I just had a "controllable" fly-away

[DebianDog]

First off I have been flying RC aircraft a long time and have been mucking with DJI hardware since 2013. Since getting the M3C a few days ago I have been overly cautious because of all of the issues I have read about and honestly the aircraft seems more "glitchy" to me then my 2 previous Mavics did. The Smart Controller got a software update yesterday and the only thing I did, out of the ordinary, is calibrate the controller because when I was looking the the menus yesterday for any changes and thought, "Well I have not done that before and it cant hurt so" and then I put 1 flight on it. No issues.

This morning I get up to shoot the sunrise and while I am waiting for the GPS, the drone disconnects. I wait. Wait some more, then when I about came to the conclusion I would have to rebind it connected and gave me my "Home point has been updated" confirmation. Good to go? Only warning I have on screen is for obstacle avoidance since it is still too dark. Use the launch button (not stick start) and test my controls. Good to go. I pop up a few hundred feet and start looking around for what I want to do. I don't know if the Obstacle Avoidance had some type of fit once it got in to full lighting or what but the drone takes off like a bat out of hell due south.

I look down, "Am I pressing on a stick? are the sticks centered?" No. Yes. Mild panic sets in as I hear the drone screaming away as it ticks off distance on the map. I switch to map view and see I still have some control. I turn on the landing lights and force it to the ground with my heart pumping. It is too early for this.

I shut down the drone and controller and restart. Bring it back in to a hover. Test the controls. Fine. Bring it back up above the trees and see that the object sensor is still randomly detecting things hundreds of feet in the air so I switch to Sport mode and try and go get my usual shots but my heart is not in it.

Besides me rebinding, IMU, compass calibration, etc. Does DJI have a site that will run diagnostics on the flight logs or anything? This is very discouraging.

Edit: the flight was not logged in Airdata. It just logged my one "good" flight.

Edit 2: I rebound the aircraft and put a few flights on it. No issues. <shrug>

 

[slup]

...the drone takes off like a bat out of hell due south.

...Does DJI have a site that will run diagnostics on the flight logs or anything?

No they haven't ... they only have a "Customer Services/Support"

But instead of only providing us with a picture of the flight in your Airdata account you could provide us with a link to that flight there so we can go through the log ... maybe we can spot something.

 

[BigAl07]

This link may help some:

Mavic Flight Log Retrieval and Analysis Guide

With the introduction of the Mavic Mini there has been a noticeable uptick in the number of posts requesting help with lost or crashed aircraft. While there is plenty of help and advice available on this forum, and detailed guidance and options on several other websites, I thought that perhaps a...

mavicpilots.com

 

[DebianDog]

No they haven't ... they only have a "Customer Services/Support"

But instead of only providing us with a picture of the flight in your Airdata account you could provide us with a link to that flight there so we can go through the log ... maybe we can spot something.

No that flight is missing! that is what is so odd.

Edit: Oh the mod edited my ****'s out of my post and I lost that text that explained the attachment. I will add it back to avoid confusion.

 

[Meta4]

No that flight is missing! that is what is so odd.

Edit: Oh the mod edited my ****'s out of my post and I lost that text that explained the attachment. I will add it back to avoid confusion.

Go to DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
That will give you a detailed report of the flight.
Come back and post a link to the report it gives you.
Or .. just post the txt file here.

It looks like you might have to delete some of your older Airdata flight reports if you want to be able to see more recent ones.

 

[slup]

No that flight is missing! that is what is so odd.

Edit: Oh the mod edited my ****'s out of my post and I lost that text that explained the attachment. I will add it back to avoid confusion.

So the Airdata pic. you showed in your first post wasn't over the flight in question?

If it was, just use this to share here ...

 

[DebianDog]

So the Airdata pic. you showed in your first post wasn't over the flight in question?

If it was, just use this to share here ...

View attachment 139436

It was not

 

[BigAl07]

No that flight is missing! that is what is so odd.

Edit: Oh the mod edited my ****'s out of my post and I lost that text that explained the attachment. I will add it back to avoid confusion.

NOTE: That was me, ADMIN and all I did was remove a part of your TITLE that was uncalled for, rude, and broke Community Guidelines. It changed formatting/content of your post none.

 

[DebianDog]

Just an update: I rebound the aircraft and put a few flights on it. No issues. <shrug>

 

[Starz]

Interesting. So after an update on the“pro” controller, you believe that
re-linking the two pieces solved whatever issue you encountered?
Seems odd.

 

[Meta4]

Seems odd.

Or co-incidence and completely unrelated

 

[Starz]

Or co-incidence and completely unrelated

Agreed. That’s the direction I’m leaning.

 

[DebianDog]

it does seem odd. But honestly, my first... I don't know 10 flights were filled with radio disconnects, drone acting glitchy, and other "oddities". Now being somewhat technical I for the life of me can not understand how rebinding the same radio to the same aircraft would change anything but I just finished another flight this morning and NOT ONE ISSUE. I am happy but perplexed.

 

[slup]

I've learned a long time ago that SW or HW glitches rarely self-heals ... they will most probably reappear & then you might not be that lucky again. So ... no I wouldn't settle it with a "I'm happy".

The DAT log is still in your craft even though nothing got written to your mobile device this time ... DJI can decrypt it & give an explanation. Take contact with them before it happens again & you perhaps have caused damage to someone or something.

 

[maven4336]

You mentioned you had problems with your other Mavics , I have the first Mavic pro in the Mavic pro 2 Only a few times in a couple of thousand flights when I hit home point it seem to take off in the wrong direction I think it was pilot error for not getting a good home point so I always tell people no matter what always set a home point manually and when you hear the lady say the magic words you’re good to go but I have been reading a lot about this new drone I think there may be some software issues but I’m not sure I still feel like a lot of what I’m reading is pilot error I would dig in deep if I were you and when there’s not of light the sensors can get quirky

 

[DebianDog]

well I said "seems more glitchy to me then my 2 previous Mavics did." but I meant I bought both Mavic when they first came out and while I had some initial issues with software or controls I did not mean "problems". Sorry if it came off that way.

This is my first "fly away"

 

[GFields]

Good luck as you sort this out

 

[Meta4]

Only a few times in a couple of thousand flights when I hit home point it seem to take off in the wrong direction I think it was pilot error for not getting a good home point

If you didn't have a good home point, the drone wouldn't return to home and then take off in the wrong direction.
It would have gone directly to the "wrong home point".
A look at the flight data would have easily found out what the actual issue was.

so I always tell people no matter what always set a home point manually.

If you are out in the open and confirm that the distance (from home point) shown on your screen is correct, that's all you need to do.
There's no need to manually set home points.