Mini 2 crash/lost, questions about DJI Care Refresh

[Aerophile]

Crashed (and lost) my Mini2 recently while flying it overseas. I'm guessing the cause will be determined to be Stupid Pilot Error. I do have DJI Care Refresh, with Flyaway coverage (though I'm not sure if Fly-Into-A-Mountain coverage qualifies...). So I have some questions before proceeding.

I'm from the USA. I was vacationing in Thailand -- in the south of the country, a region with amazing scenery, beautiful limestone islands that steeply rise up straight out of the sea (example below). I figured it would be a great place to get some spectacular video of the landscapes. And it was. Until I crashed the drone into the side of one of those rocky islands. I had launched the Mini from a small boat (the boat was stationary, moored in a bay, should not be an issue). I flew it up and around a little island or two, getting what looked like nice footage. I brought the drone back after about 20 minutes to swap in a fresh battery. Everyone was impressed as I landed it perfectly on a tiny flat spot on the boat (the only flat, level spot on the boat, just slightly larger than the Mini itself). Filled with confidence, I swapped in a fresh battery, and sent it up again, this time to do a wide circle around the little island. It was up fairly high (around 125 meters IIRC), with (I think) solid GPS reception and a good connection to the RC, very light winds, a full battery, clear skies, everything seemed good. Trying to frame my little island, I backed it up, a little further back, a little further back... then I saw something black for an instant, the drone tumbled, and lost signal. At first I thought it must have been hit by a bird, and fallen into the sea. But I dug out the video clip of the last few seconds of the flight and it looks like...holy cow, it hit a tree branch as I was backing up. So as I was trying to view one island, it hit a tree very high up on another island while backing up. D'oh!!! The terrain on these islands is extremely vertical, rocky, with scrubby jungle trees in places. There's no going back, no climbing up to look for the thing. It's way up, on decidedly inaccessible terrain.



I have not (yet) pulled the log files and reviewed things, but it seems pretty clear that I just flew the thing (backwards and sideways) into a remote, rocky peak. Oops.

OK, so now my questions about the process for using DJI Care Refresh...

I assume I contact DJI and they will tell me what to do. Before doing so, I'd like to get an idea of what to expect.

My lost drone is a Mini 2, which I've had for about 9 months. I do have coverage which should be valid for "flyaway" -- though that term is not completely clear to me. Am I covered if I stupidly fly it inadvertently into a rocky, inaccessible hillside where it is lost?

Assuming that stupidity is covered, what are my options (besides another air ticket back to Thailand)? How much do I get back? What is my "deductible"? Is that benefit only applicable if I want to apply it towards payment for a replacement of the same drone?

The Mini 3 is about to be released (it seems). Could I have the DJI Care Refresh benefit applied to the purchase of a different model (the Mini 3 Pro), or only an exact replacement (Mini 2)?

Are there any "gotchas" I need to know about before I approach DJI?

Thanks for any guidance.

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Unfortunately I doubt you have coverage, you are likely caught between the two types of cover.
You do not have the drone to return to DJI, a requirement for "care refreash". And the drone did not FLY AWAY, it was crashed, sorry.
I would happily be corrected on this but do think I am correct.

If I am correct DJI might, if approached nicely, offer a discount on a replacement mini 2 but I would be surprised if they offer anything against an alternative model.

 

[Meta4]

Unfortunately I doubt you have coverage, you are likely caught between the two types of cover.
You do not have the drone to return to DJI, a requirement for "care refreash". And the drone did not FLY AWAY, it was crashed, sorry.
I would happily be corrected on this but do think I am correct.

"Flyaway Cover" is confusingly named since "flyways" are extremely rare (if they happen at all).

The wording from DJI to explain Care Refresh says that it covers more than a mystery "flyaway" and the drone wreck does not have to be returned.

