Got hit by my Mavic blades

[BubbaDan]

I like to tell people that it’s a flying weed wacker. It’s a fair comparison, since you can get those solid blades for weed wackers.

 

[Wombat55]

I was practicing fine control in the back yard, at 18 inches off ground. I did not notice my 18 month old Husky eyeing it. She caught me off guard and caught the Mavic in her mouth! Needless to say we were both equally surprised. She was completely unhurt, but now goes in the house when I launch. Smart dog!

Hope that everyone who has a dog is careful about that. A dog as big as a Husky may be able to easily shrug off the impact from the blades, but a smaller dog could get really seriously injured. Be safe.

 

[moonlitnite]

Agreed, it's not so much getting a cut tongue or broken tooth (bad enough)... it's the possibility of lacerating and losing an eye. If you have a strong stomach, google "ocular laceration helicopter drone" and click on Images - these imprint lasting memories.
Fortunately, my Siberian Husky always keeps more than a safe distance.

 

[sprtbkrydr]

 

[RotoRanger]

I like to tell people that it’s a flying weed wacker. It’s a fair comparison, since you can get those solid blades for weed wackers.

Indeed.
My favorite analogy when I try to describe the potential effects of contacting the Inspire's rotors while in flight is, "Imagine sticking your hand into 4 food processors flying in formation". That usually gets the appropriate reaction.

 

[scottebay]

Hello fellow pilots.

So this weekend I was doing some test flight in my underground parking. This parkinng is 8 lvls below street level, so yes I was flying in ATTI mode.

So I got cocky and was distracted my quad drifted towards me an caught me by surprise (full user stupidity on my part).

I reacted by instinct and put my hand to protect myself, I fully hit the forward left blade with my hand and with the combination of the sensors the quad back up and then I landed it.

Yes it was full contact with blades at hovering speed. Aftermath: paninfull burn sensation a bit of swelling and very small superficial cuts. I honestly dont think the blades can deeply cut skin nor chop someones finger off, else mine would have definitely been cut, it was full contact with the blades.

Now the blades didnt chip nor break so all in all it was a painful learning experience.

Dont try it yourselves I was an idiot.

Not sure why yours didn’t do more damage. My Mavic cut all 4 fingers and bled like crazy! It was hovering and battery got below 10% and was going to hit my truck so I tried to catch it. Big mistake!

 

[stratos]

Not sure why yours didn’t do more damage. My Mavic cut all 4 fingers and bled like crazy! It was hovering and battery got below 10% and was going to hit my truck so I tried to catch it. Big mistake!

Well , I dont know buddy, probably the impact angle might have been a bit different.
Sorry to hear mate. Mine hurt like crazy but didnt really cut me.

 

[stratos]

Well, as long as we're sharing stories about drones and stupidity, I think I must qualify as cosmically moronic.

I had been flying the early Phantom series for a couple of years when I stepped up to the Inspire. I had often hand caught the Phantom, but never considered doing it with the Inspire. After having had the Inspire for a few weeks, one day I was flying from a too-small elevated platform. Upon attempting to land in a moderate crosswind, I was slowly lowering the Inspire onto the platform. Just as I was touching down and de-powering the rotors, a wind gust blew the craft sideways and 2 of the landing legs slipped off of the platform. With insufficient lift to maintain altitude, the Inspire was heading toward the ground for a potentially damaging low speed crash. Like an idiot, I instinctively reached out to grab one of the legs. Almost instantly my brain said, "Stop, you moron!!". Too late. The physical sensation and an audible, "Brrappppp" told me a very bad thing had just happened.

As I looked at the Inspire lying upside down on the ground, I immediately killed the motors before smoke arose from the windings or the ESCs. It was then that I noticed that my controller was covered in blood and that it was more than a minor cut. A trip to the ER was in my immediate future.

Several hours and 33 sutures later (graphic photos available), I was walking out of the ER with a bit of a wobble due to the pain meds, my dignity severely dented. Fortunately, I still had all of my digits attached and did not cut a vital nerve or tendon, although the amount of sliced meat was considerable. I spent the next couple of days one-handedly cleaning the dried blood out of the controller's innards and getting the same bodily fluid off of the Inspire.

Both the craft and I survived to fly again and today the squadron consists of my last purchased Phantom 2, a Phantom 4, the Inspire, a Typhoon-H, and my new favorite, the Mavic, along with a few sundry little Hubsans.

The moral of this little tale is that even an experienced pilot is capable of having a momentary brain fart of epic proportions which leads to some really bad consequences. Also, even when the power is winding down, the Inspire can inflict some horrendous damage on squishy humans. Finally, hand catching is a calculated risk at best, and while I will still do it with the Typhoon, if it is another one of the crafts where the rotors are close to the landing gear, well, that sucker is just going to have to make it onto ground without assistance from me. (I would agree with a previous poster that the smaller hinged blades of the Mavic being driven with considerably less power are certainly far less likely to cause this sort of damage).

