Lost 15 days of Mavic Mini

[aguner]

Hi everyone,

Mavic Mini was my first drone and I lost it yesterday. I tried the Rocket quick shot mode and after going up 10-15 meters, it immediately started to drift really fast. I pressed the RTH button but got a warning that says something like "RTH does not work, switch to manual". It all happened so fast and within half a minute we couldn't see or control the drone. We chased it using Find my Drone. At some point it lost connection, we were unable to connect again and ultimately it gave a warning that says "pair the remote with the aircraft".

This is the flight log:
As a beginner, I just don't understand how this happened and would be forever grateful if anyone could help me understand it or somehow find it. I spent 5 hours searching the vicinity of the last recorded location under "Find my drone", couldn't find it. It shows a rooftop as the last recorded location, but flight log suggests that it was more than 200 feet high as the last entry. Is it lost forever or do I still have a chance to find it?

Any help or explanation much appreciated.

Best,

Alper

 

[Dedal]

Before anybody attempts to help you, they gonna need you to upload log files. Please, read here how and where to get them:

"Flight log retrieval and analysis guide"

Edit: Forget that, my bad.

 

[sar104]

Before anybody attempts to help you, they gonna need you to upload log files. Please, read here how and where to get them:

"Flight log retrieval and analysis guide"

FYI - the file link is in the AirData window above.

 

[sar104]

Well that's unfortunate. It was very windy - way more windy than the Mini is capable of dealing with. If you had switched it to sport mode at 25 m height instead of selecting RTH then you could have brought it back, but instead it ascended to the RTH height of 67 m where the wind speed was over 15 m/s, and was gone.



I'll make an estimate of where it likely ended up, but it's going to be some distance away and with several hundred meters of probable error.

 

[aguner]

thank you, much appreciated

 

[aokusman]

thank you, much appreciated

Did you check the wind conditions before flying ?

 

[aguner]

Well that's unfortunate. It was very windy - way more windy than the Mini is capable of dealing with. If you had switched it to sport mode at 25 m height instead of selecting RTH then you could have brought it back, but instead it ascended to the RTH height of 67 m where the wind speed was over 15 m/s, and was gone.



I'll make an estimate of where it likely ended up, but it's going to be some distance away and with several hundred meters of probable error.

And could you also tell what happens at the end of the flight? Does it lose power and start crashing right away? Can it somehow try to descend and locate a surface to land?

Many thanks again.

 

[aguner]

Did you check the wind conditions before flying ?

I didn't and it turned out to be a huge mistake. I only wanted to try the quick shot mode, get it up 15 meters and land it. Unfortunately couldn't achieve the landing part

 

[sar104]

And could you also tell what happens at the end of the flight? Does it lose power and start crashing right away? Can it somehow try to descend and locate a surface to land?

Many thanks again.

It will have held RTH altitude and continued to fight, unsuccessfully, against the wind, until the battery level dropped to the smart battery autoland level, and then it will have autolanded.

 

[aokusman]

I didn't and it turned out to be a huge mistake. I only wanted to try the quick shot mode, get it up 15 meters and land it. Unfortunately couldn't achieve the landing part

Sad. You always have to certain checks each time. Good luck.

 

[sar104]

Okay - here's what it looks like:



Autoland will have commenced at around 800 seconds, with the aircraft on the ground around 90 seconds later. The course was more variable than I'd have liked:



But bracketing it and going on the estimated wind direction gives the following probable drift and descent track:



The yellow box represents an optimistic set of bounds for the likely error, but worth a look in there to begin with, perhaps.

 

[Mavic Mac]

@sar104 - again you amaze me !

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

@sar104 - again you amaze me !

Indeed !

Good luck with that search @aguner

Be sure to keep us updated here , the analysis blokes like to know how close they might be and it helps future cases.

 

[aguner]

Okay - here's what it looks like:

View attachment 99486

Autoland will have commenced at around 800 seconds, with the aircraft on the ground around 90 seconds later. The course was more variable than I'd have liked:

View attachment 99487

But bracketing it and going on the estimated wind direction gives the following probable drift and descent track:

View attachment 99488

The yellow box represents an optimistic set of bounds for the likely error, but worth a look in there to begin with, perhaps.

This is amazing, thanks you. I'll start with the yellow box as suggested @sar104

 

[Capt KO]

Hard lesson. Happens all too often. Reading more of these crash and flyaway posts is a good start in addition to the manual. Good luck, you will be a much wiser pilot.

New pilots nearly always set RTH too high, into winds. Only as high as necessary! ?

 

[Aaron24]

67 is such a random number for the RTH setting. On a Mavic Mini what is the suggested RTH setting for typical flights?

 

[sar104]

67 is such a random number for the RTH setting. On a Mavic Mini what is the suggested RTH setting for typical flights?

220 ft.

 

[rehkram]

Another approach is to consider where you're flying and what the winds are doing. I generally leave the RTH height set to 120 feet to get over the high trees surrounding my usual launch points. If I know it's too windy at that preset height I'll hit RTH, wait until the drone turns in the right direction, cancel RTH, descend and fly manually FPV back to the takeoff point. RTH can be a savior or a killer, you've got to know what the wind is doing at that height. So I recommend checking the UAV Forecast app before every flight.

Also, though it's probably obvious, plan to depart into the wind so the return will be down wind. Put it in sport mode to lose height fast.

 

[Capt KO]

67 is such a random number for the RTH setting. On a Mavic Mini what is the suggested RTH setting for typical flights?

Me, Rarely over 100ft. Just above the highest objects. 50ft over open water where winds increase rapidly with altitude. Be safe, have Fun.

 

[droneloverair]

Not many knows the purpose of the sports mode switch.

That switch can be helpful to combat high winds and comeback home safe.