Launching from boat - Mini 4 Pro went straight into the sea

[Meta4]

For most of us that's true but there are many threads about drones crashing when over water for seemingly no reason.

Just as there are flying over dry land.
It makes no difference to the drone whether it's over land or water.

 

[Max Headroom]

Sorry but I disagree it has been posted many times that the water reflections and movement causes issues with the sensors on the drone if it was just a one off you could ignore it but too many have said the same thing for it to be a coincidence.

 

[Meta4]

Sorry but I disagree it has been posted many times that the water reflections and movement causes issues with the sensors on the drone if it was just a one off you could ignore it but too many have said the same thing for it to be a coincidence.

And you've examined the data from all those incidents?
The idea that reflections from water cause drones to sink is not supported by flight data despite the number of times people like to repeat what they've heard.

All my flying is over water.

 

[Mrkva]

Sorry but I disagree it has been posted many times that the water reflections and movement causes issues with the sensors on the drone if it was just a one off you could ignore it but too many have said the same thing for it to be a coincidence.

the VPS height was relatively correct.

 

[Max Headroom]

And you've examined the data from all those incidents?

Obviously not I wouldn't know where to start, experienced pilots in those threads have blamed the water are you saying they are all wrong and you are right?

 

[Eko]

Flying over water is safer than flying over land.

I would argue that for some extend if you won't mind.

Please consider this environment: say the pilot is on the bank or the shore, and the drone is flying on the sea or lake with no other seacraft in sight. The height of the tides, the splash of tides to the banks of a pier, the wind speed and your flight height are also very important for a safe flight.

Furthermore, flying on a crystal clear water (with not tides) may be delusive or misleading for the sensors of the drone, which we can not trust.

Would you agree that?

 

[Meta4]

Obviously not I wouldn't know where to start, experienced pilots in those threads have blamed the water are you saying they are all wrong and you are right?

I would say that it's inexperienced flyers that blame the water.

 

[Meta4]

Furthermore, flying on a crystal clear water (with not tides) may be delusive or misleading for the sensors of the drone, which we can not trust.

The only issue is that the downward sensors may have trouble maintaining horizontal position if you fly low enough to the water.
But maintaining horizontal position is not real concern unless you are close to obstacles.

 

[Bad Santa]

I don't know if anyone has considered this about flying over water.
Water is reflective.
Radio signals are, essentially, light.
So, it kind of makes sense that a radio device that relies on super critical radio waves, might get confused on water with constant changing reflective surfaces.

 

[Meta4]

I don't know if anyone has considered this about flying over water.
Water is reflective.
Radio signals are, essentially, light.
So, it kind of makes sense that a radio device that relies on super critical radio waves, might get confused on water with constant changing reflective surfaces.

Except that makes no sense at all.
People have been flying over water since DJI started selling drones and no-one has ever had any problem with radio waves getting scrambled.

 

[Bad Santa]

Except that makes no sense at all.
People have been flying over water since DJI started selling drones and no-one has ever had any problem with radio waves getting scrambled.

And yet so many crash into the water for no reason.

Perhaps the correct statement isn't "no-one has ever" but more that "Rarely people have had problems with radio waves getting scrambled".

Specifically GPS signals. Maybe some of the satellite signals ARE bouncing off the water. Most of the time it gets compensated. Sometimes it doesn't.

I think speaking in absolutes isn't accurate.

 

[Meta4]

And yet so many crash into the water for no reason.

For no reason?
How do you know this .. or is it just what you've heard people say?

Perhaps the correct statement isn't "no-one has ever" but more that "Rarely people have had problems with radio waves getting scrambled".
Specifically GPS signals. Maybe some of the satellite signals ARE bouncing off the water. Most of the time it gets compensated. Sometimes it doesn't.

This is like going down to the boat harbour and telling yacht owners that if they sail out to the horizon, they risk falling off the edge of the earth.

I think speaking in absolutes isn't accurate.

I think you have absolutely no idea at all about this.

 

[Max Headroom]

For no reason?
How do you know this .. or is it just what you've heard people say?