Flyaway Coverage ​

The Flyaway Coverage is now included with the DJI Care Refresh services for the DJI Mini 2 and the Mavic Air 2. This also includes all those who have already purchased. If a flyaway were to occur, so the drone is lost, you'll simply just pay the corresponding service fee to obtain a replacement product (which are brand new or equivalent to brand new in performance of reliability. ​

​

Along with the Flyaway Coverage, most of the main accident scenarios that can occur during the flight are now covered by DJI Care Refresh, allowing you to enjoy your DJI product with greater peace of mind every time you fly. ​

​

What Does DJI Care Refresh Include? ​

DJI Care Refresh covers multiple scenarios, including drones lost during flight, water damage, collisions and drops. You also get additional services from DJI such as express option, free shipping, priority service and support. ​

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

From DJI Care Refresh - DJI

 

[Meta4]

From DJI Care Refresh - DJI

That does not contradict what I posted above.

 

[cue]

Crashed (and lost) my Mini2 recently while flying it overseas. I'm guessing the cause will be determined to be Stupid Pilot Error. I do have DJI Care Refresh, with Flyaway coverage (though I'm not sure if Fly-Into-A-Mountain coverage qualifies...). So I have some questions before proceeding.

I'm from the USA. I was vacationing in Thailand -- in the south of the country, a region with amazing scenery, beautiful limestone islands that steeply rise up straight out of the sea (example below). I figured it would be a great place to get some spectacular video of the landscapes. And it was. Until I crashed the drone into the side of one of those rocky islands. I had launched the Mini from a small boat (the boat was stationary, moored in a bay, should not be an issue). I flew it up and around a little island or two, getting what looked like nice footage. I brought the drone back after about 20 minutes to swap in a fresh battery. Everyone was impressed as I landed it perfectly on a tiny flat spot on the boat (the only flat, level spot on the boat, just slightly larger than the Mini itself). Filled with confidence, I swapped in a fresh battery, and sent it up again, this time to do a wide circle around the little island. It was up fairly high (around 125 meters IIRC), with (I think) solid GPS reception and a good connection to the RC, very light winds, a full battery, clear skies, everything seemed good. Trying to frame my little island, I backed it up, a little further back, a little further back... then I saw something black for an instant, the drone tumbled, and lost signal. At first I thought it must have been hit by a bird, and fallen into the sea. But I dug out the video clip of the last few seconds of the flight and it looks like...holy cow, it hit a tree branch as I was backing up. So as I was trying to view one island, it hit a tree very high up on another island while backing up. D'oh!!! The terrain on these islands is extremely vertical, rocky, with scrubby jungle trees in places. There's no going back, no climbing up to look for the thing. It's way up, on decidedly inaccessible terrain.

View attachment 147564

I have not (yet) pulled the log files and reviewed things, but it seems pretty clear that I just flew the thing (backwards and sideways) into a remote, rocky peak. Oops.

OK, so now my questions about the process for using DJI Care Refresh...

I assume I contact DJI and they will tell me what to do. Before doing so, I'd like to get an idea of what to expect.

My lost drone is a Mini 2, which I've had for about 9 months. I do have coverage which should be valid for "flyaway" -- though that term is not completely clear to me. Am I covered if I stupidly fly it inadvertently into a rocky, inaccessible hillside where it is lost?

Assuming that stupidity is covered, what are my options (besides another air ticket back to Thailand)? How much do I get back? What is my "deductible"? Is that benefit only applicable if I want to apply it towards payment for a replacement of the same drone?

The Mini 3 is about to be released (it seems). Could I have the DJI Care Refresh benefit applied to the purchase of a different model (the Mini 3 Pro), or only an exact replacement (Mini 2)?

Are there any "gotchas" I need to know about before I approach DJI?

Thanks for any guidance.

Contact them. They'll probably replace it for $49 US.

 

[Chaosrider]

Crashed (and lost) my Mini2 recently while flying it overseas. I'm guessing the cause will be determined to be Stupid Pilot Error. I do have DJI Care Refresh, with Flyaway coverage (though I'm not sure if Fly-Into-A-Mountain coverage qualifies...). So I have some questions before proceeding.

