First flight crash

[Enrico BBB]

Let me relate my own experience. I had flown DJI drones for over a year and lifted off from a new location but similiar to previous areas flown so I did not recalibrate the compass. After getting 11 GPS satellites, I lifted straight up. Everything when normally for 4 seconds until, at 49 feet (15 meters), the drone started to fly away at high speed, in a curled flight path. I attempted to make the drone come down but for the next 20 seconds it orbited erratically but did finally get close enough to the ground to auto land. I got a compass warning only after the erratic flight had begun. This all occurred in a parking lot with an asphalt surface. I latter learned, that before the parking lot was there, this area is where a small mountain of iron ore had been stored for a steel mill for ~ 100 years. Much of that ore would have sunk into the ground over the years and was merely paved over.
Your experience seems similar to mine in that when you were high enough, the material in the ground influencing the compass no longer overloaded the earth's natural magnetic field and at that point it went haywire. I think the experts here have given you the cause of the crash. I do not know DJI's warranty policy in this case. It might be interesting to understand the history of your particular patch of ground, if you do not think that rebar in concrete at your takeoff spot was the issue.
The following is speculation on my part, but I have gotten magnetic interference warnings before prior to taking off from concrete with rebar (and I heed the warning and move take off spots), but I wonder if a defused result from my old iron ore spot might have been interpreted differently by the drone and that explains why I got no warning prior to takeoff.

I don't know what could be under that robber.... In that area were some little buildings, demolished by communist Romanian government to build that blocks.... There could be everything

 

[drjulian]

Myself bought my first drone ever this summer ... didn't launch for a week due to reading manuals, checking out YouTube & reading forums. Once fully sure about every function, every risky thing to do I launched for the first time in a big free football field without anything to hit or damage. Tried then out one function at a time until I was completely sure how everything worked. Went through all quick shoot modes, learnt how the RTH function worked, checked brake distances and so on ...

My 2 cents ...

Sounds very much like my story....but it took me nearly a month before I felt ready for flight #1. Watching tutorials, reading manuals, referring to "war-stories" on these forums... and the first thing I did was make sure I knew how the RTH feature worked.

There are so many variables that you cannot be 'over-prepared' before you fly.

My 2 cents

 

[Enrico BBB]

Sounds very much like my story....but it took me nearly a month before I felt ready for flight #1. Watching tutorials, reading manuals, referring to "war-stories" on these forums... and the first thing I did was make sure I knew how the RTH feature worked.

There are so many variables that you cannot be 'over-prepared' before you fly.

My 2 cents

RTH didn't work... Controller didn't work.
For sure I could have been more careful with all the pre-flight checking... But I think in my case a lot of factors concurred to the crash...
Tomorrow I will buy a new one, waiting for the DJI answer about warranty and I will do all the check list before every flight...
Even if accident could happen even if we respect all instruction...
Steel, magnetic field, wind, hardware or software fault.... So many things...
I will have a back-up drone... This is the only good new ???

 

[Prismatic]

...
Steel, magnetic field, wind, hardware or software fault.... So many things...
I will have a back-up drone... This is the only good new ???

You'll probably find that this incident was just one of those things that can happen, but in practice rarely does happen. Most pilots never experience anything like that.

You may never need your backup drone. Let's hope so!

 

[bigswifty]

Maybe you're referring to the "radar" display? I should've been a bit more specific. i'm referring to the heading indicator in the map display, not the "radar" display

I was referring to the map. Forward on right stick (Mode 2) and the red arrow would not move in the direction it was pointing.

 

[InvisibleName]

.... If it hits a person, who pay? What kind of damage could result? Dji could have had serious problems in that case....

Just so it's clear to you, in most countries, as the pilot, you are held 100% responsible if you injure a person or damage property with your drone. That's why it's very important that you make sure you take out a good 3rd Party Liability insurance. Blaming DJI would, most likely, be unsuccessful!

 

[Enrico BBB]

Just so it's clear to you, in most countries, as the pilot, you are held 100% responsible if you injure a person or damage property with your drone. That's why it's very important that you make sure you take out a good 3rd Party Liability insurance. Blaming DJI would, most likely, be unsuccessful!

