Mavic3 advanced return home flew into tree and destroyed itself. $4000 gone!!!!

[MAvic_South_Oz]

unfortunately it thought it could make its way home unaided autonomously. This tree was not twigs but a bushy fir tree.

.
A-RTH is going to be painful for many pilots, I'm sure.

If you go here and follow the instructions, the flight log link isn't hard to obtain.

DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help

It's the ONLY way analysis can be done to support any claim you might have with DJI, having the knowledge prior to sending off your drone of flight log to DJI will be good to have.
Sometimes DJI won't even tell you what casued such an incident, either say pilot error (not setting RTH correctly or such) or they just replace under warranty / Care Refresh (if you took it up and use it).

Good luck, you certainly should be doing all you can to avoid losing that $4k !!!

vvvvvvvv

DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help

Upload and view flight logs from your DJI drones

www.phantomhelp.com

edit typos

 

[rickcroad]

The link Sar104 provided in post #24 to obtain the flight logs will be a tremendous asset to you in get this issue resolved. Do not just rely on DJI. There are some folks here that are expert at deciphering the flight logs and in most cases tell you exact why the drone crashed. Getting the flight logs is not difficult. Just take your time and follow the instructions.

Thanks for your interest , I’ll work on it , I’d sure like to know what happened. As far as I’m concerned what happened is my M3 totally autonomously in Advanced RTH flew right into a very visible tree with no help!
While my memory is not that good my more I know I pushed the RTH button and stood by watching but no time to abort , till I heard and saw the crash and the aircraft madly thrashing about falling through the branches and hard to the ground, never seen pictures of such a wreck, I wouldn’t expect to survive unharmed in this sort of collision and fall but I guess the spindly legs and protruding camera and other not so robust construction led to virtual total destruction.(can’t imagine it’s worth even trying to fix)
I have thousands of flights and RTH’s with my other 6 Dji drones with only a few broken props. Also more than 50 years of fixed wing RC.
Cheers

 

[sar104]

Thanks for your interest , I’ll work on it , I’d sure like to know what happened. As far as I’m concerned what happened is my M3 totally autonomously in Advanced RTH flew right into a very visible tree with no help!
While my memory is not that good my more I know I pushed the RTH button and stood by watching but no time to abort , till I heard and saw the crash and the aircraft madly thrashing about falling through the branches and hard to the ground, never seen pictures of such a wreck, I wouldn’t expect to survive unharmed in this sort of collision and fall but I guess the spindly legs and protruding camera and other not so robust construction led to virtual total destruction.(can’t imagine it’s worth even trying to fix)
I have thousands of flights and RTH’s with my other 6 Dji drones with only a few broken props. Also more than 50 years of fixed wing RC.
Cheers

I think the point of many of the comments here is that if the log clearly shows that the collision was a result of the new M3 approach to executing RTH then you have a good case for a replacement under warranty. DJI may figure that out themselves, but an independent review of the logs will provide you with grounds to argue if they don't.

 

[wco81]

So if you can set the minimum RTH altitude, as you can with the M2P, it seems you wouldn't have this problem.

Being unable to to turn off "Advanced" RTH is a loss of control.

The pilot is going to be able to survey the launch/land point, see around few dozen feet radius what possible obstacles the drone has to navigate. But he or she can't do that for several hundred feet radius./

So being only reliant on Advanced RTH is dumb.

Minimum altitude at 50 feet or above would avoid most problems with trees, power lines, etc.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

all but I guess the spindly legs and prot

BUT by the looks of it the detached front leg did not fail, it was the pivot the failed. That gives me cause for concern.
I can not make out if the rear legs are damaged, the right rear arm looks askew but the reason isn't clear.

 

[BSauce955]

BUT by the looks of it the detached front leg did not fail, it was the pivot the failed. That gives me cause for concern.
I can not make out if the rear legs are damaged, the right rear arm looks askew but the reason isn't clear.

It seems the right rear arm looks that way because it's not fully folded out.

 

[Chrislaf]

@rickcroad you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by posting your flight logs. As well by doing so you may help others who may be considering the purchase of the M3.

Chris

 

[Hallmark007]

Just testing as I had successfully before, just push the button to go home.the same home point used for many many returns to home with my other Dji aircraft. If it was loss of signal or poor lightning all would have been well as it would have returned just as I set it up with plenty of clearance (100’ +/-) just how all my other DGI drones return to home safely, unfortunately it thought it could make its way home unaided autonomously. This tree was not twigs but a bushy fir tree.

