Mavic Air Fly Away and Drop in River Help! SOS!

[vanessallj]

Yesterday i update the new firmware in DJI Go4. This morning i woke up early try to fly and take a shot of the beautiful scene when there's no one on the road. But after it take off no more that 3 mins started to lost control, first turn around and then fly close near the bridge, when i want to let it flew back home point, it continue to move forward and once under the bridge it lost signal and drop in river under bridge

My fly log : DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

I need help urgently, is been 7 hours now. I try to rent a boat and use stick with net to find it but no luck. Just now try to dive in river but it was dark hardly can see. The river is about 2-3meters deep. I'm a solo travel in Netherland now and i worry for my own safety swimming in here, i hardly can find someone for help as the local dutch just don't care for other's business (cry~~).

I still can locate exact location my question is : Do you think the ECS beep and light still work under water?
Is it worth for me to jump in river and try again? Can the drone be safe? I only have 23 flights for 6264km, is my favourite buddy loosing it kinda like loosing my family now...

Is it firmware bugs? hardware? There's wind blowing when the drone start to fly off and loose control but is not very strong though, i feel miserable now....

Help......

 

[RayOZ]

Sorry for your loss. I don't think it's worth the risk swimming in the river. Looks like it might be under the bridge, and if the river is flowing, it might be a bit further downstream. 2-3m is quite deep too. Don't risk your life for a drone.

 

[MavicCF]

Yesterday i update the new firmware in DJI Go4. This morning i woke up early try to fly and take a shot of the beautiful scene when there's no one on the road. But after it take off no more that 3 mins started to lost control, first turn around and then fly close near the bridge, when i want to let it flew back home point, it continue to move forward and once under the bridge it lost signal and drop in river under bridge

My fly log : DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

I need help urgently, is been 7 hours now. I try to rent a boat and use stick with net to find it but no luck. Just now try to dive in river but it was dark hardly can see. The river is about 2-3meters deep. I'm a solo travel in Netherland now and i worry for my own safety swimming in here, i hardly can find someone for help as the local dutch just don't care for other's business (cry~~).

I still can locate exact location my question is : Do you think the ECS beep and light still work under water?
Is it worth for me to jump in river and try again? Can the drone be safe? I only have 23 flights for 6264km, is my favourite buddy loosing it kinda like loosing my family now...

Is it firmware bugs? hardware? There's wind blowing when the drone start to fly off and loose control but is not very strong though, i feel miserable now....

Help......

View attachment 41099 View attachment 41100 View attachment 41101 View attachment 41102

Extremely sorry for your loss.
It looks like the cause of the crash was a switch into ATTI mode due to flying under that bridge. When you went under it, you put several feet of concrete over your Mavic which essentially cut off GPS reception. This caused it to automatically switched into ATTI mode (where the Mavic merely remains level but does not position hold or compensate for drift).
Your last few stick inputs would have caused it to drift forewards and right, which is showed by the flight log. At that point it probably hit a piling or such and fell.

 

[vanessallj]

I was so close to the spot, but because is under water, I can’t see it even I immediately bought a goggle to swim in river but is dark yellow water. So helpless in foreign country....sigh... i’m So close yet so far away...TT_TT

 

[MavicCF]

I was so close to the spot, but because is under water, I can’t see it even I immediately bought a goggle to swim in river but is dark yellow water. So helpless in foreign country....sigh... i’m So close yet so far away...TT_TTView attachment 41115

How fast is the current moving? If you are diving for it, I would be very careful.
I wonder if there are any members in the area who could help you out?

 

[vanessallj]

The current is very slow and smooth, that’s why I very confident to get it back. When I was on a boat using stick to try to feel it I can feel the stick touching “something”, of course not sure is rock or not. But anyway, because the area is manageable, that’s why I would like to try. I don’t mind paying for people and diver for help but people here just don’t care which is kinda dissapointing. I even try policeman firefighter and hotel worker. They just reply :”sorry, I can’t help”. Typical Dutch directness.

I learn so much thing today, I think the stability of hardware and software for mavic air still very fragile and unstable. Especially after update firmware, out of my control. Mavic Pro seems to be more stable. The only fact I like for M.Air is tiny and able to fit in my bag, that’s all.

I just felt sorry for myself that the things are so close to where i’m Standing but yet I have no clue where it is underneath the water. This town is full of people but helplesss.

My dear baby, R.I.P....(even I think the battery still have more than 97%)

 

[Odom1957]

If you had insurance on it, then recovery would be moot, but DJI Refresh requires recovery.

