Sudden Battery Critical Landing

[Zaptrem]

Problem? - After flying normally with this battery six times and flying normally with two other batteries in the same hour, the Mavic Air auto-landed with a critical battery warning when the unit had reported a battery level >50% just a second before

Was unit in a crash? - No, auto landed normally as I was luckily in a location with very limited flying space

What have you tried so far? - Nothing, don’t want to risk expensive drone dropping out of the air.

What device are you using ( iphone , ipad, Samsung , etc)? iPhone X

What firmware are you running ( aircraft, remote controller)? Latest

What Go app version are you using? Latest

Any modification? (if so what) None

Did you change anything or install any apps? (if so what) None

Do you have a video or pictures of the problem? (if so post link) *FLIGHT LOG*:

Should I look into sending the battery back to DJI and risk a refurbished replacement? I just purchased Care Refresh (an hour ago).

 

[RayOZ]

Battery too cold? I assume you were flying in sports mode? I think battery won't behave too well in cold weather.
DJI it would be unlikely that DJI will ask you to send the battery back. Also unlikely they'll send you a refurbished one. Contact DJI support.

 

[Zaptrem]

Battery too cold? I assume you were flying in sports mode? I think battery won't behave too well in cold weather.
DJI it would be unlikely that DJI will ask you to send the battery back. Also unlikely they'll send you a refurbished one. Contact DJI support.

I wasn’t flying in sports mode and have flown in much colder weather before with no issue (I monitor the battery temperature constantly). Today the temperature was in the 40s(f) while a couple of days ago (when I was flying in the mountains) it was closer to 9(f). However, it was quite windy (e.g., it was impossible to take a panorama due to the aircraft being tilted too much fighting the wind).

I’m only hesitant to contact DJI support as this happened right after they gave me an extension to buy Care Refresh after I submitted the proof of operation video (I thought I bought it on Amazon but did not).

 

[RayOZ]

Just contact them. Send them that flight log. You have your other flight logs, which showed your drone was operating fine. No harm asking if it was a battery issue.

 

[Zaptrem]

Just contact them. Send them that flight log. You have your other flight logs, which showed your drone was operating fine. No harm asking if it was a battery issue.

True, I didn’t think about the other flight logs acting as proof. Thanks!

 

[DanMan32]

The battery wouldn't be covered under refresh, at least not by itself.
You're looking for warranty coverage though, which is 6 months. With refresh+ it becomes 2 years.

 

[Zaptrem]

The battery wouldn't be covered under refresh, at least not by itself.
You're looking for warranty coverage though, which is 6 months. With refresh+ it becomes 2 years.

I already bought refresh, as it seemed like the higher level more protective service and had two replacements vs refresh+ one replacement. Does refresh (which is more expensive!) not provide a longer warranty period? If so, can I exchange one for the other?

I contacted DJI and they had me run a hover test with the problematic battery. This time, it performed fine. They told me there was no need for a replacement and to contact them if anything goes wrong again. I would prefer my battery not to die while flying over a cliff or something....

 

[RayOZ]

The normal Refresh covers 1 year and 2 replacements. The refresh+ extends for 1 extra year +1 extra replacement = 2 year and 3 replacements. There's other warranty extensions as well. They are mainly for the drone, not the batteries. Their warranty is 6 months or 200 cycles. Batteries can't be fixed, but drones can. When I crashed my MP, they told me to send my drone with the battery it had when it crashed. I got back a replacement MP and a new battery. The Care Refresh covers accidents. Normal warranty applies where if there's an actual malfunction of the drone, DJI has an obligation to replace it without using the Refresh replacements. Read their terms and conditions for more details.

 

[Zaptrem]

The normal Refresh covers 1 year and 2 replacements. The refresh+ extends for 1 extra year +1 extra replacement = 2 year and 3 replacements. There's other warranty extensions as well. They are mainly for the drone, not the batteries. Their warranty is 6 months or 200 cycles. Batteries can't be fixed, but drones can. When I crashed my MP, they told me to send my drone with the battery it had when it crashed. I got back a replacement MP and a new battery. The Care Refresh covers accidents. Normal warranty applies where if there's an actual malfunction of the drone, DJI has an obligation to replace it without using the Refresh replacements. Read their terms and conditions for more details.

