First crash

[Nersiple]

So it finally happened. I was practicing flying my Mavic 3 in normal mode. Trying to get muscle memory and it finally happened. There was a low branch that I and the drone didn't see and it hit it hard. Knocking the drone in circles until it hit the ground. I could have sworn the drone is supposed to shut off if it detects a collision but it kept trying to fly for a few seconds more. It now has a scuff above the camera, not on the lens but on the gimble itself. I had to replace three of the blades and one of the arms is bent a little. I haven't flown it again. I feel like a lot of bad luck happened in such a short time that I need to step back and test it another time. I did clean it up and I'm debating unscrewing the upper back end above the battery slot as some debris got into some of the vents but I don't want to void my warranty.

Curious question. Is this my fault for putting too much trust in the obstacle avoidance system or should I contact DJI?

 

[Deleted member 162835]

I don't trust the obstacle avoidance. I consider it a nice safety net in the event I miss something and it catches my miss. There are YouTube videos of people testing the obstacle avoidance capabilities and branches are a weakness of the system resulting in crashes.

If it was my investment I would send the drone in to DJI for assessment considering you stated one of the arms is bent.

 

[mobilehomer]

If you have Care Refresh, use it! Get a new drone replacement.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I don't trust OA completely but I do not have an M3, I have an M2Z.
However that's not the reason for my post.
My reason is, you should investigate the reason for the slightly bent arm and or send the drone in for repair.
In my M2Z crash I was left with a drooping front arm and an rear arm that did not behave correctly. It turned out the former was due to the top of the actual pivot being bent which forced the entire arm off angle, the latter was due to a broken off position stop.
In fact it took several dismantlings, rebuilds and test flights to spot all the damaged that meant parts had to be replaced.
But if you open the drone you will probably invalidate any remaining warranty and care refresh so think carefully about whether or not those are of value to you before you attempt any repairs that require opening the drone or removing 'sealed' covers.

 

[Nersiple]

I think all of you are right. This is too expensive of a drone to leave it up to chance. I'll get in contact with them when they open and see what can be done. I have the Care Refresh but money is a bit tight right now so it may take a little time but better to be safe than sorry I suppose. I'll definitely will be asking if the OA was to blame and in return their responsibility to fix but that may just be hopeful thinking.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I think all of you are right. This is too expensive of a drone to leave it up to chance. I'll get in contact with them when they open and see what can be done. I have the Care Refresh but money is a bit tight right now so it may take a little time but better to be safe than sorry I suppose. I'll definitely will be asking if the OA was to blame and in return their responsibility to fix but that may just be hopeful thinking.

Remember to stay inside the time period for care refresh whether 1 or 2 years and don't leave it too late.

 

[wardtom084]

I never fly below 200 feet. Been flying for a year and have over a thousand miles of flight distance. The 3 most important things flying is altitude, altitude and altitude. No limbs at 200 feet.

 

[EricJT]

I never fly below 200 feet. Been flying for a year and have over a thousand miles of flight distance. The 3 most important things flying is altitude, altitude and altitude. No limbs at 200 feet.

Unless it is a skydiver!

 

[Nersiple]

Selected the Care Express so to use one of my reduced price options. I'm hoping they don't send me a refurbished unit. All they say is Replacement and to me that can mean almost anything. This was a costly lesson but at least I learned it. My hubris got the better of me and it cost me. I do feel confident that the practice I had helped but will be more careful in the future and no more showing off.

 

[KI5RLL]

Selected the Care Express so to use one of my reduced price options. I'm hoping they don't send me a refurbished unit. All they say is Replacement and to me that can mean almost anything. This was a costly lesson but at least I learned it. My hubris got the better of me and it cost me. I do feel confident that the practice I had helped but will be more careful in the future and no more showing off.

