First flight crashed into a tree! ?

[macfawlty]

The side sensors CANNOT be relied on. I'll be a lot more cautious when doing any lateral moves. I also start a lot of video clips in a gimbal down position and can't always view my direction of travel. Flying mountains, rivers, streams, trees and varied topography provides both challenge and reward. Hopefully front sensors are more reliable than the sides. I don't like pruning trees with my M2P.

 

[macfawlty]

I have noticed a significant increase in sensor sensitivity and ability to avoid obstacles when I enable APAS when not in smart modes on my M2Z. Sorry about the crash on your maiden flight.

Good to know. I need all the obstacle avoidance I can get.

 

[fguthrie]

So my first flight literally with about 15 minutes of flight time my brand new shiny Mavic 2 Pro crashed into a tree while in tripod mode. To me it seems like my side sensors failed....or maybe I did or maybe we both did? I get it was a tree and more organic meaning not a building, but still have Phantom 4 Pros and others and never had zero warning like this that I was approaching an object even a tree. What are your thoughts? Again I was in tripod mode on my smart controller too. Really sucks. Thanks.

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Sorry to hear about your crash. I may have missed it, but what damage did the Drone eating tree do? Also, do you have the DJI Refresh program? I do and have already used it once, it worked pretty fast - you will want to do the advance replacement - I received a replacement M2P in about a week.

 

[SpitFire]

I never trust obstacle sensors, aways fly VLOS at all times, because tree branches are too thin give you warning, or wires only solid objects. Practice, and more practice is needed. Keep flying with the rotors up.

 

[MavicMan64]

So my first flight literally with about 15 minutes of flight time my brand new shiny Mavic 2 Pro crashed into a tree while in tripod mode. To me it seems like my side sensors failed....or maybe I did or maybe we both did? I get it was a tree and more organic meaning not a building, but still have Phantom 4 Pros and others and never had zero warning like this that I was approaching an object even a tree. What are your thoughts? Again I was in tripod mode on my smart controller too. Really sucks. Thanks.

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Hope you bought the DJI Refresh! That really sucks!

 

[hammbone]

The more I read the more I realize I’ve got a lot to learn, don’t have a spotter so I fly high. First sign of a problem and I’m hitten the RTF man! You guys rock!

 

[hammbone]

Meant RTH, ?

 

[EricJT]

So my first flight literally with about 15 minutes of flight time my brand new shiny Mavic 2 Pro crashed into a tree while in tripod mode. To me it seems like my side sensors failed....or maybe I did or maybe we both did?

What was your exact sequence of steps to put it in tripod mode?

I ask because you have to take off in program mode and then switch into tripod mode in the air....I know because when I tried the first time taking off in tripod mode with my SC, it was still in program mode. Then I read the manual!

 

[KJack91986]

Very sorry to hear about this, but very much appreciate you sharing what happened. I had shared with friends that I spent the extra money to buy a drone that would keep me from inadvertently running into a tree. I am new to drone flying and starting out with an M2P. It’s an education for me, and I will be sure to stay above and away from Trees and Power Lines.

 

[Starz]

1st rule of safe flying, never rely on sensors... They are nice to have but you should be able to maneuver without them. Goodluck man hope you get it fixed?

Second rule. Altitude is your buddy.

 

[LowCountryFlyer]

Sorry to hear that. It’s an expensive lesson: no matter what obstacle detection system is abouard your aircraft, it’s still no substitute for see and avoid using your Mk I eyeballs. Certain contrast patterns or lack thereof cannot be detected by the sensors. And the Mavic does have blind spots in its coverage. Trees notoriously eat drones if you aren’t careful.

A good idea in the future is to experiment, starting with simple flights and working progressively more and more complex flying in proximity of obstacles. Also proximity to obstacles should be part of your personal minimums eg I wont fly any routes where I am closer to obstacles than 50 ft, etc., the. Reevaluate these periodically as your airmanship improves

 

[RussDrone]

As stated earlier, I find that collision avoidance only works with more massive obstacles. Small tree or bush branches are NOT avoided. I also find that flying sideways or up or down (vs. forward) is not a good practice. If I wanted a sweep scene going sideways, I’d start next to the obstacle and fly away from it ... then show the video in reverse (this is not always possible if there are subjects like people or cars that cannot be shown going backwards). If I am trying to compose or frame a shot, I start from the obstacle and move toward the subject until I get the framing (or cropping) I desired. I learned the latter the hard way.

 

[In The Zone]

Obviously this was pilot error you should never rely on your sensors. With any new drone you should always get familiar with your drone first and how it will react. I tested and experimented with my sensors carefully with trees and my house to see how it would react in tripod mode and normal mode before I pushed it capabilities.

 

[Kaydet]

Can happen: after appr 60 flights also lost my MM in a tree.
I was warned, overlooked the site, knew to beware of the trees, but when taking pictures and video, didn't notice anymore what I had to know.
Fortunately my travel-insurance covered the loss.
Lesson: even when you think you are a bit more experienced, always be aware of obstacles and wind.....

What travel insurance covers drones?