Mavic air crashes into sea (salt water), ‘Motor obstructed’ error. Pls advise.. TIA (CLOSED)

[Air_Joe]

There is no signal disruption associated with no fly zones. All that happens is that the aircraft will stop and not respond to commands to proceed. You can still fly it in other directions.

15% discount is often offered, even when the problem is caused by pilot error. That seems quite generous. I can't think of many other manufacturers who will sell you a discounted replacement if you lose or destroy the first one through user error.

I see, something new to me , such a great lesson learning fron you guys here!

So meaning in the above case,
Dji reckon that pilot didnt fly in other direction in order to come home, thats y fault lies on the pilot?

Looking at other posts, 15% off without the controller and charger and stuffs , these items should cost much more than the 15% , thats how i got the conclusion saying a lousy deal.

Thats how i feel. Thks for your reply pal..

 

[sar104]

I see, something new to me , such a great lesson learning fron you guys here!

So meaning in the above case,
Dji reckon that pilot didnt fly in other direction in order to come home, thats y fault lies on the pilot?

Looking at other posts, 15% off without the controller and charger and stuffs , these items should cost much more than the 15% , thats how i got the conclusion saying a lousy deal.

Thats how i feel. Thks for your reply pal..

Right - he could have retraced his original flight path to return without having to enter the no-fly zone.

The 15% discount is off the lower price of just the aircraft - they are not selling you just an aircraft at 15% off the original full package price.

 

[Air_Joe]

Right - he could have retraced his original flight path to return without having to enter the no-fly zone.

The 15% discount is off the lower price of just the aircraft - they are not selling you just an aircraft at 15% off the original full package price.

Oh i see, get it now.
All along why others mentioned they are offered
15-30% off. I was thinking its off the package price! Silly me. Then its sounds qyite reasonable to me in a way.

Anyway any idea whats the price of ac only?
Just mentally preparing myself. Lol
Oh ya, read somewhere, are those ac all reconditioned ones from their previous cases?

 

[Tom Tub]

Its really an eye opener and more learning experience!

Pardon me, could anyone enlighten me that it seems like if a drone enter a ‘no fly zone’ , signal will disrupted , and user will not be able to control it?

2) In your case, seems like u are unable to control it back, however dji classified it as a ‘pilot error’ . Is there really no room for nego?
Furthermore 15% seems like super lousy deal they are offering.

3) lastly, u are covered under care package, how come there isnt a replacement for your ac???

1)Control should be there especially, if they post a warning.

2) Yes, classifying it pilot error is concerning as all the RTH was automatic with no pilot intervention. Yes, on the. 15%, especially since I have DJI Refresh

3) the care package clearly states the aircraft must be returned to DJI. This is likely to avoid keeping your old drone and getting another one for free or you inability to find your lost drone. I get this! However, when the logs clearly show where it is in Neptune’s Kingdom and it is not retreivale it should be replaced. I can’t dive 100 feet, 3500 feet from the shore. Unrealistic! It is clear that I am not trying to cheat DJI.

I will post DJI’s response to my last email and we will see if they are reputable people or just after our money.

I think if enough people revolt, DJI will change or suffer the consequences,.

 

[Air_Joe]

1)Control should be there especially, if they post a warning.

2) Yes, classifying it pilot error is concerning as all the RTH was automatic with no pilot intervention. Yes, on the. 15%, especially since I have DJI Refresh

3) the care package clearly states the aircraft must be returned to DJI. This is likely to avoid keeping your old drone and getting another one for free or you inability to find your lost drone. I get this! However, when the logs clearly show where it is in Neptune’s Kingdom and it is not retreivale it should be replaced. I can’t dive 100 feet, 3500 feet from the shore. Unrealistic! It is clear that I am not trying to cheat DJI.

I will post DJI’s response to my last email and we will see if they are reputable people or just after our money.

I think if enough people revolt, DJI will change or suffer the consequences,.

1) agreed with you on this point. For newbie like me, i need every single warning or notification.

2) Now it makes me worry more, i dont have a a refresh package.

3) got your points, then again any companies seldom give the benefit of doubt to the consumers nowadays. Its all dollars and cents that talks.

 

[Tom Tub]

Right - he could have retraced his original flight path to return without having to enter the no-fly zone.

The 15% discount is off the lower price of just the aircraft - they are not selling you just an aircraft at 15% off the original full package price.

