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Shortest Flight in History

Sixdollars

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Bought my Air 2S a week ago last Friday, picked it up on Saturday and set it up. Sunday morning I decided to go to my flying ground in Longmont, Colorado. I gathered up my stuff and then thought that maybe I should set up the DJI Care Refresh Program. Thought about doing it later but then decided to get it out of the way and I went ahead and got the 2 year Plan.

I drove about 20 minutes, set everything up and it began to run. Here we go! I pushed on the Up Stick, it went up 20 feet, one of the rear propellers flew off and back to the earth we went. Broke one of the front arms and the Gimbal and displaced one of the rear arms

I had to go home and tell my wife what had happened to my new drone which I had neglected to mention to her before that. That was no fun.

I called DJI on Monday and talked to a very pleasant guy. He got a case set up and sent me a label. I shipped it back Monday afternoon, it was received on Wednesday. I got an email telling me that it had been received and fifteen minutes later I got notification that a new drone had been shipped. UPS said that it should be delivered on Saturday afternoon, but when it didn't come I checked and UPS told me that the rail car that the container was on had a failure and it would be delivered Monday.

Maybe the delay was retribution for my sin? The weather here is rainy and windy, so it'll be a couple of days before I can fly it. You can be sure that, going forward I'll check the propellers out carefully.

I have to say that DJI handled the claim flawlessly and quickly. Had to pay $119.00. Cheap at twice the price
 
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Glad your scary story had a happy ending.
 
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Are you crazy? You paid for 2 years, effectively as an enhanced warranty.

Then made a claim against your own policy instead of the standard warranty for something essentially is their build quality issues and paid for the pleasure?

I think that's extortion!!

It rather depends on what caused the prop to detach.
 
It rather depends on what caused the prop to detach.

I agree. The most perfect explanation from DJI point of view is that the pilot fails to install correctly the props, considering that this was his first flight.
 
A salutory lesson to us all. After a while I bet the majority of us are lulled into a false sense of security, whereby because the props were on when the drone returned last time, they will still be OK when we go to take off this time.... have you checked that is the case! I am guilty of this countless times, but from now on, I won't be cutting any corners.
Thank you for the lesson.
 
Don't the props come pre attached? With the mini and mini 2 everything comes pre built, except the batteries
Because of the quick release/ install design the props are not preinstalled on the MA2 or Air2s. You just grab the right ones, push down on to the spindle and twist the prop lock. Takes about 30 seconds to switch out all 4 instead of about a minute per leg like on the MM or Mini2. And no screws to be lost.
 
Bought my Air 2S a week ago last Friday, picked it up on Saturday and set it up. Sunday morning I decided to go to my flying ground in Longmont, Colorado. I gathered up my stuff and then thought that maybe I should set up the DJI Care Refresh Program. Thought about doing it later but then decided to get it out of the way and I went ahead and got the 2 year Plan.

I drove about 20 minutes, set everything up and it began to run. Here we go! I pushed on the Up Stick, it went up 20 feet, one of the rear propellers flew off and back to the earth we went. Broke one of the front arms and the Gimbal and displaced one of the rear arms

I had to go home and tell my wife what had happened to my new drone which I had neglected to mention to her before that. That was no fun.

I called DJI on Monday and talked to a very pleasant guy. He got a case set up and sent me a label. I shipped it back Monday afternoon, it was received on Wednesday. I got an email telling me that it had been received and fifteen minutes later I got notification that a new drone had been shipped. UPS said that it should be delivered on Saturday afternoon, but when it didn't come I checked and UPS told me that the rail car that the container was on had a failure and it would be delivered Monday.

Maybe the delay was retribution for my sin? The weather here is rainy and windy, so it'll be a couple of days before I can fly it. You can be sure that, going forward I'll check the propellers out carefully.

I have to say that DJI handled the claim flawlessly and quickly. Had to pay $119.00. Cheap at twice the price
That's interesting. I had the same thing happen to a DJI Mav Air 2. One propellar detached from the pair on one arm. The drone spiralled down toward the ground and cracked the motor off the arm. I sent it back for a replacement with no issues. It was my second replacement. Can't risk it crashing again. Looks like I'll be doing more prop checks too.
 
Because of the quick release/ install design the props are not preinstalled on the MA2 or Air2s. You just grab the right ones, push down on to the spindle and twist the prop lock. Takes about 30 seconds to switch out all 4 instead of about a minute per leg like on the MM or Mini2. And no screws to be lost.
I had a case in which the blade pair cracked in half after 8 months of flying. One blade broke off, while the other blade stayed attached. When it crashed it spun and fell into some brush, but the motor cracked off when it hit the ground. I'm thinking the blade may have had a crack in it from a previous rough landing, that I couldn't see. It finally sheered off. Thank god I had the DJI replacement care. They sent me a new one right away.
 