I'm reminded of this lack of attention to safety every morning when I wake up and stretch my arms always noticing that it will take a few minutes of motion for the index finger of my left hand to unstiffen and move properly. A small incident in the greater scheme of things for sure, but one that I will likely always have that little physical reminder of.

....and yes Wombat55, as Billy Crystal said, "I hate it when that happens".

Fly safe everyone!

mate sorry to hear!!!

ouch so the pics, mate that looks a bit painful, nothing than a Panadol cannot fix !!

 

[Frank Castle]

I got bit by mine on day 1. I had to grab it to prevent it from crashing I to a wall while drifting sideways. The calibration was apparently slightly off. I got a nice blood blister on my FI get and under .y finger nail from it. I wish this app would let me post a pic

 

[TheWorkz]

I took my first hit through jeans this weekend and it hurt bad. Got 4 nasty marks on two legs, with this one being the biggest. I also got bruised fingers and mild cuts on hands. It was my fault. I wasnt ready to come out of beginner mode.

 

[Hollow Dog]

"Injured by my camera"
Now I see it's not too ridiculous to imagine.
Learn something new everyday.

 

[kakao]

Been there, done that.

Hit to the middle finger while the MP was on the table with some 1,700 rpm’s.

No cuts, but it was pretty pain - full for some minutes.

Leson learned!



.

 

[Aussie Flyer]

This is what an 8" prop can do to the unsuspecting, do not take them for granted!

 

[Callum]

If you have a strong stomach, google "ocular laceration helicopter drone" and click on Images - these imprint lasting memories.

No thanks, I'll take your word on it though.

 

[javelina]

Got bit once by a K&B .40 (fuel) motor, while trying to start her via the prop. Lost a good part of a couple of finger nails. Makes an interesting sound for all of those who've flown fueler's in the past.

 

[lightbg]

I watched this guy fly one week before this incident:

Man Dies In Horrific Remote-Controlled Helicopter Accident In NYC Park

He was flying his Trex 700. An amazing pilot, but something went wrong.

The Mavic doesn't have the torque to do severely critical damage, but as you've seen in this thread, it can mangle flesh readily.
PLEASE, don't use any carbon fiber aftermarket blades if you value your family, your pets, yourself, or any bystanders.

Jake

 

[MavicCF]

I remember the first time I was trying to shoot narrow gates with my FPV racer, I nicked the gate the first time and crashed, no damage so I walked over to the gate picked it up and started flying again still standing just inside the gate. I had the FPV goggles on which gives you a kind of disembodied feeling, anyway, on the next pass I realized almost at the last minute that some idiot was standing in the gate, several seconds later I realized who the idiot was and just had time to kill the motors before it hit me. Still hurt but definitely not like it would have with motors on. I laugh every time I think of it now. -CF

 

[irishwarrior409]

Hello fellow pilots.

So this weekend I was doing some test flight in my underground parking. This parkinng is 8 lvls below street level, so yes I was flying in ATTI mode.

So I got cocky and was distracted my quad drifted towards me an caught me by surprise (full user stupidity on my part).

I reacted by instinct and put my hand to protect myself, I fully hit the forward left blade with my hand and with the combination of the sensors the quad back up and then I landed it.

Yes it was full contact with blades at hovering speed. Aftermath: paninfull burn sensation a bit of swelling and very small superficial cuts. I honestly dont think the blades can deeply cut skin nor chop someones finger off, else mine would have definitely been cut, it was full contact with the blades.

Now the blades didnt chip nor break so all in all it was a painful learning experience.

Dont try it yourselves I was an idiot.

We’re the blades even spinning? I got hit by the blades of a Mavic Air 2, 3 days ago and this is what it looks like now. I ran inside and tried washing it, not even a full second after I took it out of the water, my whole thumb was covered in blood again.

 

[CaptainMavic]

And there are still pilots who think hand catching is perfectly fine. Couldn’t convince them otherwise on another post. Hopefully they read this one before they have to take a trip to the ER. Even the most experienced pilots who have not had injuries are not immune, it’s not if it will happen but when. Why would anyone even risk possible permanent injuries? Even a weed whacker has a flexible string and spins slower than drone props can cut right through siding on a house or take down small trees. Hinged prop blades will inflict deep cuts long before they fold in. Pilots are doing a disservice to other pilots by telling them hand catching is perfectly fine when done properly, as accidents happen in the blink of an eye.

 

[keat63]

I know this is a 5 year old thread, but i might as well chip in while it's been resurected.

A few years ago, i was trying to tune a troublesome nitro fixed wing engine.
Adjusting the mixtrure screw and the spinning blade got my index finger.

I ran in to the garage, laid down (before I passed out), it was 20 minutes before I dare look to see if my finger was still attached.
Luckily I still have all eleven.