One thread of many out there -

 

[Max Headroom]

From DJI manual -

 

[Meta4]

One thread of many out there -


View attachment 182842

So yeah ... you are just repeating the BS myths that you've heard and thus perpetuating them.

From the DJI manual
.....

That has nothing to do with your drones-crash-over-water-mystery.
It's about obstacle avoidance might have troubles under certain circumstances.

 

[Max Headroom]

That has nothing to do with your drones-crash-over-water-mystery.

I get the thread is about hand launching from a boat but i am discussing this statement posted earlier -

Just as there are flying over dry land.
It makes no difference to the drone whether it's over land or water.

It states below APAS may not function properly over water therefore if you fly too low and the obstacle avoidance doesn't recognise water under the drone as an obstacle its not going to save itself automatically you fly too low.

Most pilots who report crashing over water haven't a clue why they crashed I would suggest as DJI specifically mention the APAS system and water issue in their manual there is a very good chance that is the reason for the crash.

 

[Meta4]

I get the thread is about hand launching from a boat but i am discussing this statement posted earlier -


It states below APAS may not function properly over water therefore if you fly too low and the obstacle avoidance doesn't recognise water under the drone as an obstacle its not going to save itself automatically you fly too low.

Most pilots who report crashing over water haven't a clue why they crashed I would suggest as DJI specifically mention the APAS system and water issue in their manual there is a very good chance that is the reason for the crash.

View attachment 182857

Sounds like you're the expert.
Now instead of suggesting things that might cause the issue you are concerned about, get the recorded flight data from some of these mystery crashes over water and find out what actually happened to cause the incidents.

 

[Max Headroom]

Sounds like you're the expert.Now get the recorded flight data from some of these mystery crashes over water and get back to me with your

Its just my opinion on crashes over water but it is backed up by the fact DJI themselves have said in their manual the APAS may not function properly over water!

As for being an expert it seems you need to look a little closer to home to find the expert here hell bent on proving my "theory" wrong, why don't you get the recorded flight data and prove me wrong or better still put me on your ignore list instead of being so obnoxious.

 

[Dave Pitman]

Most pilots who report crashing over water haven't a clue why they crashed I would suggest as DJI specifically mention the APAS system and water issue in their manual there is a very good chance that is the reason for the crash.

Remember that APAS is simply a tool to try an help the operator in cases where the operator didn't see some obstacle. But it is always the operator's job to see and avoid. So, if a crash occurs because the drone hits something; #1 it's operator error. And #2, the APAS, if it was enabled, was not able to assist the operator for whatever reason. But the crash was operator error. If it happened over water, it is still operator error. Not the water's fault.

Wow i have just noticed you are 69 why don't you try acting your aga instead of your shoe size and chill out before you'll give yourself a heart attack.

From what I can see, he is saying, "let's look at the flight record to try and see what happened" (summarized) and you guys are saying "flying over water is dangerous, and lots of people agree, so it must be the water" (summarized).
@Meta4 is obviously getting frustrated through the course of the thread, and sarcasm ensues.

We don't know that there is any greater percentage of crashes over water per flight hour than over land. So let's keep that in mind. And, crashes involving flying into objects, or controlled flight into terrain is operator error whether it is over the ground or over the water.

The interesting cases are the ones like the OP's here where the data is weird and there doesn't seem to be a clear factor for the behavior of the drone. But, it's likely that it is NOT the water's fault. I suspect the the environment of the materials on the boat, the movement during startup, radar or other radio interference are far more likely to be the culpret than that dastardly water.

 

[Meta4]

As for being an expert it seems you need to look a little closer to home to find the expert here hell bent on proving my "theory" wrong,

You don't have a theory ... you have guesses that are only supported by the number of other people repeating the same guesses.
It's easy to imagine wild guesses explain an unproven large number of alleged mystery crashes over water when you don't have a good understanding of how DJI drones work or actual flight data.

why don't you get the recorded flight data and prove me wrong or better still put me on your ignore list instead of being so obnoxious.

Apart from flying >10K miles over water, that's what I've been doing for the last 10 years.
Interestingly, it's very uncommon for flyers who claim a mystery crash over water to provide their recorded flight data.
But I've seen enough to be very skeptical of the claims of lots of mystery crashes.