Retracing the original flight path is a good way to get home safely, but then how does one know that RTH will go into a no flight zone. When do we not trust RTH? More to my point, why no response to commands when in or near a no flight zone? I would have saved my drone if would have allowed me to control ii.

 

[Tom Tub]

I want to be clear that the Flight Data clearly shows that attempts to leave or control the aircraft at the no fligh zone were performed numerous time to no avail. How can DJI ignore this when their errant automatic RTH and warning caused me to react? This i don’t get.

I hope all who have similar concerns with DJI errant decisions will join me in an effort to overwhelm DJI with demands for consumer considerations to do what is right.

 

[jsinon]

Now my question is, how bad the salt water will damage the drone?
And also, what are the chances dji replacement are?
Normally how long they take for their investigation to complete?

As far as the the salt water goes, sadly there’s probably no coming back from that. I know that if one of my cameras were to take a salt water bath I’d be on the phone to my insurance company.

As far as DJI and replacement, I would assume if is was indeed a drone failure and not pilot error, DJI would replace it. That’s also assuming you had DJI refresh. ( Though I’m not sure if you even need the refresh while it’s still under the original warranty).

Either way I hope the best for you.

 

[sar104]

Retracing the original flight path is a good way to get home safely, but then how does one know that RTH will go into a no flight zone. When do we not trust RTH? More to my point, why no response to commands when in or near a no flight zone? I would have saved my drone if would have allowed me to control ii.

How do you know that there is a no fly zone where you are flying? You are supposed to check for all those things before you fly. And the no fly zone will not stop you from controlling the aircraft - it simply won't let you fly it into the zone.

 

[Tom Tub]

How do you know that there is a no fly zone where you are flying? You are supposed to check for all those things before you fly. And the no fly zone will not stop you from controlling the aircraft - it simply won't let you fly it into the zone.

Sure. Even if it is my error, it is noteworthy that RTH had control of the drone before being in a no fly zone. Data Log shows warning of no fly zone after about 7,000 feet in during its controlled return and then no control. In my way of thinking, I should not have been locked out of control even if I flew into a no fly zone on my own.

Then there is the issue of replacement under DJI Refresh because I cannot retrieve the drone from the ocean even though GPS coordinates show exactly where it went in. I get it that DJI doesn’t want liars, but with the data, location and circumstances, I have a hard time accepting denial of a replacement.

Also, no advice from DJI about the remaining, never used portion of my DJI Refresh policy. Can I transfer it, do I get a partial refund or am I out of luck?

 

[sar104]

Sure. Even if it is my error, it is noteworthy that RTH had control of the drone before being in a no fly zone. Data Log shows warning of no fly zone after about 7,000 feet in during its controlled return and then no control. In my way of thinking, I should not have been locked out of control even if I flew into a no fly zone on my own.

Then there is the issue of replacement under DJI Refresh because I cannot retrieve the drone from the ocean even though GPS coordinates show exactly where it went in. I get it that DJI doesn’t want liars, but with the data, location and circumstances, I have a hard time accepting denial of a replacement.

Also, no advice from DJI about the remaining, never used portion of my DJI Refresh policy. Can I transfer it, do I get a partial refund or am I out of luck?

I'm not sure what you mean when you say that the log shows that you had no control. I've never seen that happen. How does it show that? Did it record stick inputs that the aircraft did not respond to?

 

[DanMan32]

I agree it would be a challenge but you still can control the AC around the RTH.
First, cancel RTH. You always have that option.
Once disabled, fly around it.

I'm sure the NFZ was displayed on the map. Don't put real or virtual obstacles between you and the AC, or if you do, allow enough power to fly around it. Don't get to the point where low power RTH kicks in.

If it were a mountain in the way of RTH, would you still be arguing the point?

Now if somehow the AC managed it's way into a NFZ and couldn't get out, that could be a claim. Although even in this case, you had control to stay clear of the NFZ which is displayed on the map.

 

[Tom Tub]

I'm not sure what you mean when you say that the log shows that you had no control. I've never seen that happen. How does it show that? Did it record stick inputs that the aircraft did not respond to?

Yes! If you click on the transmitter icon while watching a flight recording, it will show the stick movements for the entire flight. You will also see the arrow head showing which way the drone is going. You can also see any movement in the distance numeral monitor. In my case, the drone would not move except for up or down which could tell this by the altitude numeral monitor moving only.

