Mavic goes swimming or lands on cargo ship

[Guest 45469]

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[Guest 45469]

I would get another drone out there and check it out! Maybe one with a hook on it.

Good idea. I'm fresh out at the moment however

 

[shorttimer]

I would get another drone out there and check it out! Maybe one with a hook on it.

Along with 3 extra batteries instead of just 2 - then he would be assured to get back home safely.

 

[beanbubba]

Done

I think you have a decent chance it made it:

 

[Jeff7577]

Good idea. I'm fresh out at the moment however

Do you know anyone that could fly out there and see if it’s there? If I were anywhere close I would do it, drone SaR.

 

[Guest 45469]

I think you have a decent chance it made it:

View attachment 32118

A few things make it hard to tell. The battery was so low that it's possible that the reason the video ends abruptly is cause the Mavic just shut off. There were no jerky frames indicating an impact. The ship would have blocked all signal at the altitude it was at. I've attached a screen cap of the last frame of the video.

 

[Guest 45469]

Do you know anyone that could fly out there and see if it’s there? If I were anywhere close I would do it, drone SaR.

I don't. I might call the shipping company if I don't get an email back. This drone was pretty beat up after a few earlier crashes. The one before this I hit the ground at 40mph and brought it back to life. I'm not holding out much hope this time.

 

[SouthernComfort]

Oh man this is epic! I can’t wait to get more details! I hope you made it and get your bird back!

 

[copterbob]

Yeah. Gonzo.

 

[Chip]

Good idea. I'm fresh out at the moment however

Crazy stunt but Ill fly by Pantelis tomorrow to check for you if weather holds. Want to shoot the other ship with the three big cranes anyway.

 

[Guest 45469]

Crazy stunt but Ill fly by Pantelis tomorrow to check for you if weather holds. Want to shoot the other ship with the three big cranes anyway.

Nice. Thanks man!

 

[Jonpearce]

What do you guys think? Does it look like the it landed on the ship or is in Davey Jones' Locker? I sent the shipping company an email to see if they could contact the crew to check for me but I am not hopeful. The ship will be in the area most of the week in case it is on the deck.

So I'll reply as a ships captain. That's a Panamax bulk carrier around 660' x 130' beam. She was in ballast so the deck probably around 50' above waterline. I feel there is a slight chance you landed as at the height it failed I never saw handrails and I think you were low enough to have seen them. Also there was a good 6feet from the hatch be to edge. If it did land it works have been found as it looks like the deck was being painted so it may have deck red feet!
You should have gone for No 4?hatch as it was well marked for helicopter landings!

 

[Guest 45469]

So I'll reply as a ships captain. That's a Panamax bulk carrier around 660' x 130' beam. She was in ballast so the deck probably around 50' above waterline. I feel there is a slight chance you landed as at the height it failed I never saw handrails and I think you were low enough to have seen them. Also there was a good 6feet from the hatch be to edge. If it did land it works have been found as it looks like the deck was being painted so it may have deck red feet!
You should have gone for No 4?hatch as it was well marked for helicopter landings!

Any advice on contacting the crew? It appears to be owned by this company out of Greece. I sent them an email. I was thinking of calling the grain loading facility where they are set to take on a load in the next few days. It's right down the street from where I live. I'm not sure if they would be helpful in contacting the ships crew.

 

[FlynRyanD]

Any advice on contacting the crew? It appears to be owned by this company out of Greece. I sent them an email. I was thinking of calling the grain loading facility where they are set to take on a load in the next few days. It's right down the street from where I live. I'm not sure if they would be helpful in contacting the ships crew.

If you're still hitting dead ends, this is going to sound crazy but will likely work if you have the resources. Get your hands on a VHF radio and call the vessel directly. They will always have somebody monitoring the radio that speaks English. Simply explain what happened, and ask for a deckhand to take a walk out to the port bow and take a look. There has likely been at least one watch relief, so as a part of that process, someone should be walking the deck of the ship looking for anything out of the ordinary and may have already come across your drone assuming you made it onto the deck.

Comparing an aerial photo that I found and your "last frame" shot, if you did make it, it wasn't by much. Compare the green line in the bottom right corner of your photo to the green line in this photo below. This line presumably runs the perimeter of the ship. You can see how close to the rail you probably were. (BTW, FOUR COAL, was the vessels old name. Now its PANTELIS).

I'm the Coat Guard and inspect these vessel's and facilities that service them regularly, so whatever you do, don't just show up. Security is typically very high around these ships. If they do have your drone, somebody will have to walk it out to you. Keep us updated, good luck!