I think it will be only understood with logs, I thought twigs or wires may be a problem but from what I see they are not a problem. That’s why I believe this has nothing to do with advanced RTH. I haven’t seen a case of this drone not recognizing an object as big as a tree , Ive seen people trying to Rth frame heavy forests and get there but drone flys very slowly and deliberately to get there. If it is indeed a failure of RTH then its a clear warranty case.

 

[Hallmark007]

So if you can set the minimum RTH altitude, as you can with the M2P, it seems you wouldn't have this problem.

Being unable to to turn off "Advanced" RTH is a loss of control.

The pilot is going to be able to survey the launch/land point, see around few dozen feet radius what possible obstacles the drone has to navigate. But he or she can't do that for several hundred feet radius./

So being only reliant on Advanced RTH is dumb.

Minimum altitude at 50 feet or above would avoid most problems with trees, power lines, etc.

Well if warranty covers it then maybe its not that stupid, and if there are many crashes covered then the stupid is on dji. There are no hard rules for not operating RTH its the tech that changes it to advanced, I mean what grounds have dji to stand on if advance is initiated and fails.

 

[Meta4]

I’m just confirming your right Binding is Binding and links your account and completely different than linking which links Drone To Remote.

Long before DJI came along, binding was the term used by radio control flyers for what DJI call linking.
DJI more recently use the term binding for something completely different.
Binding is still the generic term commonly used outside of DJI.
Google "bind and fly" to see.

 

[Meta4]

Thanks for your interest , I’ll work on it

It only takes two minutes to get the flight data.
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 of the flight.
Come back and post a link to the report it gives you.
Or .. just post the txt file here.

 

[Lasidora]

If the ARTH can be attributed to the crash then a refresh claim or any claim towards DJI has some standing BEFORE the Jan firmware update, which will add more pressure to DJI to enable a manual selection of this risky RTH for future uses.

 

[Suren]

I stand to be corrected but even if the APAS is turned off like the OP mentioned, in advanced RTH it should still be working otherwise it is not so advanced. I just did a quick flight and turned APAS off and did the RTH, OA was picking up obstacles normally so the OP could have a drone with faulty sensors which could be a warranty claim.

 

[canadian drone videos]

I had a few good RTH’s with my new M3 and some that ended in a hover amongst trees (bypass selected) and needed my input to bring safely home.
I was using the same home point in my yard as I use with my other DJI aircraft (mini, mini2, Air2, Air2s, M2pro and M2 zoom) with no problems with thousands of flights and many RTH’s . I have a lot of experience (none with totally autonomous RTH) and nothing but a few scratches and broken props with all my drones, until this one!!!
My landing site is surrounded by 100’ very visible fir trees ( no twigs) with not much room between (earlier RTH’s had gone between not over).
This was my first RTH that began at a lower altitude than needed to go over the trees. It flew hard into near the top of one of them and began its destructive decent through branches and hard into the ground.
My only input was after the crash putting both sticks down and in to try to stop the thrashing in the tree.
The M3 returns autonomously pretty fast and it’s hard to judge if it’s going to hit something , earlier RTH flights looked scary but I let it go and trusted DJI software and a few times it landed with precision on the mark after dodging around trees.
The old RTH definitely should have been included with this drone, too late for me.
No question in my mind that the new Advanced RTH is disaterously flawed and should not be used. I know it hit the tree autonomously.
Earlier after a few successful flights I turned off the APAS for some close in flying around my yard . The fateful flight was next and I’m not sure of the APAS setting other than bypass, as the wreckage was still communicating and I checked the setting.
It would be an extremely poor bit of programming , if APAS is off, it does not automatically turn on for Advanced autonomous RTH.
The M3 sure seems brittle compared to my other aircraft, not that I have flown them straight into a tree.
The M3 is powerful, fast, great camera great battery endurance but seriously flawed, mine is junk!!! Would love to have one that works as advertised!!!

So you use RTH on a regular basis? That’s like buying a Tesla and going to sleep while the car drives itself. If I had a dime for every story I seen of someone loosing a drone letting it RTH on its own I’d have enough money to buy a M3 battery charging hub.

