Sure I did something wrong but I lost my Mavic Mini yesterday.

[slup]

Thanks for your diagnosis slup, and not trying to blame DJI, it was getting dark for sure, this was the last photo I took before it started to drift. I just didn't understand what was happening, it just started to move uncontrollably and so I tried to keep it away from the building but it wasn't responding.

So yes, it hit the building and hit a couple of decorative window trays on the way down.

This is the building and approximately where it hit and fell.

Yeah, OK ... then we can rule out a possible yaw error as a cause for the big pitch & roll movements.

Then lesson learned:

-When dark you need to be prepared for drifts larger than ordinary as the Mini can't get a proper lock on the ground pattern ...

-And flying in close vicinity to objects that cover most of the sky will very likely degrade your sat lock.

-These 2 together will very soon mean ATTI mode which I think you where only seconds away from there ...

-ATTI means only height stability but no horizontal stability at all ... the drone will drift with what ever is effecting it (wind) & will not break when you release the sticks, you as a pilot need to do that by reverting the stick instead.

-ATTI can be really confusing if not used to it ... claims that the drone didn't listen to the sticks is pretty common when pilots experiencing ATTI & aren't used to it.

-And in reality you were without horizontal stability there, no satellites locked, 0 in navhealth & no VPS sensor support.

 

[maintenanceguy]

Find out who manages the building. Call their office and ask for the person in charge of maintenance. Explain what happened and ask permission to come over and retrieve your drone.

I'm the person in charge of maintenance for several buildings, I would help you out if it was my building. Most people are helpful if you can get to the right guy.

 

[Meta4]

I just didn't understand what was happening, it just started to move uncontrollably and so I tried to keep it away from the building but it wasn't responding.

In simple terms the number of satellites the GPS receiver can receive signals from depends on how much of the sky it can see.
By flying close to a tall building, half of the sky was blocked.
The drone needs a minimum of 6 satellites to have good location data and the benefits of GPS assisted horizontal position holding.
But 6 sats won't not be enough unless they have a good "spread" and are not too close together.
The flight controller and GPS receiver looks at the satellites and where they are to decide whether the GPS data is providing reliable position information.
From 1:28.8 - 1:53.5 the number of sats your drone could receive signals from dropped to a level where the flight controller assessed the reliability of position information as 1/5 - not at all reliable.
For that time your drone was effectively in atti mode and had no "brakes" or horizontal position holding.
It was completely controllable but would have continued to drift when you centred the sticks.
Flying in atti mode is confusing if you haven't experienced it, like driving on ice without brakes.
It's quite safe in the open, but very risky close to obstacles.
In this situation, very gentle and careful joystick input is needed.
In your confusion, you used full stick inputs, which only made things worse.

 

[makemineamac]

Thanks again for the thoughtful input.

I should say the majority of this flight was at least 200 feet away from the building. When I was attempting to get it back to me, that must be when the shadow of the building impacted the GPS reliability.

And if I had thought I could have switched modes and manually brought it back but I was panicking while watching it head towards the building.

I also have flown in this location plenty of times before, but like everyone says lesson learned.

Again, appreciate the explanation.

 

[Meta4]

And if I had thought I could have switched modes and manually brought it back but I was panicking while watching it head towards the building.

No switching modes was necessary or possible.
If you had flown away from the building, the drone would have found more sats and horizontal position holding would have returned.

 

[Rodders]

What about asking the Fire Service to see if they can help, then donate some money to the Fire Service Fund.

 

[unionglzr]

Well there is always telling them that your kid flew the drone on top of the building and you would like to get it back

Adults...... take responsibility.....talk to building maintenance

 

[A.O.]

So you say you used a 13 foot ladder and a long pole to take that picture, in that case that building roof is not that high. If its in or near a construction area maybe one of those guys have a ladder tall enough. Or, call a local painter and ask it they will help for a small rescue fee. I'm a retired painter and have ladders up to 40 feet, I'm sure someone close by could help.

 

[Zbip57]

And if I had thought I could have switched modes and manually brought it back but I was panicking while watching it head towards the building.

We've become so spoiled with these high-tech flight control systems. Atti mode is nothing to fear, as long as you realize what's happening and don't panic. With both insufficient GPS lock and out of VPS range (insufficient light or too high), the drone will default to Atti mode. You still have full control, it just won't automatically stop and hold position when the control sticks are centred. It will be free to drift under the influence of any wind or its own momentum.

