replaced.

z28lt1 · Nov 11, 2020

I tried to read the logs in PhantomHelp, but it's not showing anything, so something is amiss with the .txt file. Anyone else have any luck? Tomorrow I can try the DAT file after I dust off the computer that still has a Java Runtime on it.

MA2 317 · Nov 12, 2020

z28lt1 said:
I tried to read the logs in PhantomHelp, but it's not showing anything, so something is amiss with the .txt file. Anyone else have any luck?

I noticed that too.

Thought it was me?

BudWalker · Nov 12, 2020

z28lt1 said:
I tried to read the logs in PhantomHelp, but it's not showing anything, so something is amiss with the .txt file. Anyone else have any luck? Tomorrow I can try the DAT file after I dust off the computer that still has a Java Runtime on it.

Not sure what's up with Phantomhelp. The MavicMini version of TXTlogToCSVtool is required. Try the attached.
@MA2 317

hiflyer201 · Nov 12, 2020

Sorry to hear about your bad luck.
Send it to DJI if you don't absolutely have the ability to fix it. The prices are fair and you'll end up with a new drone. I think it'll cost you about 65 dollars US to find out. Your other option would be to find a good price on a used Mini. There should be a lot on the market. As it stands..your drone appears to be junk or parts at best.

Tony McDrone · Nov 12, 2020

z28lt1 said:
Huh? Of course DJI offers a warranty. They will determine if it is pilot error, and if not for an entire year, will send out what is usually a new or refurb replacement. Refresh is valuable to get a replacement (for an exchange fee) in the case of pilot error or something that is not a manufacturer defect.

Unless you are talking about something else, or a drone bought from an unauthorized source or something....

He already stated that the refresh program is not available to him. He also stated that crash was pilot error. Therefore, he has no recourse thru DJI, as he admitted the crash was his fault. He is literally on his own.

As stated in my post, they only offer the refresh program to replace units that are broken as a result of pilot error, or proven software issues. There are post where pilots have sent videos of their crash in and DJI replaced them after an investigation. They have no responsibility here if the consumer elects not to purchase that warranty.