Flyaway but surprise ending

[Shakey Jake]

So I am on my 3rd DJI replaced Mavic Pro. The last one flew away 600 ft and hit a house..smh.

I had a request to drone a church downtown Racine WI. Went thru setting and calibration and took off vertical to to get a downward shot of steeple..260ish ft. Then I get a check app mag warning..started coming down and then off she went...again..I was trying to force land..RTH..nothing..out of sight and then my rc disconnected and reconnected several times..tried to relax a listen for it because it would reconnect running. This whole process lasted 10 minutes and several thousand feet..but then the the rc was RTH and then I heard it...was like a puppy that ran off. Got really lucky as I watched it land within a couple feet of where I took off. attaching flight log.

 

[Meta4]

So I am on my 3rd DJI replaced Mavic Pro. The last one flew away 600 ft and hit a house..smh.

I had a request to drone a church downtown Racine WI. Went thru setting and calibration and took off vertical to to get a downward shot of steeple..260ish ft. Then I get a check app mag warning..started coming down and then off she went...again..I was trying to force land..RTH..nothing..out of sight and then my rc disconnected and reconnected several times..tried to relax a listen for it because it would reconnect running. This whole process lasted 10 minutes and several thousand feet..but then the the rc was RTH and then I heard it...was like a puppy that ran off. Got really lucky as I watched it land within a couple feet of where I took off. attaching flight log.

Your flight data looks like this: DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com
You gave the Mavic a Yaw Error by launching from a magnetically dirty site.
What was the launch surface or what steel objects were close by?

You were extremely lucky that the Yaw Error was a small one and didn't cause the drone to be completely out of control.
Most end very badly.

 

[lannes]

Would of probably been safer to launch from the middle of the park, less chance of magnetic interference to the compass

 

[Shakey Jake]

I la

Your flight data looks like this: DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com
You gave the Mavic a Yaw Error by launching from a magnetically dirty site.
What was the launch surface or what steel objects were close by?

You were extremely lucky that the Yaw Error was a small one and didn't cause the drone to be completely out of control.
Most end very badly.

I launch off my tonneau cover on my truck. But the church is all brick and went to steeple which it and roof are metal. I looked log over when I got home. Unreal. Scary thing is when it started on its own it flew over both court house and jail facility then flew disconnected on and off like 7 blocks. Finally connected and rth.

 

[Shakey Jake]

Would of probably been safer to launch from the middle of the park

I agree..it was pretty long..probably should get a landing /take off pad to use on grass. Thx Andy

 

[Meta4]

I launch off my tonneau cover on my truck. But the church is all brick and went to steeple which it and roof are metal. I looked log over when I got home. Unreal. Scary thing is when it started on its own it flew over both court house and jail facility then flew disconnected on and off like 7 blocks.

Where you powered up the drone is the problem, not what you flew near.
For most yaw error incidents, RTH is not possible.

 

[lannes]

I agree..it was pretty long..probably should get a landing /take off pad to use on grass. Thx Andy

DJI Mavic Compass Calibration Guide | Mavic Help

Mavic Help is a site for help with DJI Mavic drones. Find the latest fixes, how-tos, guides, accessories, modifications, and more.

www.mavichelp.com

 

[Meta4]

Calibrating the compass wasn't the problem and calibrating wouldn't do anything to prevent it.
Powering up and launching from magnetically dirty location was the issue.

 

[lannes]

Calibrating the compass wasn't the problem and calibrating wouldn't do anything to prevent it.
Powering up and launching from magnetically dirty location was the issue.

Agree with that, the tray of a truck is not the best place.
How come he didn't get any compass errors or warnings ?
I usually get them depending on the take off location

 

[Meta4]

Because the strength of the magnetic field wasn't more than the earth's field.

 

[sar104]

So I am on my 3rd DJI replaced Mavic Pro. The last one flew away 600 ft and hit a house..smh.

I had a request to drone a church downtown Racine WI. Went thru setting and calibration and took off vertical to to get a downward shot of steeple..260ish ft. Then I get a check app mag warning..started coming down and then off she went...again..I was trying to force land..RTH..nothing..out of sight and then my rc disconnected and reconnected several times..tried to relax a listen for it because it would reconnect running. This whole process lasted 10 minutes and several thousand feet..but then the the rc was RTH and then I heard it...was like a puppy that ran off. Got really lucky as I watched it land within a couple feet of where I took off. attaching flight log.

Hard to say for certain what happened there, but it may well have been magnetic interference at power up.



It really needs the mobile device DAT file ending FLY019.DAT, which contains the raw sensor data, to diagnose the issue properly.

 

[Motorcycle Rider]

If you have no good surface, just hand launch.

 

[Greekislandlover]

As ever, thanks for the fascinating insight SAR104 and Meta4.

I know this launch was from a lump of iron and there was a field next door a hand launch could have been done from, but I'm interested in the term "Magnetically dirty". What sort of areas are we looking at, and is there any way to tell from the instrumentation?

 

[Meta4]

I know this launch was from a lump of iron and there was a field next door a hand launch could have been done from, but I'm interested in the term "Magnetically dirty".
What sort of areas are we looking at, and is there any way to tell from the instrumentation?

Anywhere that the drone's compass is deflected by something with a magnetic field so that it gives a false directional indication that is used to initialise the gyros in the IMU.
It can be a large steel object like a car, it can be small (if it's close to the compass) like a bolt in a wooden deck.
The most common cause is steel reinforcing in reinforced concrete.

Avoiding obvious problem spots is a good start.
Otherwise ...
After you have powered up your drone, note what direction the drone is pointing and compare with the drone icon (red arrow) in your radar display or map window,
They should both point in the same compass direction.
If one is pointing east and the other is pointing south, you have a problem, switch the drone off, go to a new location and start again.

 

[kidroc]

I think you should try and find someone with real experience flying and really learning how they work and act in real-world situations after three mishaps like that which is almost impossible by the way..before you or someone else gets hurt man..

 

[Shakey Jake]

DJI Mavic Compass Calibration Guide | Mavic Help

Mavic Help is a site for help with DJI Mavic drones. Find the latest fixes, how-tos, guides, accessories, modifications, and more.

www.mavichelp.com

Thank you..

 

[Shakey Jake]

I think you should try and find someone with real experience flying and really learning how they work and act in real-world situations after three mishaps like that which is almost impossible by the way..before you or someone else gets hurt man..

You are very correct..tuff to find drone companions. First drone was a rc issue and they replaced both rc and drone. Second was an issue as of this but it crashed hard but DJI replace both. This is a new unit both drone and rc..I am on youtube a ton trying to teach myself. I found a drone friendly area wide open to learn more on calibration what to watch for. I was fricken lucky. And I will heed your advice and learn more rather than hit that up stick and think everything will be golden..thanks Andy

 

[Ron Caballero CAP]

I la

I launch off my tonneau cover on my truck. But the church is all brick and went to steeple which it and roof are metal. I looked log over when I got home. Unreal. Scary thing is when it started on its own it flew over both court house and jail facility then flew disconnected on and off like 7 blocks. Finally connected and rth.

That was your problem. Your truck is METAL. I launch as far from my car or truck as possible...and away from other possible electronic interference.