I did this little video a long time ago with my original Phantom-1 to demonstrate the difference between GPS mode and Atti mode. Note: the original P1 controller didn't have a self-centring throttle stick, so it wouldn't even hold altitude unless the stick was manually adjusted precisely to centre.

 

[Modra]

Just contact the building maintenance guys they have roof access. Most of them are good guys, give it a try it can't hurt .

 

[JMC3]

Ok, that’s the Russian council building lots of microwave emissions ?

 

[SilverEagle84]

sorry for your troubles...just a thought...Have you considered contacting the maintenance folks at the building? Maybe they would be so kind as to either retrieve it for you or let you access the roof and retrieve it yourself? Good luck!

 

[Tony McDrone]

We've become so spoiled with these high-tech flight control systems. Atti mode is nothing to fear, as long as you realize what's happening and don't panic. With both insufficient GPS lock and out of VPS range (insufficient light or too high), the drone will default to Atti mode. You still have full control, it just won't automatically stop and hold position when the control sticks are centred. It will be free to drift under the influence of any wind or its own momentum.

I did this little video a long time ago with my original Phantom-1 to demonstrate the difference between GPS mode and Atti mode. Note: the original P1 controller didn't have a self-centring throttle stick, so it wouldn't even hold altitude unless the stick was manually adjusted precisely to centre.

The original Phantom had Atti mode as one of its 3 modes, so it was easier to understand because you could practice using it. Now with Atti mode, if you don’t have experience with it, it would be confusing at the very least. I can imagine it would quite scary. As others have said, you first inclination is to believe that you’ve loss control of the sticks. No stick control equals no drone control, or at least one might think.

 

[makemineamac]

You guys are all amazing some great ideas here for sure.

I'm going to talk to the Building Superintendent and offer him $50 or something if he can help me get it.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[DanMan32]

A case of beer often is appreciated. Many times things like that are appreciated more than cash.

I let a neighbor use my outside outlet when they lost power after a storm and I didn't.
They gave me plate of home made chocolate chip cookies and $20. I would have been just as happy with just the cookies.

 

[Zbip57]

The original Phantom had Atti mode as one of its 3 modes, so it was easier to understand because you could practice using it. Now with Atti mode, if you don’t have experience with it, it would be confusing at the very least. I can imagine it would quite scary. As others have said, you first inclination is to believe that you’ve loss control of the sticks. No stick control equals no drone control, or at least one might think.

"Now with Atti mode [...] your first inclination is to believe that you’ve loss control of the sticks."

Whenever something unexpected happens, the key is not to panic. The point is, in Atti mode you do still have full control of the sticks. The crucial difference is that the drone will no longer automatically brake to a sudden stop and hold a fixed position whenever the sticks are released. You have control, use it.

The sad thing is that, by increasing automation in an effort to reduce the complications, we no longer have a manual switch allowing us to practise manoeuvring in Atti mode. By removing the possibility of experimenting and practising with Atti, it pretty much guarantees that people will panic when experiencing Atti for the first time, as it really is completely unexpected then.

 

[SpitFire]

Welcome to the Forum from Chicago the Windy City.
Sorry, to hear about your crash, we all keep learning. I have always landed
before its gets dark, because the drone is flying blind. Another reason I never fly when it gets dark, unless your specially trained and have a Waiver from the FAA. You are not allowed to fly at night. Please check that out yourself, to make sure I am correct. Also, check out Mavic tips, 75 tips on how to prevent flyaways. Which is just a term, meaning I lost or crashed my drone and don't understand why.I review those tips myself to remind me.
75 reasons how to prevent crashing the drone, too much for me to remember. Anyway, knowledge is power only if its applied.

 

[Capt KO]

Only 2 stories to the ledge. Easy grapple for a climber. Sounds like a job for the “Phantom”. P4

 

[Tony McDrone]

"Now with Atti mode [...] your first inclination is to believe that you’ve loss control of the sticks."

Whenever something unexpected happens, the key is not to panic. The point is, in Atti mode you do still have full control of the sticks. The crucial difference is that the drone will no longer automatically brake to a sudden stop and hold a fixed position whenever the sticks are released. You have control, use it.

The sad thing is that, by increasing automation in an effort to reduce the complications, we no longer have a manual switch allowing us to practise manoeuvring in Atti mode. By removing the possibility of experimenting and practising with Atti, it pretty much guarantees that people will panic when experiencing Atti for the first time, as it really is completely unexpected then.

I agree with everything you’ve said, staying calm is most important. I was attempting to point out that some of us are able to recognize Atti mode when we see it and therefore react to it appropriately.

 

[Laborous]

Welcome to the forum from the beautiful woods of Maine!