Fell Out of Sky - Total Loss

My point exactly. That's why I said 'both ends' and 'ourselves'.
Feeling better now? That you got that bit of anger frustration, hatred, off of your heavy chest. Breathe easier already, eh? Glad that you got my drift. Our Good God may have mercy on your/our retched soul/s now.

RedHotPoker
If this were a game of hockey you would have been in the box a while back for unnecessary roughness. Just saying.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk
 
I think when this problem first surfaced (not just in this thread but other threads too), most of us thought the problem had to do with a not-fully-charged battery being used for flight. After all, DJI says to always use a fully charged battery before each flight. But if one reads through this entire thread and other threads like it - it seems likely the drop from the sky problem has something to do with the auto-discharge of the battery used.

In other words, it seems the battery, for some reason, sometimes shuts down during flight if it had previously entered auto-discharge and then was not fully charged prior to a flight. On the other hand, if one uses a battery, brings the craft down, turns it off. And then uses the battery again that day, it is fine - even if the battery is significantly less than a full charge. Many pilots have said they do this all the time and have never had a problem.

The problem seems to be related to the auto-discharge. And as already stated by somebody somewhere, the auto-discharged battery comes out of auto-discharge the moment it is turned on. So the problem is not that the battery is in auto-discharge. The problem is the battery had been in auto-discharge.

Fully charging the battery solves the problem. Would partially charging the battery solve the problem? I don't think we know yet.

My P3a used a 61 % battery lost power and came down about 23 sec into the flight, broke camera and landing gear . I then immediately flew it (same flight path roughly) twice, and it was fine. It went to DJI mid November, and last week I got the info that DJI are going to sort it under warranty (no flight logs were made of the crash flight but the subsequent ones were logged and show the battery operating as it should. There was a video stored in my Ipad mini 2, of the 23 sec of crash flight ie it cut out and didn't show it crashing . hope this info helps others.
I do believe there is a problem with the battery firmware.
I also believe that if there is power in the battery you can fly it.
I also believe that if there isn't enough power in the battery the software should prevent take off
 
I think when this problem first surfaced (not just in this thread but other threads too), most of us thought the problem had to do with a not-fully-charged battery being used for flight. After all, DJI says to always use a fully charged battery before each flight. But if one reads through this entire thread and other threads like it - it seems likely the drop from the sky problem has something to do with the auto-discharge of the battery used.

In other words, it seems the battery, for some reason, sometimes shuts down during flight if it had previously entered auto-discharge and then was not fully charged prior to a flight. On the other hand, if one uses a battery, brings the craft down, turns it off. And then uses the battery again that day, it is fine - even if the battery is significantly less than a full charge. Many pilots have said they do this all the time and have never had a problem.

The problem seems to be related to the auto-discharge. And as already stated by somebody somewhere, the auto-discharged battery comes out of auto-discharge the moment it is turned on. So the problem is not that the battery is in auto-discharge. The problem is the battery had been in auto-discharge.

Fully charging the battery solves the problem. Would partially charging the battery solve the problem? I don't think we know yet.

My P3a used a 61 % battery lost power and came down about 23 sec into the flight, broke camera and landing gear . I then immediately flew it (same flight path roughly) twice, and it was fine. It went to DJI mid November, and last week I got the info that DJI are going to sort it under warranty (no flight logs were made of the crash flight but the subsequent ones were logged and show the battery operating as it should. There was a video stored in my Ipad mini 2, of the 23 sec of crash flight ie it cut out and didn't show it crashing . hope this info helps others.
I do believe there is a problem with the battery firmware.
I also believe that if there is power in the battery you can fly it.
I also believe that if there isn't enough power in the battery the software should prevent take off
 
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That shouldn't be the problem. After all , even a fully charged battery is going to discharge when flying. Would it be pilot error if a quad dropped outta the sky when the battery was 61%? Give some of us a break with the pat answers.
thank you

