Hello everyone,
Just like many others here, I am a new drone pilot and recently purchased my first drone – the Mavic mini.
I watched a bunch of videos on youtube (some reviews, some tips etc) and also read the manual. Got a little worried about high altitude performance after watching one video – then ended up on this forum and found the other video (Hawaii video) showing there’s not really an issue. I live at 5500ft and also was planning to take the mini up to Tahquitz peak (9Kft).
Then on my 28th flight – 2 minutes into the flight – the drone ~1400ft away from me – the screen went blank.
Since I had only flown forward in a straight line, I tried flying it straight back. The screen came back at one point and I was able to turn back towards me. Then it went blank again.
And that was the last time I saw my drone.
I tried RTH but was not 100% sure it had updated – and it did not return. I did check the find my drone map and went to search in the general area where it said the last known location was – but did not find it again.
DJI support
So I contacted DJI to explain what happened. They told me to send them the flight record, and my proof of purchase. I uploaded flight records to the DJI website, emailed them the proof of purchase, and was told their engineers would look at the records and be in touch in a few days to see if this was a warranty issue.
I thought that was pretty unlikely. So I ordered a replacement drone (this time just the basic $399 version since I still have the left overs of my original Fly more bundle. Btw – this gave me the opportunity to company both “versions” and just for the carrying case and 2 extra batteries and a changer I would say the Fly more bundle is definitely worth it)
I didn’t hear back from DJI for about 5 days, so gave them a call (just in case - and they said sorry for the delay and that it was because of the virus at HQ)
I received a few more status emails saying the data analytics team was reviewing the flight record, and then this:
Dear Customer,
Thanks for your patience.
This is Dora from data analysis team, and I will be assisting you on this case from now on for related inquiries about data analysis.
The unfortunate incident that occurred to your aircraft has been confirmed as a warranty case according to our data analysis.
If the aircraft cannot be recovered, we would like to offer you a replacement, Mavic Mini (without the remote controller and battery charger).
A few days later this:
Thanks for getting back to us. Many thanks for the information.
The replacement of Mavic Mini without charger and remote will be arranged by the logistics department later. And both battery and propellers are included.
I have informed my colleagues to follow up on your case and they will assist you directly.
You may receive a few emails from us saying that you sent some units back to us. Please ignore them, as they are generated automatically by our workflow system.
Should you have more questions, please feel free to let me know.
Thanks again for your support and patience. Have a nice day.
Best Regards,
Dora
DJI Technical Support
Several automated emails showed up about repairs, which I ignored as Dora suggested.
Today I received this:
Dear Customer,
This message is from DJI Support. After testing your product, DJI has determined to provide you with free repair service. The repair is expected to be finished within 3 to 6 business days, after which the product will be sent back to you. Thank you for choosing DJI.
Quotation Date
Item List
Mavic Mini Intelligent Flight Battery (Non-Japanese Version)
Quantity: 1
Net Price : 45.00 Total Price: 45.00
Mavic Mini Aircraft & Gimbal and Camera & Propellers(FCC)
Quantity: 1
Net Price : 313.00 Total Price: 313.00
Total Amount
So, while I have not received any replacement drone yet – it sure does look like that is what may be happening. Kind of amazing really. Although I do believe this flyaway was out of my hands (no pun intended), I was not really expecting to get a new drone. The only thing I lost was the memory card ($50).
I am curious what the issue was that cased this, and if it will happen again (and how common it is). After reading on this forum, I uploaded the flight record to Airdata to try and find out what went wrong (and I’m still not sure – I am a newbie after all. Wind was 2mph but towards the end the drone reached 45mph. Several Datalink connection lost messages in the flight record, one lasting 50 seconds. Also some high interference warning as well as high altitude warning - I think the high altitude is because we're at 5500ft - the high interference I do not really understand since we're kind of in the middle of nowhere ).
Anyway- I'll let you all know if a new drone arrives. Sorry about the long introduction post, but I thought some of you would find this interesting.
