**HELP! RTH FAILED/App Crash: Lost in Maui, Hawaii

[MavicParis]

I was live casting an EPIC Maui Sunset through the dji app until the low battery sign was on and it was time to RTH.

While returning home the app crashed. RTH was already initiated. When I've turn back on the app, the app would not connect to the aircraft. I thought it was returning home anyway.. it never did.. landed in the ocean I believe..

Any thoughts? Help? DJI is making a case for me..


DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

 

[lisadoc]

While returning home the app crashed. RTH was already initiated. When I've turn back on the app, the app would not connect to the aircraft. I thought it was returning home anyway.. it never did.. landed in the ocean I believe..

It was returning. However... You were almost 1,400 feet in altitude (and 1,400 feet away from the home point) with only 22% battery remaining and the aircraft initiated auto-landing due to critically low battery. Due to the fact that you were so high in altitude, the aircraft initiated the auto-landing at 22% instead of the normal 10% because it would have exhausted the remaining battery just to land at that location. I'm sure it ultimately landed in the ocean where it shows your last known position. Even if your app had not crashed, I don't think you would have been able to make it back to land, considering your altitude, distance, and remaining battery.

I'm not sure how/why DJI would do anything for you. This appears to be operator error.

 

[pixl]

Others will chime in here I'm sure, but...

From what I can see you were really high up and quite far from home when the RTH was initiated. Remember the following:
1) descending is at least 30% slower than ascending
2) you should count on winds aloft at 500' being twice what they are at ground level

It looks like the Mavic used up all of the power it had to spare to get back to you horizontally...probably fighting windspeed. When it hit 23% it initiated autoland because that was the amount it needed to get to the ground.
The Mavic doesn't know when it's over water.
When it says it has 23% power, it has less than that since the batteries will shut off before fully discharging in order to save themselves from damage.

My take on this is that you were too high and far to get back at 30% battery. As far as I can see, the Mavic functioned correctly.

 

[msinger]

the aircraft initiated the auto-landing at 22% instead of the normal 10%

FYI, there is no normal percentage. The aircraft will start auto landing whenever it calculates it only has enough remaining power to safely make it to the ground.

 

[MavicParis]

It was returning. However... You were almost 1,400 feet in altitude (and 1,400 feet away from the home point) with only 22% battery remaining and the aircraft initiated auto-landing due to critically low battery. Due to the fact that you were so high in altitude, the aircraft initiated the auto-landing at 22% instead of the normal 10% because it would have exhausted the remaining battery just to land at that location. I'm sure it ultimately landed in the ocean where it shows your last known position. Even if your app had not crashed, I don't think you would have been able to make it back to land, considering your altitude, distance, and remaining battery.

I'm not sure how/why DJI would do anything for you. This appears to be operator error.

Thank you sounds like it was my fault. But he app crashed and when i've restarted it did not connect back to the aircraft. Maybe I could have controlled to come back cancel RTH and Auto landing? or is there no way to cancel auto RTH or Auto landing?

 

[MavicParis]

FYI, there is no normal percentage. The aircraft will start auto landing whenever it calculates it only has enough remaining power to safely make it to the ground.

Is there no way to cancel auto landing and RTH? app crashed and did not connect back. I was unable to do anything

 

[pixl]

It doesn't matter. You would not have made it back, even with full control.

 

[MavicParis]

Others will chime in here I'm sure, but...

From what I can see you were really high up and quite far from home when the RTH was initiated. Remember the following:
1) descending is at least 30% slower than ascending
2) you should count on winds aloft at 500' being twice what they are at ground level

It looks like the Mavic used up all of the power it had to spare to get back to you horizontally...probably fighting windspeed. When it hit 23% it initiated autoland because that was the amount it needed to get to the ground.
The Mavic doesn't know when it's over water.
When it says it has 23% power, it has less than that since the batteries will shut off before fully discharging in order to save themselves from damage.

My take on this is that you were too high and far to get back at 30% battery. As far as I can see, the Mavic functioned correctly.

Thank you. Maybe I could have guided RTH if app did not crash. App crashed and did not connect back to the app. I could have canceled auto landing/RTH and guide at least towards the shore to land? or was this not possible?

 

[sar104]

Thank you. Maybe I could have guided RTH if app did not crash. App crashed and did not connect back to the app. I could have canceled auto landing/RTH and guide at least towards the shore to land? or was this not possible?

Unlikely from that height and that far out. Look at the wind speeds it was fighting:

Airdata UAV - Flight Data Analysis for Drones

 

[MavicParis]

Unlikely from that height and that far out. Look at the wind speeds it was fighting:

Airdata UAV - Flight Data Analysis for Drones

thanks for your help

 

[pixl]

There's no such thing as "guided" RTH. You can override it and control the Mavic on your own, at least until auto-land kicks in, and then good luck. You might have gotten it above the beach closest to it....maybe... but it doesn't matter. DJI will call this what it is -- pilot error.

A good rule of thumb for flying that high and far: due to potential of high winds aloft, head back at 70% battery.

 

[pixl]

Unlikely from that height and that far out. Look at the wind speeds it was fighting:

Airdata UAV - Flight Data Analysis for Drones

And that was just at 400 feet. Imagine 1500.

 

[MavicParis]

There's no such thing as "guided" RTH. You can override it and control the Mavic on your own, at least until auto-land kicks in, and then good luck. You might have gotten it above the beach closest to it....maybe... but it doesn't matter. DJI will call this what it is -- pilot error.

A good rule of thumb for flying that high and far: due to potential of high winds aloft, head back at 70% battery.

Got it.. thought it wasn't far away. about 0.6 miles away but it was High up there. Thank you

 

[pixl]

Got it.. thought it wasn't far away. about 0.6 miles away but it was High up there. Thank you

You still have the RC and charger... so replacing it isn't quite as expensive. You can buy the bare Mavic plus one battery from DJI cheaper than a whole new package.

 

[Ashley]

Another tragedy, so sorry for your lost. My heart go up and down when seeing that flight log....

 

[lisadoc]

FYI, there is no normal percentage. The aircraft will start auto landing whenever it calculates it only has enough remaining power to safely make it to the ground.

That's my point. I'm assuming that the OP received the warning (since it noted it in the log) and was confused why it started auto-landing at 22%, hence the question. If the Mavic is at a "normal" altitude, the critical low battery warning will typically arise at the default setting of 10%, which can be modified in the DJI GO app. Otherwise, I'm not sure why the OP would have had any confusion as to why the drone was lost, as it was in the middle of the auto-land process when the signal was lost. But yes, the Mavic makes a calculation if the altitude is higher and compensates to ensure that it can land before completely exhausting battery power.

 

[rsauder]

I was live casting an EPIC Maui Sunset through the dji app until the low battery sign was on and it was time to RTH.

While returning home the app crashed. RTH was already initiated. When I've turn back on the app, the app would not connect to the aircraft. I thought it was returning home anyway.. it never did.. landed in the ocean I believe..

Any thoughts? Help? DJI is making a case for me..


DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

Hey- what did DJI end up doing for you? If you only replaced the Mavic what $ did you pay? I lost my Mavic in Maui almost the same time as you...STILL DEALING WITH dji on my case. My loss was 100% b/c of app failure/defect (v 4.1.15); they don't seem to care that their software was defective. I'm trying to either get it replaced free or a much better than 15% off...and hopefully I can find someone (even DJI) that will sell just the Mavic (w/o even the battery, as I have 7 already...)...