Mavic 2 Zoom lost to sea yesterday

[Octisurfer]

I can’t find any layer showing restriction zones on the DJI GO4 app. It has only layers of satellite and hybrid views just as apple and google maps.

I can configure the warning layers on the DJI GO4 app here:

 

[fiberdude]

I have no doubt that I eventually ended up flying on restricted airspace but what bothers me is the fact that I wasn’t able to turn around and head back to home point. I tried to fly south, east to not avail. The drone just wouldn’t respond to my commands.

The drone was clearly responding to your stick inputs by going vertically up or down (i.e., you had FULL CONTROL of the Mavic 2 Zoom).

What you should have done was steering your drone toward west.

I encountered a similar (but worse) situation when my Mavic 2 Pro was on RTH after going behind a building, but it was soon stuck on the boundary of an NFZ. Luckily, the RTH trajectory was not 100% perpendicular to the NFZ boundary, and the drone was inching along the boundary (by itself) and eventually emerged from the back of the building. As soon I took control of the drone, I knew how to move it out of the corner of NFZ. It returned safely before the battery hit 10%.

 

[MS Coast]

The drone was clearly responding to your stick inputs by going vertically up or down (i.e., you had FULL CONTROL of the Mavic 2 Zoom).

What you should have done was steering your drone toward west.

I encountered a similar (but worse) situation when my Mavic 2 Pro was on RTH after going behind a building, but it was soon stuck on the boundary of an NFZ. Luckily, the RTH trajectory was not 100% perpendicular to the NFZ boundary, and the drone was inching along the boundary (by itself) and eventually emerged from the back of the building. As soon I took control of the drone, I knew how to move it out of the corner of NFZ. It returned safely before the battery hit 10%.

RIght.

There was a message that the aircraft had encountered a restricted zone. (Second figure in post #1.) The immediate response should have been to make a 180-degree turn and move away from the boundary. Following the flight path in reverse would have allowed an unimpeded flight back to the home point.

From post #38: "That’s the purpose of the firmware, stopping people from inadvertently flying into no fly zones. I get also that we pilots need to check the restrictions every single time, everywhere before we fly , but if the firmware doesn’t do what it is supposed to do then why bother installing it in the drone in the first place?"

The aircraft performed exactly as it should. It prevented the aircraft from entering the restricted zone. There was no fault in the firmware or software.

 

[bluefighter8]

I hear you, 100%. Freezing up like that is not the way to enforce the geo fencing. It was almost like being caught in an invisible web, just waiting to die.

I think it should stop, and then reverse the exact course it came from - this would be much smarter and safer.

Exactly, instead of punishing us for inadvertently making a mistake and killing our drones just make the drone automatically go back to home point or a least let us manually go back.

 

[bluefighter8]

That is uploaded the right way, but it's not the right flight.
It's a 13 second flight, made in northern England a couple of months ago ??

That’s weird. I have never been to England. I did notice it was showing in the flight log that I flew in England. But that’s the file I pulled from the GO4 app

 

[bluefighter8]

The drone was clearly responding to your stick inputs by going vertically up or down (i.e., you had FULL CONTROL of the Mavic 2 Zoom).

What you should have done was steering your drone toward west.

I encountered a similar (but worse) situation when my Mavic 2 Pro was on RTH after going behind a building, but it was soon stuck on the boundary of an NFZ. Luckily, the RTH trajectory was not 100% perpendicular to the NFZ boundary, and the drone was inching along the boundary (by itself) and eventually emerged from the back of the building. As soon I took control of the drone, I knew how to move it out of the corner of NFZ. It returned safely before the battery hit 10%.

I don’t think the flight log is showing all my commands after the moment that I got stuck in the NFZ. I tried multiple times to steer the drone east, west, south, north and up and down but it just wouldn’t move. I had plenty of time (12 minutes) to react. Every time I moved the sticks I would get a warning that I was at the boundaries of a authorization zone and to fly away with caution, but I just couldn’t get away. But after a few minutes I just gave up because I knew my M2Z was doomed.

 

[bluefighter8]

RIght.

There was a message that the aircraft had encountered a restricted zone. (Second figure in post #1.) The immediate response should have been to make a 180-degree turn and move away from the boundary. Following the flight path in reverse would have allowed an unimpeded flight back to the home point.

From post #38: "That’s the purpose of the firmware, stopping people from inadvertently flying into no fly zones. I get also that we pilots need to check the restrictions every single time, everywhere before we fly , but if the firmware doesn’t do what it is supposed to do then why bother installing it in the drone in the first place?"

The aircraft performed exactly as it should. It prevented the aircraft from entering the restricted zone. There was no fault in the firmware or software.

View attachment 152612

It might be hard to believe, but I did try to fly back (in reverse) right after I got the warning, I tried, in fact any direction possible but the drone just wouldn’t move. I have read some other post where the same exact thing happened to other pilots.

