Mavic Mini Randomly Flies Away

[Divine]

Hey Everybody,

So I was flying my Mavic mini at a lake in a safe to fly zone. Suddenly it turned its self and flew away very fast crashing into the ground. Luckily the drone is fine. DJI didn't give me a proper answer to why it happened. Everything was fine when I was flying and no warnings popped up. Answers would be much appreciated. After this incident I have stopped flying over water as I am concerned it will do the same again.

 

[MA2 317]

Follow the instructions from this site and copy / paste the link to share the flight log if you'd like.

The log may provide information to help figure out the answers.

DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help

Upload and view flight logs from your DJI drones

www.phantomhelp.com

Good luck.

.

 

[360 Guy]

I had a drone once that was possessed.
I took off, hovered for a sec and it flew to the right at high speed, then changed direction to the left at hi speed.
there was no controlling it and the speed was off the charts.
It finally crashed into the ground 100 feet from takeoff point.
Sent it back to the company (not DJI) said.............return $$$ and keep it.

After that, your nervous about flying it again and if you do, you go thru a program (in your mind) of how to combat a fly-a-way, like 100 times.

Good luck captain, I've been there.

 

[Meta4]

DJI didn't give me a proper answer to why it happened.

DJI isn't very good at communicating.
But if you post the recorded flight data someone here might be able to help.
Go to DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
That will give you a detailed report on the flight data.
Come back and post a link to the report it provides and someone might be able to analyse it and give you an understanding of the cause of the incident.

For the incident you described, it would be helpful to describe the surface you launched from too.

 

[Divine]

DJI isn't very good at communicating.
But if you post the recorded flight data someone here might be able to help.
Go to DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
That will give you a detailed report on the flight data.
Come back and post a link to the report it provides and someone might be able to analyse it and give you an understanding of the cause of the incident.

For the incident you described, it would be helpful to describe the surface you launched from too.

I always hand launch

 

[umanbean]

I always hand launch

So that would seem to rule out a 'bad' compass initialization? Unless you were wearing a metal watch w/ metal band when you powered up.

If you really want to know the "why's and wherefore's", just go ahead and post the logs. That would end all the speculation and wondering. Until all the facts are available, no one knows for sure - it's all conjecture.

 

[slup]

I always hand launch

So that would seem to rule out a 'bad' compass initialization?...

A hand launch by it self isn't a guarantee that you will avoid a yaw error unfortunately ... this as a wrong IMU initialization isn't happening during launch, it happens shortly after power on.

So if powering on the craft & then shortly putting it away... on reinforced concrete or a car roof for instance (into a magnetic disturbed area) & later pick it up for a hand launch ... will give you a big surprise later in the flight.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

..
Sounds like a typical yaw error fly off.

But, as some famous drone pilot said once . . .

If you really want to know the "why's and wherefore's", just go ahead and post the logs. That would end all the speculation and wondering. Until all the facts are available, no one knows for sure - it's all conjecture.

If it turns out to be the classic yaw error, there are checks before take off to ensure it won't occur again.

 

[umanbean]

A hand launch by it self isn't a guarantee that you will avoid a yaw error unfortunately ... this as a wrong IMU initialization isn't happening during launch, it happens shortly after power on.

Thanks. I guess I was thinking back to the few times I hand launched. I powered ON the drone while holding it, expressly to prevent a yaw error by setting it on unfamiliar ground or metal surface. I still hand catch frequently, but quit hand launching because my arm got tired of holding the drone out, waiting for sufficient sat lock. ?

I bought a plastic 5 gallon bucket w/ lid from Home Depot (less than $5 usd), replaced the metal bail (handle) with a rope, and launch from that. Powering up on top of that prevents any possible yaw error, supports the drone if the ground is messy, and it also can hold my flourescent green safety vest and DIY cardboard hood... carry it with me everywhere I go flying. Being orange helps with both Precision Landing and bringing it back manually, camera down. I stop ~6' AGL and hand catch.

 

[slup]

Thanks. I guess I was thinking back to the few times I hand launched. I powered ON the drone while holding it, expressly to prevent a yaw error by setting it on unfamiliar ground or metal surface. I still hand catch frequently, but quit hand launching because my arm got tired of holding the drone out, waiting for sufficient sat lock...

I use a 3 step method ...

1) Always turn my MA1 on in my hand, then immediately stretch my arm with the drone straight out in front of me ... & wait until the live view comes up in the app, I then know that the IMU have been initialized.

2) After that I place the MA1 where ever I want without any fear of creating a yaw error, & wait for it to acquire satellites & record a HP.

3) Then before take off make a last check so the drone symbol on the app map is pointing in the same direction relative map objects as it does in reality ... after that all is good to go.

 

[Divine]

So that would seem to rule out a 'bad' compass initialization? Unless you were wearing a metal watch w/ metal band when you powered up.

If you really want to know the "why's and wherefore's", just go ahead and post the logs. That would end all the speculation and wondering. Until all the facts are available, no one knows for sure - it's all conjecture.

Is it ok to wear my Apple Watch when I take off?

