LOST MY MAVIC MINI TODAY...I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED

[alexmiamibeach]

Hello Guys,
I am very frustrated today because i lost my mavic mini.

I live in a island in miami beach and i got the strong wind message, i accepted the RTH warning, but the drone keep on going away instead of going home, i then lost the camera view and them i tracked it and it was in the water ((((.

Do you think DJI can cover this under a warranty ? i took the refresh warranty too.

Any suggestion?

here is the flight records: DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

IM SO SAD TODAY

thanks for your help

Best

Alex

 

[sar104]

That was because the wind aloft was nearly 30 mph out of the NE. The MIni is not capable of flying against that wind speed.

 

[alexmiamibeach]

what about Not Enough Force/ESC Error ?

 

[Mmilo1971]

what about Not Enough Force/ESC Error ?

I am worry to say you that when you fly over water is better to start with 100% of the battery charge.
It is also important to avoid RTH and is better to put the Mini in Sport mode and fly low (10 meters and checking it because in sport mode it goes lower) above the sea level because the wind is less strong. Stop recording is a good thing too to save battery.
Return to home use a lowest speed than sport mode.
About the ESC issue ... I got an autolanding too...but luckly I was in my garden.
About dji refresh....if they don't have back the Mini ... they don't activate the warranty.
Anyway....I am sad too for you.

 

[alexmiamibeach]

I am worry to say you that when you fly over water is better to start with 100% of the battery charge.
It is also important to avoid RTH and is better to put the Mini in Sport mode and fly low (10 meters and checking it because in sport mode it goes lower) above the sea level because the wind is less strong. Stop recording is a good thing too to save battery.
Return to home use a lowest speed than sport mode.
About the ESC issue ... I got an autolanding too...but luckly I was in my garden.
About dji refresh....if they don't have back the Mini ... they don't activate the warranty.
Anyway....I am sad too for you.

thanks, so mad at me....but how can you check the wind on the app while you are in the air?

 

[Fly Dawg]

but how can you check the wind on the app while you are in the air?

You really can't for different altitudes unless you do a proper pre-flight check. Always remember that winds aloft are generally much higher than those on the ground.

 

[Mmilo1971]

thanks, so mad at me....but how can you check the wind on the app while you are in the air?

You have to check before on other app (that you can install on the phone)...and looking at the sea waves... Sincerly if you was in the middle of those houses I see in the picture you can have wifi issues too. If you fly over water try to stay on the shore. I fly 1 km away the shore sometimes but always I check:
1) Gps and Rth aquired
2) Batteries and motor sound (just to avoid strange noise from propellers
3) Fly the Mini against the wind when starting so I have the wind that help to push it against me (depending on the hour you are flying the wind can direct to open sea or it can be directed from sea to land).
This is one video I took with the mini:

But remember that the mini can't fight to much against the wind up to 10 knots it is ok....over it can be dangerous due the gusts too that can double easly the wind speed.
Ciao
Max

An other place where to find the wind condition is the local yachtclub...they normally have very good forecast.

 

[DadRandom]

Don’t know, depen

Hello Guys,
I am very frustrated today because i lost my mavic mini.

I live in a island in miami beach and i got the strong wind message, i accepted the RTH warning, but the drone keep on going away instead of going home, i then lost the camera view and them i tracked it and it was in the water ((((.

Do you think DJI can cover this under a warranty ? i took the refresh warranty too.

Any suggestion?

here is the flight records: DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

IM SO SAD TODAY

thanks for your help

Best

Alex

Don’t know, depends on the wind? The flight data can be checked using Airdata.com this ap will download your flight and you can check the wind speed and drone warnings.

 

[sar104]

what about Not Enough Force/ESC Error ?

That's because it couldn't pitch enough to stay aloft and fight the wind speed.

 

[Airbeaver]

Since your in Miami maybe see if you can find this guys drone, Mavic 2 Pro Crash in Miami - Possible Bird Incident?

Collect that reward and put it towards a new drone. Next time you fly use a weather app and you should probably read your owners manual so you know the limitations of your drone.

 

[dbyantis]

thanks, so mad at me....but how can you check the wind on the app while you are in the air?

Part of a pilot's preflight process, I check the winds before I leave the house. I do not know if the App used with the Mini shows the attack angle of the craft on the screen, like a radar screen in the lower left, but if you look at how much angle of attack is needed to maintain a hover, you can start to get a sense of how strong the winds are.

 

[Prismatic]

Hello Guys,
I am very frustrated today because i lost my mavic mini.