Seems the actual size of the branch is something that will always get us. They are infinitely different in size, shape, texture, lighting etc. Of course a big heavy branch is visible to CAS, but there is no DJI data on just how small or what diameter a branch it is “supposed” to see. Or what lighting. That is just too much A.I. for 2022 we must accept. And thus avoid all of them.
But it is good you are getting a replacement! I hope it is a brand new model for you. And you enjoy many more miles.
I generally fly long distances only above the trees so I can’t offer much better advice.

Best safe flying to you!
Mike

 

[GadgetGuy]

In the words of Ken Booth/@bladestrike, one of the former DJI employees who used to frequent this forum, "obstacle avoidance is a feature, not a guarantee!" DJI will not cover crashes under warranty where OA failed to prevent a crash. For warranty purposes, avoiding obstacles is still the pilot's responsibility. Care Express is a no fault policy. Send it in, pay the deductible, and DJI will send you a brand new Mavic 3. It may be called refurbished, but it will still be brand new!

 

[northernrockiesdrone]

Happened to me as well. I was doing some active tracking and had my drone above the tree line. Well most of it…. Except for one branch. It found it, and then found about 20 branches on the way down before it hit the ground. I will say I was very happy with DJI express care’s ease of use. Unfortunately the new drone I received had a weird gimbal fault from the factory. They quickly mailed me another one at no charge to replace that one. So technically I’m on my 3rd Mavic 3 now. So far so good lol.

 

[retiredNH]

I never fly below 200 feet. Been flying for a year and have over a thousand miles of flight distance. The 3 most important things flying is altitude, altitude and altitude. No limbs at 200 feet.

Only in flat areas. Where I live and fly, our hills are over 200 feet. Pretty easy to start with 200 foot clearance, fly on the level and hit a tree!

 

[Nersiple]

They've received my Mavic 3, I need to name it, and am waiting for them to ship out my replacement. I went online to find some replacement propellers and ended up buying some carbon fiber blades. Not sure if it's just a gimmick or if they're the real deal but I figured why not give it a shot. I also purchased some landing gear that attaches to the drone. I bought a landing pad but have found that carrying that around is also cumbersome so I wanted to try this out. The reason for the purchase is that when I was still using my Mini SE I was called on last minute to get some aerial shots of a charity fair and it drove me frustrated trying to find a suitable spot to take off and land. No idea if anyone has any stories about the carbon fiber blades or the landing gear but I'd love to hear whatever anyone's willing to share.

Another small question. While looking for blades I kept seeing different ways of saying "noise reduction" or "ultra quiet" are all blades the same or do some make less noise than others?

 

[wardtom084]

Only in flat areas. Where I live and fly, our hills are over 200 feet. Pretty easy to start with 200 foot clearance, fly on the level and hit a tree!

I am in the mountains of western N.C. near Fontan Dam and Joyce Kilmer park and have a two hundred foot mountain just west of me. Have no problem in the yard at 200 feet but usually put it up to at least 400. Surprised really at the expense of the drones and people flying into fences, trees, and houses.

 

[Deleted member 162835]

They've received my Mavic 3, I need to name it, and am waiting for them to ship out my replacement. I went online to find some replacement propellers and ended up buying some carbon fiber blades. Not sure if it's just a gimmick or if they're the real deal but I figured why not give it a shot. I also purchased some landing gear that attaches to the drone. I bought a landing pad but have found that carrying that around is also cumbersome so I wanted to try this out. The reason for the purchase is that when I was still using my Mini SE I was called on last minute to get some aerial shots of a charity fair and it drove me frustrated trying to find a suitable spot to take off and land. No idea if anyone has any stories about the carbon fiber blades or the landing gear but I'd love to hear whatever anyone's willing to share.

Another small question. While looking for blades I kept seeing different ways of saying "noise reduction" or "ultra quiet" are all blades the same or do some make less noise than others?

Some advertise a small decrease in dB but it's more the change in pitch. You can find a fair amount of videos on YouTube demonstrating differences.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Some advertise a small decrease in dB but it's more the change in pitch. You can find a fair amount of videos on YouTube demonstrating differences.

It's really subjective. No matter how quiet or low pitch it is, if is at all annoying to someone else, you'll hear about it! LOL!