Personally...I'd go after it. 3m is VERY shallow water. I typically free five in water over 10m deep with no issues. Get a pair of dive gloves to wear so you don't cut yourself on anything and set out after it. It would also help to buy a cheap pair of flippers so you can cover more ground. Hell...I even wear a 12lb weight belt when free diving, so I can focus on my movement rather than floatation.

If nothing else, the swim will be something to remember, so next time you won't make the same mistake.

 

[FlashNC]

See if u can purchase a large magnet, tie to rope and drag it. I’m assuming there is sufficient metal in the mavic...... maybe not

 

[MavicCF]

Flashlight in a Ziplock?

 

[Odom1957]

Flashlight in a Ziplock?

There are plenty of cheap flashlights that can handle more than 3m of water pressure, but this comment is HILARIOUS!

 

[MavicCF]

There are plenty of cheap flashlights that can handle more than 3m of water pressure, but this comment is HILARIOUS!

Hey, don't make fun of the insurance I use for my $3 Chinese flashlight!

 

[bentbrent]

Power Vision is getting ready to release an underwater drone. They even have a fishing attachment option for it. You could get one of those to recover your drone. Sorry about your loss.

 

[InvisibleName]

Pilot error. Learn from it. Move on. Harsh but real!!

 

[vanessallj]

If you had insurance on it, then recovery would be moot, but DJI Refresh requires recovery.

Personally...I'd go after it. 3m is VERY shallow water. I typically free five in water over 10m deep with no issues. Get a pair of dive gloves to wear so you don't cut yourself on anything and set out after it. It would also help to buy a cheap pair of flippers so you can cover more ground. ****...I even wear a 12lb weight belt when free diving, so I can focus on my movement rather than floatation.

If nothing else, the swim will be something to remember, so next time you won't make the same mistake.

The water was cold but i’m in furious hot. Funny thing is I can’t get any decent equipment here as this is like a small township away from Amsterdam. I attempted one swim today, and because of cold water I didn’t realise my legs was cuts and bruise after I dive for an hour, and very tiring because of the cold weather. I definitely need a torchlight here but I can’t buy it from here. That’s why I try to knock on the door of firefighter but nobody in the office.

I manage to pull out the video from last scene. Swear to god today is the day when the moment my flight take off, I actually trying to pull back and let it return home. But really losing control, it just keep going and vanished.

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As in the clip, the first turning I was trying to go back to my home point, but I think I mistakenly lower down, I aware is getting dangerous I trying to get back and this’s the time where it starting to loose control. You see from the clip is moving forward but i actually pulling backward. When is close to the bridge i actually return home but no response, instead it continue to go through the bridge. I have lost signal and control right before it get close to the bridge. When I check this clip, i’m really surprise it actually almost manage to fly out close to the end.

Today is the day, due to i’m travel alone in a foreign country, when I taught I take extra careful and fly extra slow, but it still goes wrong. (**** I wish I can fly wild in speed when i’m In my home country)

Lesson learned,
1. never too close to the water
2. never fly before tested in open space for the new update firm ware
3. wind & cold weather, shady spot will lost connection easily
4. definitely don’t fly close to object, in case it goes wrong.
5. when the plane does not listen to you cannot fligh back, instead of keep trying to pull backward, fly up and change direction/location to navigate back. (I do not want to fly under the bridge, I make a mistake of trying to navigate back where I should have just fly up to the sky)
6. my mavic crash on wall two months ago when there’s a sudden strong wind and it loose control and auto fly straight to hit on the wall, I wonder this time is the side effect? When after the first crash, I’ve check the body still fine only cracked on propeller. I just did a quick test fly and thought everything should be ok. My mistake I should have test fly a longer distance to check it. I did calibrate before I take off this morning until I realise I’m having a dejavu for the crash when I get no response from my controller, and it autopilot fly itself to nowhere. ****!

Ps : any pilot around wanna have a swim / diving in the romantic river?

PPS : thank you for all the support and teaching here. Sorry to keep on writing as i’m preparing myself, getting ready to mourn the dead of my buddy, too much thought need to express and let it out from my mind. May my mind rest in peace too after this post.

 

[MavicCF]

The water was cold but i’m in furious hot. Funny thing is I can’t get any decent equipment here as this is like a small township away from Amsterdam. I attempted one swim today, and because of cold water I didn’t realise my legs was cuts and bruise after I dive for an hour, and very tiring because of the cold weather. I definitely need a torchlight here but I can’t buy it from here. That’s why I try to knock on the door of firefighter but nobody in the office.

