I had my first crash.

[FAL guy]

I purchased my P3S as a Christmas gift. I have 41 flights using GPS and Atti and have never even had a close call. This morning, I had a great flight and landed without issue. After installing a fresh battery I turned on the drone, reconnected to wifi, turned on the DJI go app and once I checked home point position (just a habit) and GPS I did an auto take off. The drone immediately started drifting toward me. I climbed a bit as I had a few light poles nearby. As I climbed I noticed the drone pitch a bit and accelerate away from me. I immediately went to RTH on the DJI app and got the normal beeping but the drone continued on its path away from me. The drone then did a left turn, accelerated and ran into a brick wall of a nearby building. It appears the upper and lower case will need replaced and the Gimbel of course, is shot.

I reviewed the in app log and it showed after take off the drone went into Atti mode...I assure you, it wasn't because I flipped the switch. The Log also showed the home point was right beside the takeoff point, no where near where the drone was headed. The log showed the unit remained in RTH until the crash, and impact was at about 30 mph.

So after checking out the photos, do you think DJI will cover this as a runaway?

 

[Fly Dawg]

Upload your flight log here and post a link back so others can take a look at it in more detail. Also, in your statement you stated that the log said the aircraft was in ATTI. Makes no difference at all with the switch, if you lose GPS, it will switch automatically.
https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/

 

[MapMaker53]

And if you lost satellites and dropped into ATTI, an RTH will be useless without GPS and may (I'm guessing here) cause it to head to some arbitrary location.

 

[FAL guy]

At this point I just feel really stupid for not automatically switching my brain to manual and simply flying the aircraft. Control input data shows very little on my part, I don't remember that, but that is what the video on dji go shows.

Here is the link to the log. Thank you in advance for any help.
DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

 

[macoman]

There was a compass error before taking off and you take off. Then it flew in ATTI mode. Never ever take off with a non working compass.

 

[With The Birds]

Your suspicion is probably right- it is likely you could have avoided the incident flying the AC. The AC reported a compass error at takeoff that persisted triggering ATTI mode. RTH won't help you in these circumstances, accurate heading information is necessary.

 

[dchao]

There was a compass error before taking off and you take off. Then it flew in ATTI mode. Never ever take off with a non working compass.

From the flight log:
0m 2.3s Auto Takeoff (Taking off)
0m 3.0s Auto Takeoff
0m 4.1s Auto Takeoff (Compass Error)
The compass error happened *after* the drone had taken off.
IMO, the drone was out of control (due to a faulty compass reading), the correct response is to execute a CSC command to stop the motors immediately, You can't fly manually without a compass either.
As to the cause of the compass error, any sugguestions??

 

[macoman]

[QUOTE="dchao, post: 1214712, member: 93370]
As to the cause of the compass error, any sugguestions??[/QUOTE]

Two things: bad calibration or the compass hardware is bad.

 

[Fly Dawg]

From the original post: "I climbed a bit as I had a few light poles nearby."

Or as a possibility, from the original post. How close were the poles? Compass Error, I tend to agree.

 

[FAL guy]

There was a compass error before taking off and you take off. Then it flew in ATTI mode. Never ever take off with a non working compass.

I never take off unless I have the green bar indicating "SAFE-GPS"

I calibrated the compass directly prior to the first flight which ended just minutes prior to the crash flight starting. That first flight was without incident from the same spot. Since I was taking off from the same spot I didn't calibrate for the second flight.

 

[dchao]

I never take off unless I have the green bar indicating "SAFE-GPS"

I calibrated the compass directly prior to the first flight which ended just minutes prior to the crash flight starting. That first flight was without incident from the same spot. Since I was taking off from the same spot I didn't calibrate for the second flight.

@FAL: Sorry for your crash. When you had a chance to open the shell and fix the inside, can you check if the compass connector is properly attached to the ESC board and is not loose. Also can you have a look inside the compass compartment on the landing-skid, and make sure the compass is still securely glued in place.
Thanks!

 

[solentlife]

a) RTH only operates if greater than 20m from Home point. 20m or less and it enters landing mode.

b) Magnetic anomaly can change literally by just moving a few feet ... so any structures / items near you can make difference flight to flight.

c) If it enters ATTI with compass error - then the model has no directional indicator to assist. GPS will still be operating - but in ATTI mode - it only assists to land at Home point - IF you are over 20m from it. But if compass is wrong - then the GPS position is of no use ... one needs the other etc.

Basically you should have landed it wherever it was because within 20m - it really is pot-luck in this situation you had. Really sorry you messed her up.

The suggestion to CSC is wrong ... unless poster meant LEFT stick click it down.

Nigel

 

[toegema]

I had a Bad Compass once. I had moved up in the mountains without calibrating. Got the error just after take off. It started flying away fast. Probably just strong wind drift. Just bring it down fast as possible and manually compensate for the wind drift.
I don't know if a bad compass should make ATTI flying more difficult or not. I would think the compass is not in use when flying atti. Can anyone confirm this?
After I recalibrated it flew just fine.

 

[Fly Dawg]

I don't know if a bad compass should make ATTI flying more difficult or not. I would think the compass is not in use when flying atti. Can anyone confirm this?

Good point. Not completely certain of that myself, but just for the sake of argument, if you will, I would say that it may depend on the switching method. Manually via the switch, or Automatically on GPS loss. In either event, the barometer is still active for altitude. Quite honestly, I hope I don't have to find the answer.

 

[dchao]

The suggestion to CSC is wrong ... unless poster meant LEFT stick click it down.

If you have a bad compass, you won't be able to control the AC, let alone landing it safely, CSC is the best way to stop the drone dead before it hit any buildings or people.
As shown in OP's flight log:
0m7.3s Magnetic Filed Interference. Exit P-GPS Mode; Compass Error
Even the AC had already exited P-GPS mode, the AC continued to bank left and was still out of control, until the flight was interrupted by a building.
If your drone was out of control and going to hit a person or a building, I would do a CSC immediately. (Especially, the drone was only at 30 ft)
DJI put CSC there for a reason, it is for "emergency". (Even after people complaint about accidental shut-off, they still won't remove it, this shows that DJI thinks the CSC is an important part of the emergency protocols)

 

[FAL guy]

I received an email from DJI yesterday. Their decision is to cover the drone under warranty. Thanks DJI!!