A few days ago I installed the most recent firmware update and now have aircraft version 01.03.0000 and app version 3.1.1. The following incident occurred earlier today during my first attempt to fly since the update. I have made several flights in the past 30 days without incident. However, this was the first time I have utilized the auto takeoff mode. The battery was fully charged and indicating more than 16 degrees C. I had 14 satellites, in full ready-to-fly mode. I was holding the controller without touching any controls, however that shouldn't matter. Several times while using return-to-home mode, I've taken control and landed it myself.
I engaged auto takeoff (on an iPad 7+ touch screen) outdoors and well clear of obstacles, and the Mavic rose approximately 4 feet, as expected. It immediately began traveling forward about 4 feet, then abruptly pitched up slightly (or maybe not so slightly, going by memory after the shock of what I saw) whereupon all four motors simultaneously lost all power, as if they were just switched off at precisely the same time. It fell to the pavement in the upright attitude (on its feet), bouncing slightly and probably hitting slightly tail-low; it all happened fast and unexpectedly, time from liftoff to crash being less than 10 seconds, likely more like 5 seconds. The Mavic's system power remained on until I shut it down for a restart and testing.
The camera-gimbal assembly suffered a major shock and is inoperative, except for video feed. Shutting down and restarting had no effect on the gimbal. The picture is tilted about 30 degrees and the wire bundle from the body to the gimbal assembly appears to have been overstressed (stretched). I am unable to tilt up or down with the remote controller. After the crash and restart I hovered the Mavic after all preflight indications on the remote controller display were okay (except for the gimbal error message saying that the motor was overstressed and to check that the gimbal clamp is removed). I am not confident that the aircraft is 100% normal, however, based on observation during the very short test hover flight. I want it properly checked before further flight.
I'll be sending it in for repair by DJI (and I have the extended service/replacement package) and am hoping the repair or replacement will be timely and at no cost to me. I firmly believe this was an electronic malfunction unrelated to operator or any external conditions. Has anyone had a similar experience or any suggestions on how to deal with DJI before I go ahead with the repair return process?