 

[Divine]

..
Sounds like a typical yaw error fly off.

But, as some famous drone pilot said once . . .



If it turns out to be the classic yaw error, there are checks before take off to ensure it won't occur again.

What Is a yaw error and how do I avoid one?

 

[Divine]

Follow the instructions from this site and copy / paste the link to share the flight log if you'd like.

The log may provide information to help figure out the answers.

DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help

Upload and view flight logs from your DJI drones

www.phantomhelp.com

Good luck.

.

I am concerned about my privacy. If I post the flight logs, won't they be able to see my precise location?

 

[umanbean]

What Is a yaw error and how do I avoid one?

A yaw error happens after the compass is initialized incorrectly, then someone takes off anyway... which happens when the drone is powered up too close to something ferrous metal or something magnetized. Could be rebar in concrete, something metallic underground, or a car/truck hood or trunk or similar.

To be sure the compass is OK before take off, look at the 'radar icon' on the screen, it should be pointing the same compass direction as the nose of the drone.

 

[Divine]

A yaw error happens after the compass is initialized incorrectly then someone takes off anyway... which happens when the drone is powered up too close to something metal or something magnetized. Could be rebar in concrete, something metallic underground, or a car/truck hood or trunk.

To be sure the compass is OK before take off, look at the 'radar icon' on the screen, it should be pointing the same direction as the drone.

So is it ok for me to wear my Apple Watch when taking off, as I usually do this

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

What Is a yaw error and how do I avoid one?

Have a check through here, a search result for > yaw error < in the Crash & Flyaway section.

Search results for query: yaw error

mavicpilots.com

Sift through them a bit, there are many loss threads as you will note to check through.

There have been MANY such incidents over the years recorded here, and avoiding it is as easy as checking the drone alignment on the map matches closely with the ground.
Yaw error often occurs with a 180 degree error, but can be less creating an arc motion and probable loss.
They are almost impossible to correct by a pilot, and usually lost before the aircraft can work things out (at least I think it can eventually ?), before it either loses signal or crashes.

This post below is probably has the best technical explanation ( as sar104 did it ).

A short explanation of compass function, calibration and errors.

BACKGROUND The aircraft compass is often misunderstood, both in terms of function and purpose, but it is important to understand what the compass measures, why, and what happens to that information. At the most basic level the purpose of the compass is to measure the earth’s magnetic field in...

mavicpilots.com

The section just below the 2nd diagram deals with this.

 

[MA2 317]

I am concerned about my privacy. If I post the flight logs, won't they be able to see my precise location?

Yes. The PhantomHelp viewer will do that.

You might sign up for a free account at AIRDATA and retrieve your log with them.

I think there are options to restrict the location but still shows a map for reference.

Drone Data Management and Flight Analysis | Airdata UAV

Need an easier way to manage and analyze drone flights? Get notified of potential problems, keep up with drone maintenance, and create customized reports with Airdata UAV. Sign up today!

airdata.com

.

 

[Meta4]

I am concerned about my privacy. If I post the flight logs, won't they be able to see my precise location?

Who cares where you flew?
The few people who analyse flight data see where you flew.
They don't care where it was.
But they need to see exactly what the drone did.
If you want help, you need to provide your flight data.

 

[scro]

So is it ok for me to wear my Apple Watch when taking off, as I usually do this

Does your apple watch have a magnetic clasp on its strap? If so then it's probably not good practice to wear it or use that hand for holding the drone during initialization.

I typically power on my drone and set it down somewhere clear of dust and magnetic interference (often on the lid of my case) to let it get a good GPS fix. After that I pick it up and hand launch.

 

[slup]

What Is a yaw error and how do I avoid one?

To put it very simple ... it's a situation when your craft have been tricked to believe (due to magnetic interference during power on) that it's pointing in a direction it doesn't in reality. The consequence will later be that the craft will apply thrust with the wrong motors to counter a outside force (wind for instance) affecting the craft in order to hold position. This creates an forever growing positional error which always are countered by the wrong motors ... leading to that the craft flies away in an uncontrollable way.

You avoid this by keeping the craft away from magnetic disturbance during power on ... doing what I describe in post #10 will firstly minimize the risk for having the craft near something magnetic during power on, and make you check the result after the IMUYaw initialization in the app map before getting airborne.

Is it ok to wear my Apple Watch when I take off?

If we are strictly speaking of "taking off" ... and not powering on the craft, so yes, your Apple watch can not affect your craft anymore as the craft already have got correct info about the direction it points.

At most your watch magnetic field can affect the Hall sensors in the closest RC stick ... inducing "ghost" stick inputs. But this phenomenon is quite rare.

I am concerned about my privacy. If I post the flight logs, won't they be able to see my precise location?

Yeah ... but as said, nobody cares & the flight path & topography where you flew can be crucial info in order to understand what happened.

-If your craft didn't return after a RTH command ... could it have flown into a higher object than the set RTH height.
-Your craft blew away ... can we help you find it.
-Your craft suddenly auto landed ... was it in a NFZ.

It's up to you what you share, but without sharing all facts all you will get is worthless speculation