Fly safe all
Just like many others here, I am a new drone pilot and recently purchased my first drone – the Mavic mini.
I watched a bunch of videos on youtube (some reviews, some tips etc) and also read the manual. Got a little worried about high altitude performance after watching one video – then ended up on this forum and found the other video (Hawaii video) showing there’s not really an issue. I live at 5500ft and also was planning to take the mini up to Tahquitz peak (9Kft).
Then on my 28th flight – 2 minutes into the flight – the drone ~1400ft away from me – the screen went blank.
Since I had only flown forward in a straight line, I tried flying it straight back. The screen came back at one point and I was able to turn back towards me. Then it went blank again.
And that was the last time I saw my drone.
I tried RTH but was not 100% sure it had updated – and it did not return. I did check the find my drone map and went to search in the general area where it said the last known location was – but did not find it again.
DJI support
So I contacted DJI to explain what happened. They told me to send them the flight record, and my proof of purchase. I uploaded flight records to the DJI website, emailed them the proof of purchase, and was told their engineers would look at the records and be in touch in a few days to see if this was a warranty issue.
I thought that was pretty unlikely. So I ordered a replacement drone (this time just the basic $399 version since I still have the left overs of my original Fly more bundle. Btw – this gave me the opportunity to company both “versions” and just for the carrying case and 2 extra batteries and a changer I would say the Fly more bundle is definitely worth it)
I didn’t hear back from DJI for about 5 days, so gave them a call (just in case - and they said sorry for the delay and that it was because of the virus at HQ)
I received a few more status emails saying the data analytics team was reviewing the flight record, and then this:
Dear Customer,
Thanks for your patience.
This is Dora from data analysis team, and I will be assisting you on this case from now on for related inquiries about data analysis.
The unfortunate incident that occurred to your aircraft has been confirmed as a warranty case according to our data analysis.
If the aircraft cannot be recovered, we would like to offer you a replacement, Mavic Mini (without the remote controller and battery charger).
A few days later this:
Thanks for getting back to us. Many thanks for the information.
The replacement of Mavic Mini without charger and remote will be arranged by the logistics department later. And both battery and propellers are included.
I have informed my colleagues to follow up on your case and they will assist you directly.
You may receive a few emails from us saying that you sent some units back to us. Please ignore them, as they are generated automatically by our workflow system.
Should you have more questions, please feel free to let me know.
Thanks again for your support and patience. Have a nice day.
Best Regards,
Dora
DJI Technical Support
Several automated emails showed up about repairs, which I ignored as Dora suggested.
Today I received this:
Dear Customer,
This message is from DJI Support. After testing your product, DJI has determined to provide you with free repair service. The repair is expected to be finished within 3 to 6 business days, after which the product will be sent back to you. Thank you for choosing DJI.
Quotation Date
Item List
Mavic Mini Intelligent Flight Battery (Non-Japanese Version)
Quantity: 1
Net Price : 45.00 Total Price: 45.00
Mavic Mini Aircraft & Gimbal and Camera & Propellers(FCC)
Quantity: 1
Net Price : 313.00 Total Price: 313.00
Total Amount
385.75
So, while I have not received any replacement drone yet – it sure does look like that is what may be happening. Kind of amazing really. Although I do believe this flyaway was out of my hands (no pun intended), I was not really expecting to get a new drone. The only thing I lost was the memory card ($50).
I am curious what the issue was that cased this, and if it will happen again (and how common it is). After reading on this forum, I uploaded the flight record to Airdata to try and find out what went wrong (and I’m still not sure – I am a newbie after all. Wind was 2mph but towards the end the drone reached 45mph. Several Datalink connection lost messages in the flight record, one lasting 50 seconds. Also some high interference warning as well as high altitude warning - I think the high altitude is because we're at 5500ft - the high interference I do not really understand since we're kind of in the middle of nowhere ).
Anyway- I'll let you all know if a new drone arrives. Sorry about the long introduction post, but I thought some of you would find this interesting.
Fly safe all