I just sold my I2, buyer wanted me to demonstrate the RTH, I said not a chance, that function is for emergency use only. At no time have I ever deliberately let any drone RTH on its own. In a perfect world it wouldn’t even be possible to initiate RTH, it should only ever kick in when there is signal loss or some other technical issue. And we’re I DJI I wouldn’t cover any drone that crashed because the pilot deliberately used RTH on a drone that was operating fine. That’s just my opinion.

 

[Suren]

A small screen record of the test flight using RTH with OA turned off on its return. seems to work fine.

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[Suren]

So you use RTH on a regular basis? That’s like buying a Tesla and going to sleep while the car drives itself. If I had a dime for every story I seen of someone loosing a drone letting it RTH on its own I’d have enough money to buy a M3 battery charging hub.

I just sold my I2, buyer wanted me to demonstrate the RTH, I said not a chance, that function is for emergency use only. At no time have I ever deliberately let any drone RTH on its own. In a perfect world it wouldn’t even be possible to initiate RTH, it should only ever kick in when there is signal loss or some other technical issue. And we’re I DJI I wouldn’t cover any drone that crashed because the pilot deliberately used RTH on a drone that was operating fine. That’s just my opinion.

I also tend to fly back manually unless it loses connection then the RTH will kick in but as soon as I get signal back, I take over the flight but in saying that, there is a feature in the drone which claims to be advanced RTH and it should be used and tested numerous times. If I fly BVLOS, I might want to intiate RTH and would want the comfort knowing that it is advanced enough to bring my $4500 drone back safely. If a feature is in the drone it is meant to be used and I very highly doubt Dji will deny a claim because the OP decided to use a feature that they installed onto the drone. It is meant to be used.

 

[canadian drone videos]

I also tend to fly back manually unless it loses connection then the RTH will kick in but as soon as I get signal back, I take over the flight but in saying that, there is a feature in the drone which claims to be advanced RTH and it should be used and tested numerous times. If I fly BVLOS, I might want to intiate RTH and would want the comfort knowing that it is advanced enough to bring my $4500 drone back safely. If a feature is in the drone it is meant to be used and I very highly doubt Dji will deny a claim because the OP decided to use a feature that they installed onto the drone. It is meant to be used.

Good points but DJI gives RTH manually as a selling feature. Any they market it as fully functional and safe, but it clearly isn’t.

Why would you need RTH even when flying beyond line of sight? You could take me blind folded to a location fly my drone as far away as you can get it while I’m still blind folded, then take my blind fold off hand me the remote and id know where the drone is within one second, and I’d have it spun flying back to the home point within 2 seconds. A lot of people get lost with drones and can’t find their way back, it takes about 60 seconds to teach this to anyone.

 

[canadian drone videos]

Good points but DJI gives RTH manually as a selling feature. Any they market it as fully functional and safe, but it clearly isn’t.

Why would you need RTH even when flying beyond line of sight? You could take me blind folded to a location fly my drone as far away as you can get it while I’m still blind folded, then take my blind fold off hand me the remote and id know where the drone is within one second, and I’d have it spun flying back to the home point within 2 seconds. A lot of people get lost with drones and can’t find their way back, it takes about 60 seconds to teach this to anyone.

Most people who fly these drones don’t even know how to read the attitude of the drone in a cross wind, it’s all right there right on the screen.

 

[Suren]

Good points but DJI gives RTH manually as a selling feature. Any they market it as fully functional and safe, but it clearly isn’t.

Why would you need RTH even when flying beyond line of sight? You could take me blind folded to a location fly my drone as far away as you can get it while I’m still blind folded, then take my blind fold off hand me the remote and id know where the drone is within one second, and I’d have it spun flying back to the home point within 2 seconds. A lot of people get lost with drones and can’t find their way back, it takes about 60 seconds to teach this to anyone.

I hear you and understand but my point is that there is a feature on the drone which sells Advanced RTH and there is no specific notes that state that it should only be used in an emergency so if a pilot decides to use the function and it fails to detect objects when the claim is that it can and will then Dji might be held liable for this. I personally like to make use of every feature that I pay for that is why people paid premium for this drone.

 

[shb]

View attachment 139681

Guess DJI just bought you a new drone. Why didn't you describe what happened. Myself, when I'm returning to home, I don't want to lose altitude until I get home. I think it was stupid for DJI to make this the mandatory rth. I liked the old one better.