Mavic Disappeared Mid-Flight

[joejoseph]

I don't know what use it would be to hover. I guess if there were a lot of obstacles. I've always left the setting on RTH in case of emergencies.

hover is in case you fly indoor, or if you are flying in a forest and you have many branches over the drone [emoji6]

 

[Dubwilcox]

Well, this story just took a big turn.

Today, 15 days after my Mavic went down, a friend who was with me at the beach where it was lost wrote me to say that a friend had found a drone in the sea nearby and sent me a picture of it. Sure enough, it was my baby.

View media item 1166
I haven't gotten it from them yet, but I hope my memory card is still good and contains its final moments or at least the first 10 minutes. I will share it here if and when I recover it.

 

[BerndM]

That is wonderful news. Now you have plenty of spare parts for your new Mavic.
I am waiting eagerly to see what you can determine from the data on the Mavic if it is still accessible.

 

[rcflyingaddict]

Great outcome for you. I'm curious how often this happens ... ie dji does the analysis and admit's liability -- is it 1 in 10 or 1 in 1000? I'm also curious why they covered in your case but not in others that have seem to be quite similar based on the log data.

 

[Dubwilcox]

Great outcome for you. I'm curious how often this happens ... ie dji does the analysis and admit's liability -- is it 1 in 10 or 1 in 1000? I'm also curious why they covered in your case but not in others that have seem to be quite similar based on the log data.

I am asking the same question. In another recent case they gave a 30% discount which I thought was odd since it seemed to be an admission of fault but no more than a portion of the product's worth.

 

[Dubwilcox]

UPDATE:

Huge plot twist. Take a look at this response I received just now from DJI Support:

Thanks for your cooperation.

For this case, it was a ultrasound issue with the aircraft that lead to this incident, and there was no pilot error found. You do not have to stay away from the area, and there was no abnormality found with your remote controller as well.

However according to the flight record and the information you send, the version of the aircraft was China, and the serial number of your remote also didn't match the number of the aircraft. It was not the original remote with the aircraft.

As we don't have international warranty service and for the version of your aircraft, the coupon was only can be used in China. If you are not in that country now, you can choose to send the aircraft to your friends there.

For this situation, please contact the seller for further help, because it was a severe problem that the seller sold the aircraft in improper country/region, even the remote controller was not the original one matched with the aircraft. And we could only offer the 100% off coupon code for China because we have to obey our after-sale service policy, which might bring great inconvenience to you.

Sorry I didn't make it clear in last email, that please be noted that we could not offer any discount or replacement when the serial number of the aircraft and the remote didn't match. Please do contact the seller for the reason and further investigation about this issue.

If you have friend in China and would like to accept the offer, or the seller can help with this issue, please let us know. We will wait for your reply.

Have a nice day.


Best Regards,

Evelyn
DJI Tech Support
DJI - The Future Of Possible

That is a lot to digest, and now I'm really confused because I bought it from Amazon in the US. I don't know anyone in China to send it to. I'm wondering if the unclear serial number on the remote is the reason for this. I sent them a picture as well as what I could make out from it as it is a bit faded only two months in.
Does anyone know what the hell is going on with a response like this?

 

[Dubwilcox]

UPDATE:

I just received a second, similar email from DJI:

Thanks for your cooperation.

However according to the flight record and the information you send, the version of the aircraft was China, and the serial number of your remote also didn't match the number of the aircraft. It was not the original remote with the aircraft.

As we don't have international warranty service and for the version of your aircraft, the coupon was only can be used in China. If you are not in that country now, you can choose to send the aircraft to your friends there.

For this situation, please contact the seller for further help, because it was a severe problem that the seller sold the aircraft in improper country/region, even the remote controller was not the original one matched with the aircraft. And we could only offer the 100% off coupon code for China because we have to obey our after-sale service policy, which might bring great inconvenience to you.

When it comes to the cause of the incident, it was a ultrasound issue with the aircraft that lead to this incident, and there was no pilot error found. You do not have to stay away from the area, and there was no abnormality found with your remote controller as well.

If you have friend in China and would like to accept the offer, please let us know. We will wait for your reply.

Have a nice day.


Best Regards,

Evelyn
DJI Tech Support
DJI - The Future Of Possible

 

[rcflyingaddict]

Was the mavic pro sold by and fulfilled by Amazon or by a third party and if so which one?

 

[Eric17]

sounds like a nightmare dealing with these idiots. How long ago did you buy from amazon? I would talk to amazon and send them the email from dji. I bought mine on there as well. Not sure what " version of the aircraft is china" means but sounds like the run around approach to customer service.

 

[Dubwilcox]

UPDATE:

This just keeps getting crazier by the hour.

I just got in touch with Amazon support, who confirms that the Mavic was sold and sent by Amazon directly, and even though it has been well over their 60 day return window and product return window, they are willing to accept the return and even reimburse the shipping costs. Thank god someone found it yesterday (I still have to meet this person and get it from them). However, they do say that the bundle I purchased is no longer sold by Amazon and only fulfilled by them, which means it's a third-party item.

Do I try to deal with DJI or do I accept potentially a third-party seller giving me a new (or refurbished?) Mavic?

 

[Dubwilcox]

Was the mavic pro sold by and fulfilled by Amazon or by a third party and if so which one?

It was sold and fulfilled by Amazon at the end of May 2017, as part of a bundle. However, it isn't sold by them directly any longer, they say . They will offer a 100% refund, but I need to send everything back, not just the damaged Mavic.