 

[Tom Tub]

I agree it would be a challenge but you still can control the AC around the RTH.
First, cancel RTH. You always have that option.
Once disabled, fly around it.

I'm sure the NFZ was displayed on the map. Don't put real or virtual obstacles between you and the AC, or if you do, allow enough power to fly around it. Don't get to the point where low power RTH kicks in.

If it were a mountain in the way of RTH, would you still be arguing the point?

Now if somehow the AC managed it's way into a NFZ and couldn't get out, that could be a claim. Although even in this case, you had control to stay clear of the NFZ which is displayed on the map.

Agree with you. However, even if my fault because I was in or near a NFZ, the drone should have responded to commands as it was only out 3500 ft with no obstructions. That’s what it did not do and why I am arguing the point. Btw, battery percentage was high on RTH. Percentage was 50% which was ample for 11k feet. I do understand that I have to watch batteries carefully and take no chances. Then there is the DJI Refresh policy.

Thanks, do appreciate your post and advice.

 

[sar104]

Yes! If you click on the transmitter icon while watching a flight recording, it will show the stick movements for the entire flight. You will also see the arrow head showing which way the drone is going. You can also see any movement in the distance numeral monitor. In my case, the drone would not move except for up or down which could tell this by the altitude numeral monitor moving only.

OK - but that's not a definitive way to look at the flight data because it shows only a very incomplete set. If you want to understand the behavior that you think you saw then you will need to look at the actual txt flight log, or post it here to be analyzed.

 

[Tom Tub]

OK - but that's not a definitive way to look at the flight data because it shows only a very incomplete set. If you want to understand the behavior that you think you saw then you will need to look at the actual txt flight log, or post it here to be analyzed.

Thank you. Unaware of this. Good point on RTH cancellation.

 

[Air_Joe]

As far as the the salt water goes, sadly there’s probably no coming back from that. I know that if one of my cameras were to take a salt water bath I’d be on the phone to my insurance company.

As far as DJI and replacement, I would assume if is was indeed a drone failure and not pilot error, DJI would replace it. That’s also assuming you had DJI refresh. ( Though I’m not sure if you even need the refresh while it’s still under the original warranty).

Either way I hope the best for you.

thks pal for your input !

have learnt that basically ac into salt water means game over.
furthermore i didnt get the chance to rinse it immediately etc.

for my case , if you have read earlier.
ac was less than 100 metres away from, was hovering for a minute or so with no issue nor warning,in the air about 10metres off the ground.
was doing my photos setting, and out of a sudden it took a spin and plunge into the water.
certainly my first impression was a ac defect, and dji would honour its warranty.

its a 1 month old drone. i do not have care refresh.
so finger crossed, hoping for the best.

as mentioned i would update the outcome of my case here.

 

[Air_Joe]

How do you know that there is a no fly zone where you are flying? You are supposed to check for all those things before you fly. And the no fly zone will not stop you from controlling the aircraft - it simply won't let you fly it into the zone.

1 question, no sure about other country.
because i live in a NFZ, however when i first bought it,
i did try to fly it near my place, although for a height of 20 metres, and distance less than 5o metres.
No issue whatever so in NFZ.

makes me wonder , how come a ac cant enter a NFZ in your country.
by the way , im in singapore here.

 

[TheRock]

As an underwater photo pro, I can tell you that you probably have a new, fancy paperweight or doorstop. Since the battery was attached and had some power left when it hit the water, saltwater seems to short out the electronics like lightning. You needed to immediately remove the battery, dunk it in freshwater for. half-hour or so, studiously dry it and sacrifice your first born child. Even if it does fly, it will sooner or later work erratically. Saltwater is the kiss of death. Buy a refurbed body from Rob at Thunderdrones.

 

[Air_Joe]

As an underwater photo pro, I can tell you that you probably have a new, fancy paperweight or doorstop. Since the battery was attached and had some power left when it hit the water, saltwater seems to short out the electronics like lightning. You needed to immediately remove the battery, dunk it in freshwater for. half-hour or so, studiously dry it and sacrifice your first born child. Even if it does fly, it will sooner or later work erratically. Saltwater is the kiss of death. Buy a refurbed body from Rob at Thunderdrones.

Thks for the advice.
However my case is currently review by dji, hoping for the best.
Also i guess Rob is in usa? Im in singapore, halfway across the globe bro,