I manage to pull out the video from last scene. Swear to god today is the day when the moment my flight take off, I actually trying to pull back and let it return home. But really losing control, it just keep going and vanished.

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As in the clip, the first turning I was trying to go back to my home point, but I think I mistakenly lower down, I aware is getting dangerous I trying to get back and this’s the time where it starting to loose control. You see from the clip is moving forward but i actually pulling backward. When is close to the bridge i actually return home but no response, instead it continue to go through the bridge. I have lost signal and control right before it get close to the bridge. When I check this clip, i’m really surprise it actually almost manage to fly out close to the end.

Today is the day, due to i’m travel alone in a foreign country, when I taught I take extra careful and fly extra slow, but it still goes wrong. (**** I wish I can fly wild in speed when i’m In my home country)

Lesson learned,
1. never too close to the water
2. never fly before tested in open space for the new update firm ware
3. wind & cold weather, shady spot will lost connection easily
4. definitely don’t fly close to object, in case it goes wrong.
5. when the plane does not listen to you cannot fligh back, instead of keep trying to pull backward, fly up and change direction/location to navigate back. (I do not want to fly under the bridge, I make a mistake of trying to navigate back where I should have just fly up to the sky)
6. my mavic crash on wall two months ago when there’s a sudden strong wind and it loose control and auto fly straight to hit on the wall, I wonder this time is the side effect? When after the first crash, I’ve check the body still fine only cracked on propeller. I just did a quick test fly and thought everything should be ok. My mistake I should have test fly a longer distance to check it. I did calibrate before I take off this morning until I realise I’m having a dejavu for the crash when I get no response from my controller, and it autopilot fly itself to nowhere. ****!

Ps : any pilot around wanna have a swim / diving in the romantic river?

PPS : thank you for all the support and teaching here. Sorry to keep on writing as i’m preparing myself, getting ready to mourn the dead of my buddy, too much thought need to express and let it out from my mind. May my mind rest in peace too after this post.

Sorry to hear there was no success. Don't let it ruin the rest of your vacation either, I would say maybe give it one more try (if that), then accept that it's gone.
Part of the problem is very few pilots have experience flying in ATTI mode, thus, when the unexpected happens (as it did to you) and you lose satellites, the typical result is to panic, crash, and create a "flyaway" post here. In reality, the Mavic is still responding to controls appropriately, it just doesn't stop itself when you let go of the sticks, it keeps drifting until you stop it yourself using the controls.
I guess maybe getting some prior experience with a cheap ATTI drone might be useful in situations like this. Anyway, good luck in any future attempts!-CF

 

[RayOZ]

A river in a residential-looking area. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to take a dip there. People throw stuff in the river. Make sure you wash up properly after you swim in it.
If you weight up the cost of hiring a boat, buying equipments, which you would then might have to try to sell before your next journey, it might be cheaper to just buy another. You’ll waste time still trying to retrieve it when you can be exploring. I know it’ll feel horrible leaving it behind in a foreign land.

 

[Odom1957]

Cold water can be a major hazard. By the looks of the video, you should still be able to recover it, although you should still look at what you will do with it once recovered. Do you have refresh or insurance? If not, then recovery won't be any benefit. You might have to just succumb to the reality of a lost drone.

This is something I dread happening to me.

 

[JKU17]

It happens at times and like one poster stated....flying in an oversized culvert like that cut off ability for GPS and it went into ATTI mode and in close quarters, was not easily controlled and became "anked"!

It is a hard lesson I know but learn from it and move on.

 

[Odom1957]

So, is it worth adding the atti mode mod to navigate through stuff like this?

The mod I'm talking about is the one where you change the sport mode switch to do Atti mode.

If it is already in atti mode, then would it not freak out when it goes under something?

 

[MavicCF]

So, is it worth adding the atti mode mod to navigate through stuff like this?

The mod I'm talking about is the one where you change the sport mode switch to do Atti mode.

If it is already in atti mode, then would it not freak out when it goes under something?

In this case, no. The Mavic did nothing wrong, manually switching into ATTI beforehand would have been no different than it automatically switching due to lack of satellites. According to the logs, the OP more or less flew the Mavic into the tunnel wall.
In the case of compass errors (where the yaw initialized on the wrong heading) ATTI mode is the best (and only?)way to stop erratic behavior.