That's interesting. I had the same thing happen to a DJI Mav Air 2. One propellar detached from the pair on one arm. The drone spiralled down toward the ground and cracked the motor off the arm. I sent it back for a replacement with no issues. It was my second replacement. Can't risk it crashing again. Looks like I'll be doing more prop checks too.
If those were previously undamaged DJI props then that’s hardware failure. If the aircraft was still under warranty they should have replaced it without counting against the refresh total.
 
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A salutory lesson to us all. After a while I bet the majority of us are lulled into a false sense of security, whereby because the props were on when the drone returned last time, they will still be OK when we go to take off this time.... have you checked that is the case! I am guilty of this countless times, but from now on, I won't be cutting any corners.
Thank you for the lesson.
Totally agree. I don’t think I’ve ever closely inspected my MA2 props pre take off, other than unfolding them. Always want to get up in the air ASAP.

I do more thorough inspections between flights at home, but here is a great lesson for many of us I’m guessing ??
 
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The props should not come loose during shipping - the DJI screws have a little lock-tight type adhesive on them as added measure. I’m with @sar104 it is a manufacturing defect as the screw(s) were (reasonably assumed) not tightened down upon assembly.

Ultimately, we should be in the habit of checking the aircraft prior to each flight or when putting away from a flight so we know it is good to go out of the case on a quick take off. I always check my props and then screws by using the screw driver to tighten them each flight but yet to find a loose one but may someday. I have replaced props with nicks which may be overly cautious but for a few bucks, it may save me another DJI claim!

@cgmaxed I have heard/read a few stories where the fact that the props are not fixed that just the motor start up can stress the props as they hit each other as centrifugal force moves them apart into position and this will develop stress cracks over time. I don’t know if there are any periodic replacement guidelines on props?
 
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If those were previously undamaged DJI props then that’s hardware failure. If the aircraft was still under warranty they should have replaced it without counting against the refresh total.
After 8 months of flying and some "hard" landings. C'mon man!
 
The props should not come loose during shipping - the DJI screws have a little lock-tight type adhesive on them as added measure. I’m with @sar104 it is a manufacturing defect as the screw(s) were (reasonably assumed) not tightened down upon assembly.

Ultimately, we should be in the habit of checking the aircraft prior to each flight or when putting away from a flight so we know it is good to go out of the case on a quick take off. I always check my props and then screws by using the screw driver to tighten them each flight but yet to find a loose one but may someday. I have replaced props with nicks which may be overly cautious but for a few bucks, it may save me another DJI claim!

@cgmaxed I have heard/read a few stories where the fact that the props are not fixed that just the motor start up can stress the props as they hit each other as centrifugal force moves them apart into position and this will develop stress cracks over time. I don’t know if there are any periodic replacement guidelines on props?
You are comparing a "Mini" versus an "Air2," which are not even remotely the same in prop design / attachment.

Air2's has a push on and twist to lock on the motors - not screws like on the Mini's. Never had a prop issue on my Mini with the screws and not had an issue with my Air2 with the push, twist, lock. A "screw" backing out of a Mini would be easier to notice than the Air2 twist lock mechanism - yet it does require THE PILOT to check them. Failure to do so, ends up with these kinds of crashes. If DJI replaces the drone under Refresh and no charge - then anyone who gets away with it - should be very happy. Typically DJI "charges" when it is PILOT ERROR.
 
Are you crazy? You paid for 2 years, effectively as an enhanced warranty.

Then made a claim against your own policy instead of the standard warranty for something essentially is their build quality issues and paid for the pleasure?

I think that's extortion!!
Wow, just joined the mavic forum and this is one of the first posts I’ve seen. I agree with others it is most probable the props were installed incorrectly (not locked in all the way) and DJI would not have covered under warranty. That debate aside, I think the OP felt he made a great decision on the care plan (I did the same as a new pilot) and it turned out he needed it. It’s not clear to me why you feel the need to criticize his decision.
 
Don't the props come pre attached? With the mini and mini 2 everything comes pre built, except the batteries
I was going to ask the same question. If that is the case, it's a bit rich for them to ask for the cost of an 'insured' replacement but I agree they handle their returns superbly. And they don't appear to be penny-pinching usually, either. (I know, I know well ... :)) Mike
 
I was going to ask the same question. If that is the case, it's a bit rich for them to ask for the cost of an 'insured' replacement but I agree they handle their returns superbly. And they don't appear to be penny-pinching usually, either. (I know, I know well ... :)) Mike
As noted, the props do not come installed, they are installed by the owner. And then the big warning before you fly on the screen to make sure the props are installed correctly.
 
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