For sure it's important to subscribe a insurance. And for sure, by law, the owner is responsible, at least toward injured people.... In a second time, if you can prove that the problem is drone's hardware or software fault be sure DJI will be involved.
The same is on your car, if your brake system faults because of a factory problem be sure the factory is involved....!

 

[InvisibleName]

For sure it's important to subscribe a insurance. And for sure, by law, the owner is responsible, at least toward injured people.... In a second time, if you can prove that the problem is drone's hardware or software fault be sure DJI will be involved.
The same is on your car, if your brake system faults because of a factory problem be sure the factory is involved....!

Best of luck proving that a company the size of DJI is culpable in any claim against you!

 

[Enrico BBB]

Best of luck proving that a company the size of DJI is culpable in any claim against you!

Not against me, against the insurance company. In Europe it happens!

 

[InvisibleName]

Not against me, against the insurance company. In Europe it happens!

"In Europe..." what happens?? Are you saying you've got evidence of a win against DJI?

 

[Enrico BBB]

"In Europe..." what happens?? Are you saying you've got evidence of a win against DJI?

General speaking.... The bigger one doesn't ever win...

 

[Enrico BBB]

General speaking.... The bigger one doesn't ever win...

*The biggest

 

[conchman]

I had a similar experience with my MP1 that went into atti mode, but I was able to save it by emergency landing in the snow. I had taken off quickly near some large rocks, in the mountains. My guess is, that somehow I didnt have enough satellites, or it lost one, and/or that the iron or metals in the rocks caused enough magnetic interference to put it into atti mode.

 

[InvisibleName]

General speaking.... The bigger one doesn't ever win...

That 'statement' sound a bit anecdotal!

 

[Mavic madness]

Im updating my pc's at the moment so cannot read file.

I take off from the rear of my car so cannot see the concrete being a problem, but one thing i learned from forums is calibrate your compass and imu in new places... i would almost bet my family jewls that was the problem..
Hopfully DJI will send you another drone...

If it says ready to fly the f##@@##ing thing should be ready to fly. Another tip make sure your battery is in firmly with an extra check. Id make a habbit out of doing pre flight checks on the bird and system before flight. I always pre fly, fly low altitude like 5m max 10 and blow a whole battery doing that before i really fly.
Make sure you know emergency motor shutdown command
Treat it as an aircraft your getting into

Wish you all the best for the new year

 

[sar104]

Im updating my pc's at the moment so cannot read file.

I take off from the rear of my car so cannot see the concrete being a problem, but one thing i learned from forums is calibrate your compass and imu in new places... i would almost bet my family jewls that was the problem..
Hopfully DJI will send you another drone...

If it says ready to fly the f##@@##ing thing should be ready to fly. Another tip make sure your battery is in firmly with an extra check. Id make a habbit out of doing pre flight checks on the bird and system before flight. I always pre fly, fly low altitude like 5m max 10 and blow a whole battery doing that before i really fly.
Make sure you know emergency motor shutdown command
Treat it as an aircraft your getting into

Wish you all the best for the new year

Concrete is often a problem, due to local magnetic distortion from the rebar. Vehicles, if ferromagnetic, are even worse. Regular compass and IMU calibration should not be necessary.

 

[Camino Ken]

I have an interesting concrete/rebar experience that I thought I should share. I have been flying my M2P for about a year and I often take off from my driveway in front of my house. The driveway surface has two distinct areas that were built at different times. One was here when I bought the house and probably has standard size rebar of 1/2 in diameter. The newer area, which I directed the construction, has 5/8 in diameter rebar. The interesting thing is that I get a magnetic interference warning when my drone is placed on the section with the thicker rebar and do not get it 12 inches away on the section with the standard rebar. Now, I know that the depth of the rebar is a variable as well. I have tested this in multiple locations along the two sections with the same result. The lesson here is that the compass in the drone is very sensitive and the difference between getting a warning and not is a fine line.

To be safe I always check the triangle position relative to actual direction of the aircraft before takeoff.

 

[m80116]

I've had my Mini disappear for a reason that might be related, I am too thinking of buying it again because after all I really liked it the 2 days I've had it.

 

[Enrico BBB]

Dji replaced my drone by warranty ?????????

 

[Prismatic]

Dji replaced my drone by warranty ?????????

? Happy New year!