 

[MavicMaster]

Omg what a pain... I'm also having issues with there support team. They have been asking me the same questions over and over again. Apparently, my case still has not been sent to data analysis. It's been like 2 weeks plus that I submitted the dat files

 

[rcflyingaddict]

It was sold and fulfilled by Amazon at the end of May 2017, as part of a bundle. However, it isn't sold by them directly any longer, they say . They will offer a 100% refund, but I need to send everything back, not just the damaged Mavic.

so all mavic's sold in usa must be USA mfg/serial # or no warranty? GLAD I let the urge go to not buy one on the spot here in China ..... would have been a surprise to find no warranty support from US. Also thinking outloud here but when you register with dji for the care more I'd think they would/could flag it then.

 

[ric96]

****! I bought my MP from Amazon also. I need to check whether Amazon fulfilled the order or a third party. I would suppose you could also contest the sale on your credit card. Keep us updated.

 

[Dubwilcox]

so all mavic's sold in usa must be USA mfg/serial # or no warranty? GLAD I let the urge go to not buy one on the spot here in China ..... would have been a surprise to find no warranty support from US. Also thinking outloud here but when you register with dji for the care more I'd think they would/could flag it then.

Yes, what is odd to me is that they asked me for the remote serial number and the flight data when I started this claim, and they didn't mention anything about China until after they promised me the 100% off coupon. I'm going to call them tomorrow if the follow-up email yields no solution.

 

[Dubwilcox]

****! I bought my MP from Amazon also. I need to check whether Amazon fulfilled the order or a third party. I would suppose you could also contest the sale on your credit card. Keep us updated.

I think the credit cards also have a limit of 30 days/60 days for product claims. Funny, it was an Amazon rewards card that I used to buy it.

 

[rcflyingaddict]

Yes, what is odd to me is that they asked me for the remote serial number and the flight data when I started this claim, and they didn't mention anything about China until after they promised me the 100% off coupon. I'm going to call them tomorrow if the follow-up email yields no solution.

Yep - sounds quite strange... they had plenty of time/opportunity to vet your serial/ownership - AKA entitlement prior to offering you the coupon. Net/Net the coupon is still a good offer if you are not able to work it out another way..... Find someone you know that visit's china ... they can pick up and bring home. I'd do it for ya --- but heading back from China in 24.

 

[MavicMaster]

After having my case open for nearly 2 weeks. I have concluded that DJI has the absolute worst customer service known to mankine

I just spoke with a supervisor at DJI support and he basically told I am not going to get any sort of support because I deleted my flight records from the DJI cloud. This wouldn't be a big deal if they had told me this from the beginning.

Multiple reps said as long as I have the .dat files I'm good. Now the supervisor is telling me they will not help me because of it. Worst part is this case has been open for 2+weeks. These guys have been sending me emails every other day asking for additional info.

What a complete waste of time and effort. Had the first associate been accurate, I would have never bothered submitting forms and etc.

 

[rcflyingaddict]

I may have missed it but why would you delete the cloud files? Also if you deleted .... is there no way for dji to get them back?

After having my case open for nearly 2 weeks. I have concluded that DJI has the absolute worst customer service known to mankine

I just spoke with a supervisor at DJI support and he basically told I am not going to get any sort of support because I deleted my flight records from the DJI cloud. This wouldn't be a big deal if they had told me this from the beginning.

Multiple reps said as long as I have the .dat files I'm good. Now the supervisor is telling me they will not help me because of it. Worst part is this case has been open for 2+weeks. These guys have been sending me emails every other day asking for additional info.

What a complete waste of time and effort. Had the first associate been accurate, I would have never bothered submitting forms and etc.

 

[tredelijkheid]

Earlier today I was flying my Mavic at a beach in Mexico. Everything was excellent, 14 satellites, 54% battery, clear video transmission. I was moving it slightly horizontally, but far from any obstacles. All of a sudden, I got "Aircraft disconnected" on the display, and the prompt about initiating return to home. I said yes, and nothing happened after that. All of the numbers on the remote controller and the app remained frozen as they were. I got up from where I was and I started walking over to where it was (about a 15 minute walk and I knew the battery wouldn't last that long). The remote controller stayed with "Connecting..." for the rest of the time. At some point I turned it off and back on when I realized it wasn't going to reconnect.

It is now completely lost. It soon got dark and it was too tricky to try and get to the top of the hills that surround the beach. I'm heading back there in the morning to look for it. I don't know if it's in the sea or on the rocks. The satellite view shows it right on the border (may even depend on the tide level).

The flight record shows nothing unusual, and even confuses me more. There appears to be no issue other than the aircraft disconnected message at the final moment that it is aloft.

Does anyone know how long the lights will continue flashing if it is still alive? My girlfriend said she saw it flashing on the hill that it was flying over. Even more strangely, my friends who were conducting a ground search said after some of us left to climb, after it was dark, that they saw the drone go up in the air with the lights flashing. They swear it wasn't anything else. One said she assumed it was "trying to look" for me.

I contacted DJI support and they said they have opened a case. Time will tell.

I had the same issue - normal flight, disconnected from the aircraft, ascended, RTH and Forced To Land. According to flight logs my Mavic landed in a small pond:

Disconnect, Ditched and Diving?

DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com
Airdata UAV - Flight Data Analysis for Drones

I was also on holiday and this Friday a diver will try to find it. The pond is 4 meters deep but no visibility.
Hopefuly the aircraft will be found because of the Care-Refresh program.

What frightens me the most it that this also happpened to you and for no apparent reason you were offered a refund...

Will keep you posted.