Magic mini lost signal, controller failed rth, crashed in river now

[Jptreacy]

Mavix mini with fully charged battery & fully charged controller. Went up to 96 feet , would not go higher? Then I flew out over the river got some amazing shots. The drone stopped responding to the controller . My settings were 200 ft altitude & unlimited distance. My rth button was 200 ft. , but non responsive. I was flying with cages on and after about I minutes in flight, The wind picked up and I was unable to have any control of drone. After realizing the drone was non responsive , I tried rth and it just started climbing out of control to nearly 400 ft and then it hovered and descended into the river. When I pressed rth the drone there was no response? Can I obtain any pictures and/or flight data to help me determine what happened ? Can I buy just the drone , as I have everything else ? Appreciate any feedback.

 

[freeebee1]

So sorry for your loss. You mentioned that you had the prop guards on I suspect that you would have received a max power message on the (phone)controller. When you have the cages on there is a distance limit. Did you enable pay load mode

 

[Jptreacy]

I did not enable pay load mode, flight was restricted to 96’ which I was fine with. Then wind picked up and I was unable to rth. It was as if someone else had control over my drone ?

 

[Jptreacy]

96’ was altitude max

 

[m80116]

I feel sorry for that poor Mini

 

[freeebee1]

Yup I would like to see the flight data I am still considering the problem. The wind will blow away the mm with prop guards on

 

[Skywatcher2001]

"START HERE" to get flight data . . .

 

[Lastrexking]

Sounds like you pressed RTH more than once.
One press activates it, pressing it again cancels it. So, there's a possible reason why it didn't come back - you kept pressing it. The high wind then took it away. You need to post your logs if you need further help.

 

[Meta4]

Can I obtain any pictures and/or flight data to help me determine what happened ?

The Mini is low-powered and has trouble enough dealing with a moderate wind on its own.
Add a set of sails (propguards) and it has almost no ability to resist any wind.

Data is required to tell any more about your incident.
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 on the flight data.
Come back and post a link to the report it gives you.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

If you get onto DJI anyway, they might offer you a mini body and battery alone.
Not sure you are going to be able to buy an aircraft and battery only any other way.
Heck, if they felt sorry for you, they might even offer a very small discount.

But . . . everything you did wrong is in the manual.
The prop guards are pretty much only for use indoors, and they limit the mini flight too much for use outside . . . outdoors there is virtually no reason to use them, possibly very low forest under the canopy, through forest tree trunk, where you'd be flying with protection from any wind etc.

Good luck, hopefully you can get a new bird and battery, but I think it will be through DJI, or maybe pick up a 2nd hand complete mini setup and have some spares + batteries you might get included.

 

[Robert Carney]

This scenario is on here each and every day! People just lose their 499 and too bad! IT would be interesting to know how many iterations of this situation has been posted here. People do not read and study enough before flying. Wind is the enemy of this lightweight craft, period. It is underpowered and you are likely as not going to lose it! But The mfg will continue to make it and the number of folks who love this activity will continue to pay! Just does not seem right! But mine is lost and I continue to wish I was able to fly! But life is what it is and so be it! Not interested in hearing feeling sorry for myself although that is true, however it continues to be an aggravation. The insurance is not good under the way the coverage is written and the average neophyte has not got enough knowledge (or money) to fight a proper defense. Totally sux! Flying for the three days I had it before it flew away was really enjoyable and I will remember the enjoyment for sure. The crew here told me it was my fault and I accepted that but to keep seeing so many duplicates of the same situation makes me wonder if it is correct! Again I have not got enough knowledge to dispute what the kind folks offered as "my fault" but it does seem that at least daily the story appears here of someone else with the same dialogue!

 

[JAW]

People thought the Titanic was unsinkable and we know how that went.

 

[Johnmcl7]

People thought the Titanic was unsinkable and we know how that went.

It was the vice-president of White Star who made the claim and the media propagated the incorrect information much the same as today, in reality corners were cut on the ship leaving it with a substandard design since the focus was on luxury not safety. This is wildly off topic so I'll say no more but the Titanic unsinkable myth seems one that remains unusually prevalent.

 

[JAW]

“........but the Titanic unsinkable myth seems one that remains unusually prevalent.”

As does the myth that you can watch a You Tube video then go out and fly a Mini.

 

[Bosco Bear]

While the many YouTube videos about the Mavic Mini are fun and interesting to watch, I think they also create a false sense of security for new users. The "testing the limits" videos are put together (usually) by experienced drone pilots that make it look easy. It makes you feel that the Mini can do anything. Take it out on a windy day, ascend to 400 feet or higher, and then take it on a long trip FPV for a couple miles down the river. If you are inexperienced and really don't know what you're doing, it's a recipe for disaster. I'm new at this and just bought my Mini a few weeks ago. This site has taught me that there are dangers out there and bad things can happen to your drone. My attitude about this is that slow and steady wins the race. I am practicing one step at a time and staying within easy line of sight and not taking any chances. As my skills improve, I will venture further out. Besides, if I lose this $599 (Cdn) drone my wife will kill me, lol!

 

[Jptreacy]

The Mini is low-powered and has trouble enough dealing with a moderate wind on its own.
Add a set of sails (propguards) and it has almost no ability to resist any wind.

Data is required to tell any more about your incident.
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 on the flight data.
Come back and post a link to the report it gives you.

Here's my link: However, the last flight I took was immediately following this one, but there seems to be no record of it ?

 

[sar104]

Here's my link: However, the last flight I took was immediately following this one, but there seems to be no record of it ?

No record of it on AirData, or the file is not on your mobile device?

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

As per Meta4 post above . . . DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help

 

[Jptreacy]

No record of it on AirData, or the file is not on your mobile device?

No record on Airdata

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

JP, get the flight log following guide in this link . . .

As per Meta4 post above . . . DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help

Upload that TXT file to the link on the Phantom Help page.
When the flight's loaded, copy paste the whole URL address here.

Your DAT file is probably gone, but look in the sub folder in that same TXT folder, named MCDatFlightRecords
It'll probably be empty, but if not, save whatever dat are in there in case needed.