I live in a island in miami beach and i got the strong wind message, i accepted the RTH warning, but the drone keep on going away instead of going home, i then lost the camera view and them i tracked it and it was in the water ((((.

Do you think DJI can cover this under a warranty ? i took the refresh warranty too.

Any suggestion?

here is the flight records: DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

IM SO SAD TODAY

thanks for your help

Best

Alex

I am sorry you lost your Mini. It's especially painful, I'm sure, knowing your mistake was the cause. ?

You sent your Mini into winds that would overpower my Mavic Air, and even challenge a Mavic 2. There are ways to detect high winds before you get the warning, and ways to handle a blow-away emergency, but you didn't know these things.

Still, any drone is just a machine. Machines have limits. You wouldn't drive your car into deep mud because you know what a rutted road looks like, and you know your car's limits. Drone pilots need similar knowledge and skills regarding the capabilities and limits of both the aircraft and themselves.

You have paid a painful price for flying beyond your ability, and that's sad. But you aren't alone. Many excellent pilots have lost a drone at some point. The experience is humbling, but it is also a great teacher.

If you decide to get another one, you'll be a much better pilot for it because of this difficult day.

 

[Mrmund]

thanks, so mad at me....but how can you check the wind on the app while you are in the air?

Flip the switch to put it in Attiude Mode, dead stick and note your horizontal speed... Oh wait, **** you DJI?

Sorry not helpful, I'll get off my soap box

 

[HumbearKS]

At 8:40 minutes into the flight you suddenly moved your mini up to over 100ft from only about 14ft - within seconds you exposed the bird to much stronger winds. Was that increase in altitude intentional or did the wind pick up your bird at some point during the ascend?

 

[Deleted member 114292]

I live in south Florida and I went out yesterday to check conditions (UAV forecast had already said no go) and it was so obvious how strong the winds were.

In fairness to the op he got fooled as at low altitude winds are blocked by the surroundings and it can really mislead you if you are not experienced.

Ascending to 100ft is pretty reasonable when you have no idea what’s about to hit you.

At best he has learned a valuable lesson with a relatively inexpensive ac.

DJI will probably offer you a discount on just a drone.

 

[HumbearKS]

I live in south Florida and I went out yesterday to check conditions (UAV forecast had already said no go) and it was so obvious how strong the winds were.

In fairness to the op he got fooled as at low altitude winds are blocked by the surroundings and it can really mislead you if you are not experienced.

Ascending to 100ft is pretty reasonable when you have no idea what’s about to hit you.

At best he has learned a valuable lesson with a relatively inexpensive ac.

DJI will probably offer you a discount on just a drone.

Agree. Knowing that the MM is extra light and vulnerable to stronger winds, I typically check the wind forecast very carefully this time of the year and react immediately to any wind warnings from the app by bringing down the MM manually to lower altitudes....

 

[Fort Pierce Pilot]

I assume somewhere around second G, you receieved a wind warning. Had you descended immediately you might have been OK. From your desc. however it appears you initiated a RTH. My guess is RTH altitude was set at ~ 140ft. So, the drone went up into the wind rather than ducking below it. It appears it tried to hold RTH altitude but was unable to overcome the wind. Gusts were likely much higher. So sorry for your loss. Not sure if a quick switch to sport mode and a decent might have saved it. Perhaps someone more experienced could tell us if that would be a good response.

 

[sar104]

I assume somewhere around second G, you receieved a wind warning. Had you descended immediately you might have been OK. From your desc. however it appears you initiated a RTH. My guess is RTH altitude was set at ~ 140ft. So, the drone went up into the wind rather than ducking below it. It appears it tried to hold RTH altitude but was unable to overcome the wind. Gusts were likely much higher. So sorry for your loss. Not sure if a quick switch to sport mode and a decent might have saved it. Perhaps someone more experienced could tell us if that would be a good response.

The aircraft didn't switch to RTH until 11 minutes into the flight, at which point it was already above the RTH height of 138 ft. The pilot had already received this warning, consistent with your advice, a number of times:

Strong wind warning. Aircraft unable to fly stably. Lower altitude immediately and manually return to home (Code: 30149)​

​

And yes - sport mode and a rapid descent would have helped - as you can see from the wind data above, it was much less lower down.

 

[Frustrated]

My son also has a drone. I remember he found a site on the internet that showed the wind speed in the area at different altitudes. Don't ask me the name cause I don't remember.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

My son also has a drone. I remember he found a site on the internet that showed the wind speed in the area at different altitudes. Don't ask me the name cause I don't remember.

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