I'm from the USA. I was vacationing in Thailand -- in the south of the country, a region with amazing scenery, beautiful limestone islands that steeply rise up straight out of the sea (example below). I figured it would be a great place to get some spectacular video of the landscapes. And it was. Until I crashed the drone into the side of one of those rocky islands. I had launched the Mini from a small boat (the boat was stationary, moored in a bay, should not be an issue). I flew it up and around a little island or two, getting what looked like nice footage. I brought the drone back after about 20 minutes to swap in a fresh battery. Everyone was impressed as I landed it perfectly on a tiny flat spot on the boat (the only flat, level spot on the boat, just slightly larger than the Mini itself). Filled with confidence, I swapped in a fresh battery, and sent it up again, this time to do a wide circle around the little island. It was up fairly high (around 125 meters IIRC), with (I think) solid GPS reception and a good connection to the RC, very light winds, a full battery, clear skies, everything seemed good. Trying to frame my little island, I backed it up, a little further back, a little further back... then I saw something black for an instant, the drone tumbled, and lost signal. At first I thought it must have been hit by a bird, and fallen into the sea. But I dug out the video clip of the last few seconds of the flight and it looks like...holy cow, it hit a tree branch as I was backing up. So as I was trying to view one island, it hit a tree very high up on another island while backing up. D'oh!!! The terrain on these islands is extremely vertical, rocky, with scrubby jungle trees in places. There's no going back, no climbing up to look for the thing. It's way up, on decidedly inaccessible terrain.

View attachment 147564

I have not (yet) pulled the log files and reviewed things, but it seems pretty clear that I just flew the thing (backwards and sideways) into a remote, rocky peak. Oops.

OK, so now my questions about the process for using DJI Care Refresh...

I assume I contact DJI and they will tell me what to do. Before doing so, I'd like to get an idea of what to expect.

My lost drone is a Mini 2, which I've had for about 9 months. I do have coverage which should be valid for "flyaway" -- though that term is not completely clear to me. Am I covered if I stupidly fly it inadvertently into a rocky, inaccessible hillside where it is lost?

Assuming that stupidity is covered, what are my options (besides another air ticket back to Thailand)? How much do I get back? What is my "deductible"? Is that benefit only applicable if I want to apply it towards payment for a replacement of the same drone?

The Mini 3 is about to be released (it seems). Could I have the DJI Care Refresh benefit applied to the purchase of a different model (the Mini 3 Pro), or only an exact replacement (Mini 2)?

Are there any "gotchas" I need to know about before I approach DJI?

Thanks for any guidance.

I'd just contact DJI Support and open a ticket. I never had to use the Fly Away, but I used the Care Refresh a couple of times, and it was quick and painless.

Well, painless anyway. It was weeks from when I sent it in, to when I got it back. But the process was simple and easy.

I don't think you could apply the Fly Away benefit as a credit on a Mini-3, but I'll be interested to hear how that works out.

Do you have the phone video of the crash? Might be entertaining...

 

[Aerophile]

Do you have the phone video of the crash? Might be entertaining...

Lesson Learned: Watch Out For The Trees On That Mountain Behind You.

Here's the final frame from the cached video of the last flight...


The island I crashed into is Ko Ka Mia, which is steep, rocky and uninhabited, but has a lot of wild monkeys living on it (they must be enjoying playing with my drone right about now...).

I just synced my phone/flight data, and submitted a "Fly-Away" case with DJI. Will see what happens.

 

[Deleted member 154956]

You won’t be able to “trade up” to the Mini 3 as it has not been released yet. My Mini 2 just got back from DJI after a IMU/FC failure and it was covered 100% due to hardware failure under the 12 month factory warranty period. They took about a month and a half for the complete turn-around. I had no refresh coverage at all on it and the brand new Mini 2 DJI has sent me hasn’t been activated yet, but I will be paying for the DJI Care for this one. But what I did do is take out a “personal articles policy” from State Farm and pay $20/mo for about $15,000 worth of drone coverage with $0 deductibles. State Farm requires highly detailed proof of purchases and itemized listing of all the accessories as well as the receipts with serial numbers. It took about a month to get all the information SF required to get all my drones 100% covered, but I believe it is an awesome coverage, no matter what happens to it - theft, crash, failure, etc.

