Critical battery auto-landing in bad spot... what is my best play?

[Jesse_M]

...and a college kid gets to pay his rent. lol

 

[Madmartigan]

I half expected to see big foot run through the shot there at the end.

 

[WBN3]

Great thread... I like your self-analysis, and the creativity to think to advertise for the service of tromping through rough terrain... well done!

 

[geejdee]

Well, this was a freakin' ordeal.

I tried to retrieve it the next day (Sunday, 4/29/17) at about 10:30am.

The foliage was a lot thicker than it appeared in the satellite image of the area. Los Angeles had a lot of rain this winter, so that probably caused it all to get much thicker. It went down in a hilly area very dense with 4-8 foot shrubs, bushes, and trees.

It was very hot, and I didn't bring enough water with me. I was at least smart enough to dress properly for it. I wore old jeans, snow shoes with a rubber sole, a cap, and a jacket. This worked great, as the shoes were strong enough to kick down some of the branches and brush in my way. The jacket and jeans protected me from the sharp foliage. That was the good news. The bad news was that it was freaking HOT wearing all that stuff, and my water ran out super quickly. There was also a rattlesnake danger, as many live in the area and are active at this time of year.

But the biggest problem was that my cell phone was not giving a reliable GPS reading for my position. It kept giving me a range of where I was (the blue dot with the light blue circle around it), and I needed EXACT coordinates to get there. It was also VERY thick with foliage -- and it was hard to even get through, plus it was on a hill.

I knew I was very close, but I was boiling hot, tired, getting steeper. and I was out of water. Being 45 years old and tall didn't help matters. Had to abort.

I was so worn out by this venture that the thought of returning was just dreadful to me.

I decided to just place a Craigslist ad. I didn't give the coordinates, and explained the situation well. I offered to meet with people and have them search for it (to ensure they wouldn't just go find it on their own and not tell me -- or hold it hostage for more money!) I said I would give $100 if they found it in bad condition (to give incentive to be careful bringing it back) and $200 if they found it in good condition.

I got a number of responses, almost all of which were from 20-21 year olds.

I ended up hiring a nice 21-year-old college student. I wasn't very confident he would be successful, as he seemed to underestimate the job and the toughness of the venture into the foliage, even though I repeatedly said so in the ad and in my responses to him (this was a chronic problem with just about everyone who responded).

After a few failed attempts where he ran into foliage too thick to pass and came back up, he finally got to the coordinates and called me -- to tell me that he couldn't see it.

Damnit.

But then about 15 minutes later, I heard him calling out to me from further down the trail, where I was waiting for him. I walked down the trail, and there was my drone, sitting in good condition.

He must have forgotten the ad (or not read it correctly), because he asked "How much do you think I should get here?", seemingly nervous I would give him very little money. He looked super worn out and kept repeating how hard it was -- and seemed very sincere. When I told him I would give him $200, he acted very surprised and seemed thrilled. Kept telling me how much this money would help him out. As we walked back to our cars, he kept saying over and over how awful the trek was, and how he was so scratched up and worn out by the time he found it, he wasn't even that excited to see it. But he was very happy to have the $200 and I was very happy to have my drone back.

Everything on the drone looked good. Two of the propellers had some scratches on them, so I'll probably swap those out with my spares.

I recharged the battery a bit, and took it on a very short test flight (without even swapping the propellers). Worked perfectly.

Ordeal over. Cost me $200, but at least it went to a seemingly nice kid who appeared to really need the money.

Here is the crash. Video is 4K quality so blow it up full screen for more detail. (It was at 8pm though, so lighting wasn't very good.)

Glad you recovered you drone...

 

[snamvar57]

Glad you found your drone and in good shape. Reading the thread and tall bushes, I was thinking it would have been nice to have had a 2nd drone or a flying buddy to fly it with the exact location's GPS and tilt camera down and search for it. Sort of search and rescue of a fallen drone comrade
You can also invest in a tracker like Marco Polo. It's about $220 with a single transceiver. No GPS. No more monthly fee. Totally self contained.

 

[Sad Crasher]

Glad you found your drone and in good shape. Reading the thread and tall bushes, I was thinking it would have been nice to have had a 2nd drone or a flying buddy to fly it with the exact location's GPS and tilt camera down and search for it. Sort of search and rescue of a fallen drone comrade
You can also invest in a tracker like Marco Polo. It's about $220 with a single transceiver. No GPS. No more monthly fee. Totally self contained.

I actually tried this!

I searched YouTube for guys with drones in my area, and tried to send them messages. Sadly, none responded. I even found one of them on Facebook, but still no luck.

As this college student was fighting through the foliage to find my drone, I checked my e-mail and saw a guy who was offering to help look for it with his drone. I was going to take him up on it, but then the college kid found it. I still asked the local guy if he wanted to be "drone buddies" in case either of us needs help like this again, but he didn't respond.

 

[Mike in Louisiana]

Now i see why y'all have those bad brush fires.

 

[pomonabill220]

I actually tried this!

I searched YouTube for guys with drones in my area, and tried to send them messages. Sadly, none responded. I even found one of them on Facebook, but still no luck.

As this college student was fighting through the foliage to find my drone, I checked my e-mail and saw a guy who was offering to help look for it with his drone. I was going to take him up on it, but then the college kid found it. I still asked the local guy if he wanted to be "drone buddies" in case either of us needs help like this again, but he didn't respond.

Seems like he just wanted the money and not a friend to fly with.

 

[pomonabill220]

Glad you found your drone and in good shape. Reading the thread and tall bushes, I was thinking it would have been nice to have had a 2nd drone or a flying buddy to fly it with the exact location's GPS and tilt camera down and search for it. Sort of search and rescue of a fallen drone comrade
You can also invest in a tracker like Marco Polo. It's about $220 with a single transceiver. No GPS. No more monthly fee. Totally self contained.