Thanks for the info. What do you think of my battery situation? My concern is mostly with the battery working fine for a while then failing and being unrecoverable (e.g., a cliff, body of water, tree). In those situations, I would have the flight log showing the battery failed but no drone to send in. Would I be out of luck?

 

[RayOZ]

I won't know. Best not to fly over water or cliff with that battery. It's one of those things that you can't predict. Maybe if you have 10 flights with that battery and not have the same problem, it might be OK?

 

[DanMan32]

It's chancey, but the flight log on your app might provide the needed information to support warranty coverage. That assumes the AC to app connection is able to be maintained to the end.

 

[Zaptrem]

As the battery wasn’t actually dead the connection was able to be maintained. Maybe I could run a screen recorder while flying as well?

 

[Mixyblob]

As a recent MA owner, I've read through this thread with a great deal of trepidation.
I can't honestly say I understood all of it, there are obviously some extremely knowledgeable people on this forum and as a noob to flying and drones, a lot of it went way over my head.
Could I kindly ask if one of you more knowledgeable members could summarise
the key points (preferably that a noob can understand) and try to allay my fear that my prized possession isn't going to drop out of the sky one day, even though my battery is reading ~50%.
Many thanks
Jim

 

[DanMc]

There are no guarantees of anything. Read everything on this forum and educate yourself. I might also add to go read about as many crashes as you can find so you can learn from the mistakes of others. You'll find that there are few crashes due to defects in the drone itself.

Keep in mind that for every report of an issue, there are probably 100 or more other people that have had no issues. The best thing you can do is to fly low and close to home for a while. Gain experience and confidence with your MA and your flying skills and then slowly expand your flights. Remember that altitude (free of obstacles) is your friend. You're far more likely to have a crash due to pilot error than the drone hardware itself. I'm in that population of 100 or more that has an MA and have had no issues whatsoever.

 

[Mixyblob]

I'm in that population of 100 or more that has an MA and have had no issues whatsoever

I hope it stays that way and I'll be one of them too.

 

[Capo77]

I have 4 batteries and one of them doesn’t even light up anymore and it’s only on it 6th charge. Will not take a charge at all.

 

[pvs]

Problem? - After flying normally with this battery six times and flying normally with two other batteries in the same hour, the Mavic Air auto-landed with a critical battery warning when the unit had reported a battery level >50% just a second before

Was unit in a crash? - No, auto landed normally as I was luckily in a location with very limited flying space

What have you tried so far? - Nothing, don’t want to risk expensive drone dropping out of the air.

What device are you using ( iphone , ipad, Samsung , etc)? iPhone X

What firmware are you running ( aircraft, remote controller)? Latest

What Go app version are you using? Latest

Any modification? (if so what) None

Did you change anything or install any apps? (if so what) None

Do you have a video or pictures of the problem? (if so post link) *FLIGHT LOG*:

Should I look into sending the battery back to DJI and risk a refurbished replacement? I just purchased Care Refresh (an hour ago).

Maybe a long shot, but the Mavic Air Intelligent Flight Battery Safety Guidelines says to allow the batteries to cool after flying. Just curious if you allowed some time before you recharged.

 

[Capo77]

Yes it’s been 3 days

 

[pvs]

Yes it’s been 3 days

ZAPTREM said: After flying normally with this battery six times and flying normally with two other batteries in the same hour, the Mavic Air auto-landed with a critical battery warning ...

 

[Zaptrem]

ZAPTREM said: After flying normally with this battery six times and flying normally with two other batteries in the same hour, the Mavic Air auto-landed with a critical battery warning ...

Probably ~30 minutes. I was flying in pretty cold temperatures so cool down shouldn’t be much of a problem. I made sure the battery temperature remained well over the 25c specified in the guide.