 

[MS Coast]

It might be hard to believe, but I did try to fly back (in reverse) right after I got the warning, I tried, in fact any direction possible but the drone just wouldn’t move. I have read some other post where the same exact thing happened to other pilots.

Well, that's very interesting.

I'm wondering if it's possible for a drone to cross the restricted zone boundary and then be unable to move in any direction without triggering a stop.

How fast was the drone moving when you first hit the zone boundary?

 

[Meta4]

That’s weird. I have never been to England. I did notice it was showing in the flight log that I flew in England. But that’s the file I pulled from the GO4 app

Was that the most recent data in your flight logs?

 

[fiberdude]

I don’t think the flight log is showing all my commands after the moment that I got stuck in the NFZ. I tried multiple times to steer the drone east, west, south, north and up and down but it just wouldn’t move. I had plenty of time (12 minutes) to react. Every time I moved the sticks I would get a warning that I was at the boundaries of a authorization zone and to fly away with caution, but I just couldn’t get away. But after a few minutes I just gave up because I knew my M2Z was doomed.

What you said in this above post contradicts the FlightRecord video you posted under this thread:

1) you tried moving the drone vertically up and down at the boundary of the authorization zone (not NFZ), and it responded perfectly, gaining vertical speed in excess of 6.7 MPH (see snapshot #1 below);

2) you tried moving the drone toward south (maybe, also north), and as confirmed by the snapshot #2 below, it responded perfectly by gaining a horizontal speed in excess of 4.3 MPH (Note: on the boundary of an authorization zone or an NFZ, the speed of the DJI drone is limited to 10 MPH or lower, see a Year-2018 thread on NFZ below);

[2018 thread on NFZ] Mavic flying at 9-10 mph in GPS mode

3) you tried moving the drone toward east in the direction of Home Point, and the drone displayed the warning message without responding to your stick input (toward east, into the authorization zone);

4) what you DID NOT do was applying a consistent stick input to move the drone toward west (away from the authorization zone). Like I said earlier, hugging the boundary initially, the drone would have a 10-MPH speed limit (i.e., it may appear not responding to your stick input), but you keep the same stick input, and move it away from the boundary, it will regain 36 MPH speed, which you did not do.

 

[bluefighter8]

Well, that's very interesting.

I'm wondering if it's possible for a drone to cross the restricted zone boundary and then be unable to move in any direction without triggering a stop.

How fast was the drone moving when you first hit the zone boundary?

Not sure but I would say I was flying top speed because I wanted to make sure I was going to make it to home point.

 

[bluefighter8]

What you said in this above post contradicts the FlightRecord video you posted under this thread:

1) you tried moving the drone vertically up and down at the boundary of the authorization zone (not NFZ), and it responded perfectly, gaining vertical speed in excess of 6.7 MPH (see snapshot #1 below);

2) you tried moving the drone toward south (maybe, also north), and as confirmed by the snapshot #2 below, it responded perfectly by gaining a horizontal speed in excess of 4.3 MPH (Note: on the boundary of an authorization zone or an NFZ, the speed of the DJI drone is limited to 10 MPH or lower, see a Year-2018 thread on NFZ below);

[2018 thread on NFZ] Mavic flying at 9-10 mph in GPS mode

3) you tried moving the drone toward east in the direction of Home Point, and the drone displayed the warning message without responding to your stick input (toward east, into the authorization zone);

4) what you DID NOT do was applying a consistent stick input to move the drone toward west (away from the authorization zone). Like I said earlier, hugging the boundary initially, the drone would have a 10-MPH speed limit (i.e., it may appear not responding to your stick input), but you keep the same stick input, and move it away from the boundary, it will regain 36 MPH speed, which you did not

@Meta4, have you had an opportunity to look at this?

I apologize but I have been so busy lately that I haven’t had an opportunity to look at that.

 

[PropSpin]

One lesson to learn from this is to not overly extend flight times so you have no power reserve margin for the return flight, especially if flying over terrain that means the drone is lost should it go down.

I wonder, if in the moment of anxiety/panic, the OP was collected enough to switch display to map view or have the radar visible in order to control the drone virtually back along its ingress route. I think bf8 stated they moved the sticks in various directions, but unless focused on commanding the drone in the correct direction and watching for feedback on the map display/radar, any success could have been missed due to lag in warning system making bf8 think that nothing was working.

Finally, for me, I will avoid like the plague, any drone that implements a geofencing system where you have to get permission from the manufacturer. Especially when that company is Chinese and therefore is compromised by the CCP. Which leads to my final point, I will not buy another DJI drone again because of benefits to the CCP. Shame too, because DJI makes good stuff.

 

[Hardware1969]

I'm curious how you were almost 2 miles away and still had VLOS?