I might not have worded it correctly, but I had no Gopro on the Phantom. I did have my cell phone but had wifi shut off. I had the GPS turned on and an app that would allow me to see what height I reached when accessed after landing.
I should mention that I did a repair on one of the tips of the propellers, taped a replacement end on the blade, so it's possible that this came loose, or possible that being unbalanced might have eventually screwed up the motor. This is why I'm not asking Dji for any compensation, yet, as I've yet to find it in the mass of trees. I spent 3 hours today walking through knee high snow and did, like advised, use a gps tracker so I could make sure I covered the entire area. It was quit far away when it went down, so I'm not positive where it ended up. I was able to call the phone (separate number) so the crash could not have been that severe. Unfortunately the Find My Phone app didn't work, so I've got quite the area to cover. Will try again tomorrow.
I had been flying it for hours with the repair, so maybe, like I mentioned, the motor finally broke down, which would be 100% my fault. Strange that it would take a dive like that right after I shut off the remote.
ianwood: the dive started from 400 feet and it kept diving right till it went into the trees.
What mode were you flying in? GPS
If GPS mode, did your bird flash green (slow flash) after finding satellites BEFORE takeoff? Yes
Did you have your wireless enabled on the GoPro? No
Did you fly for a bit close to the ground before gaining altitude? Any odd flight characteristics? No
Were there any high power lines, substations, cell towers nearby? How far away from you? No, out in the wilderness.
When was the last time you calibrated the compass? A couple days ago, from this area.
When you transport, do you have it near any metallic or magnetic objects? (speakers, sheet metal,ect.) No
Any odd flight characteristics on take off or ascent? No, it's been flying good, even with my repair.
What was the wind speed at ground level? 400ft? 10 kph