Mavic Air fly-away - what gives?

[guttedgeek]

So had a fly-away with my Mavic Air this week. Took off with good GPS and at approx. 20 metres up from launch the drone lurched off and was gone. It happened so quickly I had no time to react. I saw the video footage lurch backward (the drone was facing in the opposite direction) and 2 seconds later there was no signal.

So I head off in the general direction down my street to try and find pile of plastic rubble and come up short. A few minutes late my wife calls me on my cell to explain that the drone is back at home, hovering just 1 metre off the ground! I’d walked maybe 250metres at this point so quickly sprinted home as I expected the battery to run out any moment.

Safe in my hands I’m left wondering what on earth went wrong and how did it make its way home?

Now here’s the crazy thing:

1. If I check the flight log, I can see where the drone apparently shot off to…250m away, down the end of the street. BTW, it got there doing 70kph!

2. Now when I try a flight from the same location, the drone on the map appears at the same location down the end of the street. The controller accurately shows “me” at home but drone is 250m away. If I change the orientation of the drone, it changes as you’d expect on the map...except its 250m away.

How on earth to I reset it and ensure it doesn’t happen again? Scared the living daylights out of me!

BTW, a bug surely to launch and think it was 250m away so lurch off in that direction?

 

[RayOZ]

Very interesting. Post flight longs and dat files here. Someone here might be able to dissect what happen. Very curious.
Like a puppy you brought it down to the park for a walk and it ran home.

 

[laurenholloway]

Now that's an interesting drone

 

[paul1664]

The bit where the creepy voice says "home position set - check it on the map". Do that!

 

[laurens23]

maybe you turned on coordinate correction for use in China?
Still not explains what happened, for that you have to post the logs.

 

[Lake_Flyer]

Maybe your Go app got an update recently? Try a complete reinstall of Go4. Good chance the problem is gone.

 

[thebigbaddan]

Can you post the video?

 

[Mossiback]

You mention "good GPS". Do you recall how many satellites? Have you tried to manually set the home point? The Air uses WiFi; perhaps someone turned on some freaking powerful router that screwed with your signal. Does the home point accurately show when you try to start at a different location?

Just wild guesses on my part but a probe into the logs might yield some clues.

 

[swooshdave]

Good GPS = GPS Mode. This is what you are saying?

Your preflight checklist should include you visually confirming that the aircraft is located on the map correctly AND orientated in the correct position. I do not take off until these two variables are confirmed.

 

[Aerial West]

So had a fly-away with my Mavic Air this week. Took off with good GPS and at approx. 20 metres up from launch the drone lurched off and was gone. It happened so quickly I had no time to react. I saw the video footage lurch backward (the drone was facing in the opposite direction) and 2 seconds later there was no signal.

So I head off in the general direction down my street to try and find pile of plastic rubble and come up short. A few minutes late my wife calls me on my cell to explain that the drone is back at home, hovering just 1 metre off the ground! I’d walked maybe 250metres at this point so quickly sprinted home as I expected the battery to run out any moment.
?

i bet this is going to be some sort of GPS drift.

 

[ryanolivas]

Good GPS = GPS Mode. This is what you are saying?

Your preflight checklist should include you visually confirming that the aircraft is located on the map correctly AND orientated in the correct position. I do not take off until these two variables are confirmed.

I strongly agree. better to always be secured.

 

[FL1H1]

Good GPS = GPS Mode. This is what you are saying?

Your preflight checklist should include you visually confirming that the aircraft is located on the map correctly AND orientated in the correct position. I do not take off until these two variables are confirmed.

Are there any REALLY, REALLY good pre flight check lists around? I have searched and they all rated with me - a complete beginner to this, as ridiculously basic like check propellors, gumball, battery secured, area free of people? Batteries charged? Etc, fine, take off and I've been like: you call that a check list? This post only confirms my view, most are hopeless. I'd love to find one really thorough one.

 

[Simmo]

Swooshdave's above is the best info you are gonna get, that most operators dont do...
Home point, orientation.

 

[MavicMo]

Those "ridiculously basic" checklist items are there for a reason. Because people forget. People get to be in a hurry to get their drone in the air they forget to check the basics. You say you want to find a "thorough" checklist, those "ridiculously basic" items is what makes a checklist "thorough".

Maybe you are new to drones and have only had a few drones. But there have been cases of Spark drone owner's who's battery wasn't secured properly and they'd lose their drone; charged batteries? You should see/review people's logs who have lost their drones. Too low a battery when they started out and flew too far; Props? Prop inspection should be on everybody's checklist to make sure they are secure and undamaged...

My suggestion to you is to find a "ridiculously basic" checklist and tailor it to your needs, or what you believe should be in YOUR checklist.

Are there any REALLY, REALLY good pre flight check lists around? I have searched and they all rated with me - a complete beginner to this, as ridiculously basic like check propellors, gumball, battery secured, area free of people? Batteries charged? Etc, fine, take off and I've been like: you call that a check list? This post only confirms my view, most are hopeless. I'd love to find one really thorough one.

 

[Jameslavis]

It’s also some common sense. Aside from the physical Inspection, it is compass, interference, winds, location, orientation, gps and solid connection. Done.

 

[RayOZ]

OP hasn't been back to provide flight logs...

 

[thebigbaddan]

OP hasn't been back to provide flight logs...

He flew away...

 

[FL1H1]

Those "ridiculously basic" checklist items are there for a reason. Because people forget. People get to be in a hurry to get their drone in the air they forget to check the basics. You say you want to find a "thorough" checklist, those "ridiculously basic" items is what makes a checklist "thorough".

Maybe you are new to drones and have only had a few drones. But there have been cases of Spark drone owner's who's battery wasn't secured properly and they'd lose their drone; charged batteries? You should see/review people's logs who have lost their drones. Too low a battery when they started out and flew too far; Props? Prop inspection should be on everybody's checklist to make sure they are secure and undamaged...

My suggestion to you is to find a "ridiculously basic" checklist and tailor it to your needs, or what you believe should be in YOUR checklist.

Sort of agree,but newbies don't know what to include do they? I mean, the check lists are fine but I suspect most are checking a lot more than the condition of the props, them and battery clipped in properly and secure, gimbal free etc. I suspect most add number of satellites connected to sufficient? And more besides. Here's the deal, a lot of people here are new and a lot more yet will be joining and this isn't the only one reporting fly aways. Now ikopta has a good video of what you can do to minimise fly aways but to my mind, this is not good. Someone else here has posted that theirs didn't fly away, for a change. I fly in a valley, live up a hill. Where I fly, its a few miles away but I wouldn't like mine dashing for home over a busy dual carriage way and lots of houses only to crash into one. Sorry, but for newbies far too many, are far too simple and it'll not do us all any favours should more and more fly away, resulting in more and more accidents leading to laws being brought in restricting their use even more. Best to start off thorough than be forced by law to do so I say.

 

[Simmo]

What would you add to a pre-flight check, to minimise your chance of a 'flyaway'???

 

[RayOZ]

Patience. Don't be too eager to get your drone in the air.