My P3a used a 61 % battery lost power and came down about 23 sec into the flight, broke camera and landing gear . I then immediately flew it (same flight path roughly) twice, and it was fine. It went to DJI mid November, and last week I got the info that DJI are going to sort it under warranty (no flight logs were made of the crash flight but the subsequent ones were logged and show the battery operating as it should. There was a video stored in my Ipad mini 2, of the 23 sec of crash flight ie it cut out and didn't show it crashing . hope this info helps others.
I do believe there is a problem with the battery firmware.
I also believe that if there is power in the battery you can fly it.
I also believe that if there isn't enough power in the battery the software should prevent take off
 
Well I just want to say I have had over 300 flights I have the very first P3A to roll out I have had no problems.except for the esc error code why don't know.took off backwards flew out 2km then back home landed then error code sent it into Dji...repaired as I waited I bought the second P3A flew that one then sold it.always make sure it's all good b4 u fly..
 
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Flew my Vision Plus for about 7 months and bought this P2A on release date. Never had any problems... until tonight. Wanted to get some night shots so I drove out and got permission. Set drone up and waited about 45 seconds for it to warm up. Started the motors and got a home lock. Manually launched about 30' in the air and hovered for about 3 seconds. All of a sudden everything shut down. No motors, no lights. Fell right down onto the parking lot. Battery bounced out, camera was ripped off and landing gear was bent.

I've posted the photos of the damage and here is the link to the flight logs.
HealthyDrones.com - Innovative flight data analysis that matters
Nothing to see as I read it as it was only in the air for about 5 seconds. No errors.

I'm set to fly down to Florida next week and worked the P3 into those plans. Very bad timing. So I think I'm going to buy another one locally before I leave next week. Kills me that I need to spend another $1250 out of my pocket but this is the price paid for such a hobby. I'll be buying from Drone Etc as they are local. They alos give quotes on repairs so I might drop the old one off to them and see if it might be worth repairing to sell. If nothing else, I'll see about getting one with the new motors. I'm one who does not think there is any real difference but it might make me feel a bit better about the purchase. Also, there is a

deal right now for a free DJI case and I can save $50 to offset local tax.

View attachment 37695 View attachment 37696


Please tell me that you sent your bird back to DJI to be repaired under warranty. Same thing happened to me and they repaired it and sent it back free of charge. I don't care what anyone on here says this is a defect. Obviously DJI agrees because of all of the drones the have repaired under warranty.
 
Yes sent it in under warranty yes I agree electronics can be defective.hope u get a new bird..and they replaced my cracked shell even though I opened it and glued it to keep flying.
 
Replaced a self helped drone body? That is Good news. ;-)

RedHotPoker
 
Of course there were words over it, they were not happy the info was leaked. But that is not the topic here. I just wanted to clarify what had happened. You can contact me privately if you have any other questions. Thanks.



I use DeoxIT Gold on all my electrical connections other it be my UAV's, RC crawlers, my DSLR, etc. Well worth the few bucks for the tube as a little goes a long ways. I haven't owned my P3 for long and I have had zero issues so far. I have however flown my P2 for two years, also with no problems and I have used partially charged batteries.
I don't understand your theory on the battery terminals. If you find a loose battery terminal on a car that is abnormal, it should be tight. A properly seated P3 battery is normal and requires no repair. And what do you mean by "pull the two parts together"? Are you referring to the battery main power contacts that the male spade connector on the bird side slide into? Also, the two lower pins detect the batteries data. The battery contacts were redesigned on the P2 as they had problems with them losing contact from the lower two pins and dropping from the sky. Sometimes people don't have their battery fully locked in and it shifts enough to break connection and it falls. There are many reasons this could happen so I feel it is premature to say that a partially charged battery will increase your risk of complete power failure.

Here are the new & old style contacts -

View attachment 37704
I think DJI should redesign the contacts. Instead of 'flat' contacts, they should implement something like a spring used in battery compartments. So if the battery is not completely in, it will still make a good contact.