 

[BD0G]

The VHF Radio idea is a brilliant one!

If you had one during the flight you could have radioed the ships tower to tell them you were on final approach and ask for a clear to land. LOL !

Ive got $5 on the ploop though.[

 

[Racin8de]

So I was flying out over Commencement Bay this morning with my modified Mavic. I had two external batteries mounted among other modifications. I had recently replaced the ESC board and was noticing that the batteries seemed to be draining slightly faster over the last day or two. I suspect this was due to some sloppy soldering on my part when replacing the board.

In previous flights I had gone 40k feet out and back with 20% battery remaining. On this flight I hit 55% battery at 35k feet (there was no wind at all on this flight) where I turned around. I knew I would be cutting it close with a 10% battery margin for the return trip but I came up about 5k feet short.

I hit forced landing at 10% as I was approaching an anchored cargo vessel. I reluctantly attempted to land on the ship but I don't think I made it. What do you guys think? Does it look like the it landed on the ship or is in Davey Jones' Locker? I sent the shipping company an email to see if they could contact the crew to check for me but I am not hopeful. The ship will be in the area most of the week in case it is on the deck.

I would not wait for them to contact you, go out to it and politely ask if you can check. Tell them the Mavic took off on you

So I was flying out over Commencement Bay this morning with my modified Mavic. I had two external batteries mounted among other modifications. I had recently replaced the ESC board and was noticing that the batteries seemed to be draining slightly faster over the last day or two. I suspect this was due to some sloppy soldering on my part when replacing the board.

In previous flights I had gone 40k feet out and back with 20% battery remaining. On this flight I hit 55% battery at 35k feet (there was no wind at all on this flight) where I turned around. I knew I would be cutting it close with a 10% battery margin for the return trip but I came up about 5k feet short.

I hit forced landing at 10% as I was approaching an anchored cargo vessel. I reluctantly attempted to land on the ship but I don't think I made it. What do you guys think? Does it look like the it landed on the ship or is in Davey Jones' Locker? I sent the shipping company an email to see if they could contact the crew to check for me but I am not hopeful. The ship will be in the area most of the week in case it is on the deck.

Did you have feet on it that make the Mavic sit higher? In any regard, I would find someone with a boat and head out to the tanker and check, where it landed it looks like there's a foot tall safety fencing, it could have gotten snagged on the feet if you had them..But I would check regardless LIKE YESTERDAY .....SERIOUSLY!! Get out there now and make sure or you'll never be able to sleep until you get another one...Good Luck

 

[ADurrant]

Really not sure how I came across your thread, consconsidering I hardly get on the forums, but i think I can help you. I'm a longshoreman at the port there, and we load the grain ships. When that ship hits the dock to be loaded, i can walk on and ask the mates if they have your drone. Now they can say they don't obviously, or they can be nice enough to give it back (maybe even with a little bribery). Let me know if you would like any assistance, and I'll try and help you out.

 

[Guest 45469]

Really not sure how I came across your thread, consconsidering I hardly get on the forums, but i think I can help you. I'm a longshoreman at the port there, and we load the grain ships. When that ship hits the dock to be loaded, i can walk on and ask the mates if they have your drone. Now they can say they don't obviously, or they can be nice enough to give it back (maybe even with a little bribery). Let me know if you would like any assistance, and I'll try and help you out.

That would be awesome! I live right down the street from Temco on Dock Street. I talked to the security guard at the gate and he said that ship will be docking to load sometime early this week. I just went down to the park to see if the ship had moved and someone from this forum was there with their Mavic flying out to the ship to have a look! He did not see my Mavic on the deck. There is a bucket on the deck that you can see in the video I posted. That bucket is not on the deck anymore so I'm assuming a crew member found my Mavic if it was on the deck. I'm not super hopeful that my Mavic landed on the ship but if a crewman has it and a little bribery will help me get it back I'm down!

 

[Guest 45469]

Crazy stunt but Ill fly by Pantelis tomorrow to check for you if weather holds. Want to shoot the other ship with the three big cranes anyway.

I went down to the park to have a look and see if the ship had moved and ran into Chip flying out with his Mavic to have a look! Thanks man! Good meeting you.

The Mavic does not look to be on the deck. There is a bucket on the deck that you can see in the video I posted. That bucket is not there anymore so if my Mavic was on the deck, I'm guessing a crew member found it.

 

[Chip]

Great to meet you zaces! Yeah, I think that can or bucket visible in your video was moved since yesterday so still some hope that crew found drone. ADurrant may just save the day. Good luck with everything. Next time bring those googles!