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Unfortunate Accident With My Mavic Air 1 - Need Some Answers

Ron Fisher

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Hi everyone! First I would like to say how much I enjoy this forum and how much I appreciate the experience and advice of all the members who participate in it.

Today I thought I would take advantage of the beautiful weather we were experiencing here in Toronto and drive up to the club where I regularly fly my Magic Air 1. I have been flying the drone for 21 months and to date I have amassed 207 flights without incident. I was basically trying to draw my battery level down to the recommended 60% level when, much to my surprise and horror, the drone plummeted to the ground and crashed on the grass from an altitude of approximately 50m. It incurred extensive damage that I think is irreparable. I do have DJI Refresh + which expires on December 30th.

I launched the drone using the automatic take-off feature in precise mode without problems. The screen showed that it was locked into 17 satellites. At 5:33 minutes I hit the RTH button and it went into return mode without issue.

I intend to upload the log files to this forum for analysis but, based on the following information, is this necessary? These are the notifications I got on the screen during the last minute of flight:

Flight Time 00:07 - Height: 2.8m
“Home Point Recorded. RTH Altitude: 75m“

Flight Time 5:33 - Height: 54 m
“Aircraft is returning to the Home Point. Minimum RTH Altitude is 75m. You can reset the RTH Altitude in Remote Controller Settings after cancelling RTH.”

Flight Time 5:57 - Height: -9.2m
“Gyroscope data error, Contact DJI Support.“
“IMU vertical speed error. Please check that the IMU is mounted properly.”
“Satellite Positioning Off. Fly with caution.“
”IMU altitude error. Please check that the IMU is mounted properly.”
“Camera Settings Adjusted.“

Flight Time 6:04 - Height: -33.5m
“Weak GPS signal. Positional accuracy may be compromised. Please fly with caution.”

Flight Time 6:07 - Height: -33.5m
“Aircraft close to Home Point. “go home” shifts to “landing”.”

I have several questions that I would really appreciate answers for:

This is the URL I have for the analysis guide:
Mavic Flight Log Retrieval and Analysis Guide

1. Is there a flight log retrieval guide that is unique to the Mavic Air V1?

2. Do I need to access, via cable connection, any data for the analysis that is stored in the drone through my desktop computer, or is all the information stored in the DJ! GO4 app?

3. Has anybody on this forum who lives in Canada used DJI Refresh and is there anything in the Refresh process that is specific to Canada?

4. How long does the replacement process take once it has been initiated?

5. Because the Mavic Air 1 is no longer produced, is it possible to pay extra for the replacement and get a Mavic Air 2 instead of the Mavic Air 1?

Thanks in advance for your replies.
Happy flying!
 
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I intend to upload the log files to this forum for analysis but, based on the following information, is this necessary? These are the notifications I got on the screen:
Flight Time 5:57 - Height: -9.2m
“Gyroscope data error, Contact DJI Support.“
“IMU vertical speed error. Please check that the IMU is mounted properly.”
“Satellite Positioning Off. Fly with caution.“
”IMU altitude error. Please check that the IMU is mounted properly.”
“Camera Settings Adjusted.“
These messages appear to be after a crash and aren't much help.
Yes .. you should post your flight data.
 
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Thanks for your reply. I was able to spot these messages after the crash by going through the flight record in the DJI GO 4 app. They appeared on screen while the aircraft was still in the air. Flight information such as speed, altitude, distance, etc. were all changing as the messages showed up until the end when the aircraft hit the ground. Because it was on auto return mode, and things were happening so quickly, I couldn’t cancel the return or input any stick commands.

To post flight data, do you need to access it from the drone (which obviously isn’t working) or is it in the GO 4 app?

Thanks again!
 
To post flight data, do you need to access it from the drone (which obviously isn’t working) or is it in the GO 4 app?
Go to DJI Flight Log Viewer | Phantom Help
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
That will give you a detailed report of the flight.
Come back and post a link to the report it gives you.
 
On point 5. if you trigger the care refresh you'll be getting a refurbished MA1, unfortunately there is no upgrade path that is part of the care refresh process.
 
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I have attached the .txt files from 2 sequential flights. Your professional analysis is very much appreciated!
 

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  • DJIFlightRecord_2019-02-05_[17-45-37].txt
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  • DJIFlightRecord_2019-11-10_[12-53-39].txt
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I have attached the .txt files from 2 sequential flights. Your professional analysis is very much appreciated!
Both of those flights were made last year and don't tell us much about your recent incident.
 
Sorry everybody. I'm a novice at this stuff. Here are the correct flight records from the incident. Thanks!
 

Attachments

  • DJIFlightRecord_2020-09-20_[15-46-01].txt
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  • DJIFlightRecord_2020-09-20_[15-49-50].txt
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Because it was on auto return mode, and things were happening so quickly, I couldn’t cancel the return or input any stick commands.
The "Pause" button on the remote should have stopped RTH in it's tracks.

It is a commonly overlooked button that is invaluable at times.
 
That is a great suggestion and I will certainly keep it in mind for any future events. I didn't realize there was trouble until it started tumbling and I doubt that any input could have taken it out of its downward spin. Gravity took over.
 
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These are the notifications I got on the screen during the last minute of flight ....
Your flight data looks like this:

The problems started at around 5:47.9 when it couldn't maintain a steady course in RTH.
Soon after, it began having altitude issues as well.

Those error messages turn out to have been while the drone was still in the air.
You had an uncommon hardware failure during the flight.
It appears that the IMU had serious issues that caused a range of problems.
The barometric sensor stopped working properly and the negative values which made it look like the data was after a crash, are false.

With a complete failure of critical systems like this, the pause button would have been no help.
The drone was not able to maintain stable flight or hovering.
 
Your flight data looks like this:

The problems started at around 5:47.9 when it couldn't maintain a steady course in RTH.
Soon after, it began having altitude issues as well.

Those error messages turn out to have been while the drone was still in the air.
You had an uncommon hardware failure during the flight.
It appears that the IMU had serious issues that caused a range of problems.
The barometric sensor stopped working properly and the negative values which made it look like the data was after a crash, are false.

With a complete failure of critical systems like this, the pause button would have been no help.
The drone was not able to maintain stable flight or hovering.

Thanks very much for the detailed and definitive analysis. It appears that the drone was doomed. I am amazed at the amount of data you were able to recover. On a brighter note, I have contacted DJI who will probably send me a replacement drone once they have had an opportunity to do their own analysis. I was impressed with how quickly my call was answered and with the patience and courtesy of the tech support individual.

Thanks again!
 
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Your flight data looks like this:

The problems started at around 5:47.9 when it couldn't maintain a steady course in RTH.
Soon after, it began having altitude issues as well.

Those error messages turn out to have been while the drone was still in the air.
You had an uncommon hardware failure during the flight.
It appears that the IMU had serious issues that caused a range of problems.
The barometric sensor stopped working properly and the negative values which made it look like the data was after a crash, are false.

With a complete failure of critical systems like this, the pause button would have been no help.
The drone was not able to maintain stable flight or hovering.
My message was simply informative in the general sense. Not specific to this incident.



Just like in post number 2, where you immediately assume that the errors came up after flight... Assuming I'm speaking about this case specifically, was wrong.


Assuming does one thing. Makes an "A55" out of "U" and "Me".

?
 
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