P.S: This is the 'new' version, right? What have improved from the old version and the new version, except for the bigger pads?
ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots1451974151.073026.jpg
 
The Phantom does make use of springs on the bird side. The little pins are spring loaded. The larger pads guarantee there is a good contact. You should always be certain the battery is fully locked in. If it falls out mid flight your gonna have a bad day.
 
Please tell me that you sent your bird back to DJI to be repaired under warranty. Same thing happened to me and they repaired it and sent it back free of charge. I don't care what anyone on here says this is a defect. Obviously DJI agrees because of all of the drones the have repaired under warranty.
I sent mine back with the same problem and its being repaired under warranty. Dji will therefore know about this, and anyone on this site who says don't fly unless the battery is 100% is talking nonsense. I think there is a firmware problem , it may be a battery problem or some other firmware problem,and DJI are not saying anything about this, in fact DJI don't say anything about any problems that turn up from time to time, that's the nature of the beast. DJI are never open with their updates or their fixes, or their repairs, you just have to accept that, one day other companies will come along and be more open,
Why do you think DJI hold onto the means to interrogate your equipment and wont let you or the dealers have the means to decipher , until they do then make your own choice.
Anyone with any sense can see that there may be a problem with the DJI system, but to say don't fly with a battery that isn't 100% charged , I have no time for that advice it doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
I have always flown with part charged batteries I fly I stop I fly I land etc etc when the software that controls the flight tells me there is not enough power left I either land it myself and use another battery or the software kicks in and does an auto land.
I have always driven my car with a part filled diesel tank, I have always used my radio with part used batteries, and until DJI comes out with
the reason why their kit stops working sometimes,
I'll continue to do the same as I've always done ie fly with part charged batteries, yes you remember the Dji product knows when the battery is not good enough to fly safe -- it warns you and or takes action, that's why it cost so much that's what you pay for, so don't be afraid to fly on part charged batteries and don't listen to the scare mongers.
 
Well today went out to fly did not realize my one battery was only 65% charged so I went for it seem to be just fine
 
I sent mine back with the same problem and its being repaired under warranty. Dji will therefore know about this, and anyone on this site who says don't fly unless the battery is 100% is talking nonsense. I think there is a firmware problem , it may be a battery problem or some other firmware problem,and DJI are not saying anything about this, in fact DJI don't say anything about any problems that turn up from time to time, that's the nature of the beast. DJI are never open with their updates or their fixes, or their repairs, you just have to accept that, one day other companies will come along and be more open,
Why do you think DJI hold onto the means to interrogate your equipment and wont let you or the dealers have the means to decipher , until they do then make your own choice.
Anyone with any sense can see that there may be a problem with the DJI system, but to say don't fly with a battery that isn't 100% charged , I have no time for that advice it doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
I have always flown with part charged batteries I fly I stop I fly I land etc etc when the software that controls the flight tells me there is not enough power left I either land it myself and use another battery or the software kicks in and does an auto land.
I have always driven my car with a part filled diesel tank, I have always used my radio with part used batteries, and until DJI comes out with
the reason why their kit stops working sometimes,
I'll continue to do the same as I've always done ie fly with part charged batteries, yes you remember the Dji product knows when the battery is not good enough to fly safe -- it warns you and or takes action, that's why it cost so much that's what you pay for, so don't be afraid to fly on part charged batteries and don't listen to the scare mongers.

I believe the problem occurs when people fly down to like 20% battery and then a number of days go by and then when they put the battery in without charging it the phantom thinks the battery is at 60% or higher. This is the nature of a partially discharged lipo battery, it is difficult to determine how full it is because all you measure is voltage. You need to load up the battery....

I also think the issue can be after the battery enters self discharge....
 
