Mavic Air 2 gimbal camera flipped backward and stuck!

[Alloyd76]

So what happened was...I don’t really know, but my friend who borrowed my new Mavic Air 2 started it up in the house and apparently it went forward really fast and he ran the drone straight into the wall. (I know, I should have trusted my gut and not loaned it to him while I was out of town!) The drone itself is fine, but the gimbal camera is stuck backward facing the rear now. I think it is slightly canted to one side on the mounting bracket as well. I was going to force it back around, but I don’t want to ruin the gimbal and I’m not sure which way I should flip it to get it back in place anyway. It’s wedged in there and the angle Of the camera from corner to corner when trying to flip it back around is larger than the radius of the gap. I assume it hit the wall with enough force and at just the right angle to flip it backward to begin with. I tried taking the gimbal out, but can’t find a way to get the physical rectangular gimbal camera out of the rotating bracket. I’m not sure if there are hidden screws under the side of the mounting bracket arms.
Any suggestions? I love to tinker, but this is my first drone and first gimbal experience so I’m nervous to force things. I’ve spent hours on google & YouTube and can’t find anything similar. Thanks for any support!

 

[InvisibleName]

This might be of help, there’s a video showing a full strip down of the MA2

DJI Mavic Air 2 teardown: fairly easy to fix - DroneDJ

 

[Alloyd76]

That is a great video! Unfortunately it does not get to the level of breakdown detail I need on the gimbal camera specifically. Bummer. Thanks though!

 

[InvisibleName]

Ah, sorry about that.

 

[eaglesurfing]

At this point it not going to make matters worse. It looks like one of the pivots is already damaged.

Wait until someone might post something or go ahead and force it back in place.

I hope your friend will pay for the repair plus shipping.

 

[Alloyd76]

UPDATE: Fixed it! I just applied a bit more slow steady pressure since the sticking point was plastic on plastic where it was stuck and it came back around. Luckily it lines right back up in the bracket and seems to do fine on my camera check. Now its time to go fly it again to make sure it works in the air!
Thanks for the support!

 

[lee82gx]

Glad you fixed it but I think it's happened on other models before.

Mavic 2 Pro Camera Flipped After Crash

I clipped a small tree while flying my Mavic 2 Pro and the drone dropped about four feet onto my driveway. The drone has a few scuffs but the camera flipped 180 degrees and is now facing backwards. (See picture) I have tried to gently force it back into place but don’t want to break it further...

mavicpilots.com

Seem if it happens again maybe take it apart instead of forcing it back forawrd,.

 

[evo400]

yeah looks like the gimbal poped out of its pivot. Probably nothing serious , I would just recalibrate everything on it.

And yeah, get your mate to pay for it. You know the old saying, You crash it, You buy it!!

 

[The duke]

I crashed my MA2 too! My gimbal is now backwards. I've tried to force it forward but it isnt moving and I'm SO worried about breaking it. The camera is currently working but just facing the wrong way.

 

[kidroc]

I would still send it back it’s not same have it checked out and he pays the bill only fair.

 

[The duke]

I can now confirm that with firm pressure, you can indeed pop the camera back to forwards if it gets reversed in a crash. It is working fine! Thanks Alloyd!

 

[Otis Orchards]

I have the same condition with my Air 2 -- camera is pointing backward. Which direction did you rotate the camera body to get it "fixed"? Did you rotate the lens end of the camera upward toward the gimbal mount or did you go the opposite direction. My camera lens is facing directly backward, 180 degrees from the direction it should be pointing.

 

[Al17]

UPDATE: Fixed it! I just applied a bit more slow steady pressure since the sticking point was plastic on plastic where it was stuck and it came back around. Luckily it lines right back up in the bracket and seems to do fine on my camera check. Now its time to go fly it again to make sure it works in the air!
Thanks for the support!

My camera on my zoom is 180° backwards after crash. I have gimbal out and back plate of. My understanding is now I cause separation to correct camera. Does camera rotate forward or backwards to get facing forward!

 

[Al17]

So the answer is forward in the direction the camera would not go at all. Thanks for the help this thread helped me fix it. I'm not sure I had to disassemble the gimbal, but it made it easier to grab onto separated from the body.