I found my MP on ebay for a little less.... and new. Might want to try the bay if you are interested in one.
I have the original Trakimo, but my year was up, and to upgrade with the cost of the original on, would have been more than a MP.
There are good and bad for both.

 

[jsposito]

Fortunately I am in Los Angeles where it won't rain again for 5-6 months (not kidding).

So plenty of time there.

The bushes are about 3-4 feet high, but they are thick. I hope the drone is just sitting on top of one of them, or at worst, fell 3-4 feet to the ground. Some of the bushes are like small trees (again, like 3-4 feet), but I have to guess the drone is not too badly damaged. Just have to find it, I think.

You happen to have a "reward if found sticker call xxxxxxx" ?

 

[Deleted member 62848]

You happen to have a "reward if found sticker call xxxxxxx" ?

HI Yip simple but very good idea,,Dji should have the find my drone option as factory firmware on all phantoms,,,not know why they don't, like p4 ,,,,I cringe evert I me someone loses a bird,,,that's bad and should never happen,,it's like putting 1000plus $$$$$in the toilet and flushing,,,and then dji calls it pilot error ,,pilots don't lose these things on purpose,,,,

 

[Ian Holmes]

I have ALL my gear marked with my mobile number... just in case I have a problem.

 

[Bruce Hammond]

 

[EdK]

Congratulations on your recovery Great article. The problem is no other pilots would assist you

 

[EdK]

When another pilot or company calls saying "I lost my drone!!!!" If I am local or close to their area I go, don't discuss how much etc.

 

[DougLeppard]

Fun read. I used to live in So Cal near LA, now I live in Florida and have literal jungles in back yard that I fly over all the time. You have to wear protective gear to go looking for quad which I have done. I use Loc8tor because GPS will get you close but you can be feet away and not see it. As long as you are 50-100 feet from quad loC8tor will point you there.

 

[Mo of Pocatello]

Your flight log should have all the coordinates where the aircraft had been. I think there's a copy of the flight log on your phone (or iPad or whatever you used for flying with). If you can upload that and get it converted to a spreadsheet, then just look at the last line of the spreadsheet for your last coordinates. I forgot the exact details of how to do all these steps, but someone else can help out here.

Looks like the needed info is here: How to View DJI Flight Logs in 4 Easy Steps – Drone Insights

Since the data for an application program on a mobile device often gets deleted when you delete the program itself, it would be better for you NOT to upgrade the application before you get the data out!

By the way, I noticed that it's been several days since you lost your Phantom. Have you found it?

 

[GadgetGuy]

Having been in this situation a couple of times myself, before you get to 10%, knowing it cannot climb in altitude after Autoland has begun (but can maintain altitude with full up left stick), either use the remaining battery above 10% to first ascend to sufficiently above your launch height, to give yourself a safe altitude from which to maneuver your way safely back to your Home Point if you are close by, or to find a safe location to ditch the aircraft, because you know it won't make it back to the Home Point.

One mistake I made, early on, was climbing too high, because, in high winds, I was unable to maneuver the aircraft over the safe landing spot I was standing on from a height of 400', by centering me in the camera view, before the battery shut off, because it was still at 30' when it dropped onto the roof, but I had still had 1 minute and 45 seconds left, when I was initially directly overhead. Serious pilot error! So now, I first immediately lower the aircraft to 30' in elevation above the landing area height, where I can easily see it in front of me, rather than directly above me, and then take my time maneuvering it into place for the landing or Autolanding, whichever happens first. It's a handcatch in either case, if at all possible. If the aircraft has already started Autolanding and is within sight, don't be too picky about where you set it down, if the battery has only seconds left. Had I enlarged my acceptable landing area to include the entire roof, instead of inside the much smaller roof deck, my crash onto the roof would not have happened. In hindsight, I could have easily set it down safely onto the roof itself, well before the battery shut off, instead of crashing onto it.

As to the second scenario, where you realize you do not have sufficient battery to make it back, have several preplanned ditch points where you can set the aircraft down safely, and go recover it. If not, find one from the air, with clear landmarks, that you can also find from the ground, to locate the aircraft where you set it down into a grid pattern of sorts. Fully zoom into your map location during the landing, so you can coordinate that spot with Apple Maps from your phone to determine your distance and direction to that location later. The flight log also records and displays GPS coordinates that can be used to find the location where you lost signal during your vertical descent to your safe landing spot. Take your tablet and cell phone with you during the retrieval, and try and get there before any one else does, lest you find drone has been boosted by someone who arrived before you, or the police have been called, and have lots of questions for you!

Lastly, be aware of the recent change in the firmware and the GO 4 app which has reduced safety by altering the remaining flight time displayed in the app to be to 0% battery remaining, rather than to the previous 10% battery remaining level. Previously, when the app dispayed 2 minutes of flight time remaining, that was two minutes until Autolanding at 10%, meaning you still had another 2+ minutes of battery during Autolanding from 10% battery, after reaching 0 minutes. Now, when 2 minutes is displayed, Autolanding has already commenced, and you have no cushion or hidden 2 minutes left!

Fly safely!

 

[Mo of Pocatello]

You can also set the critical battery level to something greater than 10%!

 

[GadgetGuy]

You can also set the critical battery level to something greater than 10%!

You certainly can, but if you do, you will never achieve the promised flight times, any more than leaving Smart Return Home on! Personally, I would prefer the previous option of user controlled Critical Battery setting all the way down to 0%. I don't need my aircraft deciding where and when to to land! I fly over water the majority of the time! Autolandings result in Autodrownings! They are both beginner settings that can wreak havoc!