 

[laurent45]

Hi, @Areophile, I have a side-question, as I am planning to go to thailand next november and was thinking to bring my MM2. On sites about country rules for drone, it is stated that you need to complete a lot of forms, one requiring your entry visa number,... so I almost give up until I saw your post.
Did you complete all those forms ?
Did you get any worries at the customs in and out ? Or worries later...
Thanks in advance

 

[Aerophile]

@laurent45 -- Sent you a PM.

 

[Chaosrider]

You won’t be able to “trade up” to the Mini 3 as it has not been released yet. My Mini 2 just got back from DJI after a IMU/FC failure and it was covered 100% due to hardware failure under the 12 month factory warranty period. They took about a month and a half for the complete turn-around. I had no refresh coverage at all on it and the brand new Mini 2 DJI has sent me hasn’t been activated yet, but I will be paying for the DJI Care for this one. But what I did do is take out a “personal articles policy” from State Farm and pay $20/mo for about $15,000 worth of drone coverage with $0 deductibles. State Farm requires highly detailed proof of purchases and itemized listing of all the accessories as well as the receipts with serial numbers. It took about a month to get all the information SF required to get all my drones 100% covered, but I believe it is an awesome coverage, no matter what happens to it - theft, crash, failure, etc.

I wonder if State Farm would cover my DJI FPV? I have Care Refresh on all of the Minis that I bought new, but their costs for the FPV made it a bad choice, and it didn't cover Fly Away at all.

Thx!

 

[retiredNH]

Posts like the OP's always puzzle me. Why not just contact DJI - see what they'll do. They seem to have decent, responsive customer service, no?
I also hope that someone who can afford a trip like this to Thailand can afford to upgrade his drone, so as to keep getting such remarkable footage, if nothing else!

 

[Deleted member 154956]

I wonder if State Farm would cover my DJI FPV? I have Care Refresh on all of the Minis that I bought new, but their costs for the FPV made it a bad choice, and it didn't cover Fly Away at all.

Thx!

State Farm also is covering my DJI FPV, so that’s a YES!

 

[retiredNH]

I have a supplemental policy for my camera equipment. Since drones are essentially flying cameras, I wonder...

 

[Chaosrider]

State Farm also is covering my DJI FPV, so that’s a YES!

This is increasingly sounding like a good idea.

Based on my 3-flight FPV experience so far, I'm not too worried about it as long as I stick to Normal and Sport mode. But I'm going to look at this hard before I make the leap up to Manual mode.

Thx!

 

[z28lt1]

As others have said, contact DJI. This is almost certainly covered under "fly away" which covers just about any accident that happens where the drone is not recoverable.

The deductible for the mini 2 on fly away is $225.

 

[whazzup]

​

What Does DJI Care Refresh Include? ​

DJI Care Refresh covers multiple scenarios, including drones lost during flight, water damage, collisions and drops. You also get additional services from DJI such as express option, free shipping, priority service and support. ​

This seems to cover you. Did they replace your drone? This is the scenario that worries me most. Pilot error with a crash and lost drone, not an uncontrolled “fly away”.

 

[Mohawk]

Lesson Learned: Watch Out For The Trees On That Mountain Behind You.

Here's the final frame from the cached video of the last flight...

View attachment 147589
The island I crashed into is Ko Ka Mia, which is steep, rocky and uninhabited, but has a lot of wild monkeys living on it (they must be enjoying playing with my drone right about now...).

I just synced my phone/flight data, and submitted a "Fly-Away" case with DJI. Will see what happens.

What’s the status with your crashed mini and DJI?

 

[Aerophile]

As predicted by @z28lt1 above, my crash was indeed covered as a "fly-away", and after sending my logs and $225 to DJI, they sent me a replacement. I have that here now.

The process took about 2 weeks end-to-end. No requirement to climb up that island in Thailand and fight off the wild monkeys to try and recover the lost drone from them.

There was no option to apply the coverage credit to a different model. That's OK, I'll keep flying this Mini 2 for a while -- if I decide to get a Mini 3 Pro, they're back-ordered through the summer here, it's looking like they won't be widely available until August or September anyway. By then, presumably DJI will have fixed all the bugs, um, released some enhancements.