Well today went out to fly did not realize my one battery was only 65% charged so I went for it seem to be just fine
Awesome news. Battery was known to be low, So you went for it? ;-)
Living on the edge, Eh man. Ah, it's like I can relate.
My SpYder Back tire was bald, but the Front two were okay... So, I went for it, drag racing a local Hell's Angel down our Anthony Henday Freeway. ;-)
If he's out there, I owe you a cold beer, buddy...
And I have a new 'tyre' on, let's go again... Hahaha
I don't get a "Tire Critical, please stop the horseplay" warning.

RedHotPoker
 
tcope, sorry for your loss. Loads of respect for the manner you have taken this in your stride and moving on.

This thread is really entertaining in the speculations for the loss...... maybe there is another angle.
- DJI is a chinese company, when you pronounce "4" in cantonese, it means "death"
- Looking at your flight records, you flew "4" feet, at a max altitude of "44" feet, at a max speed of "4x" mph, with a battery temp of "4x.x"F, with an aircraft with "4" propellers.
- To top it all, you flew in a cemetery....
- Maybe the a/c simply decided it was time to go....

How's that for another take on the real cause of the crash :)

Anyway, I suggest that you write to DJI support and upload your logs there. A similar thing happened to my drone in Dec, and DJI replaced it at no cost.

Good Luck !!
btw, that would be the number "8" in chinese!!
 
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This post is a prime example why no one with a life comes to this forum or participates in most drone forums any more. A guy comes on and posts an interesting topic for discussion and nothing but a bunch of whiney little keyboard warriors come on to harangue and attack him. It's no wonder most AMA members have had it with the self-righteous entitlement mentality of drone users. You people are sealing the fate of the hobby.
 
Flew my Vision Plus for about 7 months and bought this P2A on release date. Never had any problems... until tonight. Wanted to get some night shots so I drove out and got permission. Set drone up and waited about 45 seconds for it to warm up. Started the motors and got a home lock. Manually launched about 30' in the air and hovered for about 3 seconds. All of a sudden everything shut down. No motors, no lights. Fell right down onto the parking lot. Battery bounced out, camera was ripped off and landing gear was bent.

I've posted the photos of the damage and here is the link to the flight logs.
HealthyDrones.com - Innovative flight data analysis that matters
Nothing to see as I read it as it was only in the air for about 5 seconds. No errors.

I'm set to fly down to Florida next week and worked the P3 into those plans. Very bad timing. So I think I'm going to buy another one locally before I leave next week. Kills me that I need to spend another $1250 out of my pocket but this is the price paid for such a hobby. I'll be buying from Drone Etc as they are local. They alos give quotes on repairs so I might drop the old one off to them and see if it might be worth repairing to sell. If nothing else, I'll see about getting one with the new motors. I'm one who does not think there is any real difference but it might make me feel a bit better about the purchase. Also, there is a deal right now for a free DJI case and I can save $50 to offset local tax.

View attachment 37695 View attachment 37696
 
Flew my Vision Plus for about 7 months and bought this P2A on release date. Never had any problems... until tonight. Wanted to get some night shots so I drove out and got permission. Set drone up and waited about 45 seconds for it to warm up. Started the motors and got a home lock. Manually launched about 30' in the air and hovered for about 3 seconds. All of a sudden everything shut down. No motors, no lights. Fell right down onto the parking lot. Battery bounced out, camera was ripped off and landing gear was bent.

I've posted the photos of the damage and here is the link to the flight logs.
HealthyDrones.com - Innovative flight data analysis that matters
Nothing to see as I read it as it was only in the air for about 5 seconds. No errors.

I'm set to fly down to Florida next week and worked the P3 into those plans. Very bad timing. So I think I'm going to buy another one locally before I leave next week. Kills me that I need to spend another $1250 out of my pocket but this is the price paid for such a hobby. I'll be buying from Drone Etc as they are local. They alos give quotes on repairs so I might drop the old one off to them and see if it might be worth repairing to sell. If nothing else, I'll see about getting one with the new motors. I'm one who does not think there is any real difference but it might make me feel a bit better about the purchase. Also, there is a deal right now for a free DJI case and I can save $50 to offset local tax.

View attachment 37695 View attachment 37696
 

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