It just flew away! - <correction> it didn't fly away at all.

[Fly Dawg]

Facts are offensive, we need a non-judgmental safe zone for fly away posts!

Really? Fact's are just that. If any data proves otherwise then you have a legitimate gripe. I personally don't pass judgement and try to assist where I can. In the term "Facts" I refer to data, and not assumptions of OP errors, although I will grant the fact that analyzing data can be "controversial" , especially for the OP involved. Data is 90% of the resolution of issues. The OP also has the right and privilege to "argue", if you will, any data that the OP may feel to be "inaccurate". And as others have previously posted many times, true "fly away's" are extremely rare and if they do happen the data will answer that question for you for the most part. Fact's are not judgemental as you seem to believe. I apologize up front if this seems not to your "cup of tea" so to speak, but facts (Data) are what they are.

 

[microlinux]

Really? Fact's are just that. If any data proves otherwise then you have a legitimate gripe. I personally don't pass judgement and try to assist where I can. In the term "Facts" I refer to data, and not assumptions of OP errors, although I will grant the fact that analyzing data can be "controversial" , especially for the OP involved. Data is 90% of the resolution of issues. The OP also has the right and privilege to "argue", if you will, any data that the OP may feel to be "inaccurate". And as others have previously posted many times, true "fly away's" are extremely rare and if they do happen the data will answer that question for you for the most part. Fact's are not judgemental as you seem to believe. I apologize up front if this seems not to your "cup of tea" so to speak, but facts (Data) are what they are.

I was making light of the fact that the OP thought Meta's analysis was mean, somehow.

 

[AirMan05446]

Facts are offensive, we need a non-judgmental safe zone for fly away posts!

With crayons, coloring books, and LOT's of affirmation.

 

[Meta4]

If you really think that a slight breeze (5 mph-ish at ground level and maybe higher at 900 feel) disconnected the RC, froze the screen and drove the device backwards 2,000+ feet then I guess so be it and lesson learned on my part. Additionally, if visually watching the drone at all times is required (I know it is recommended) then that really hinders the usefulness of the product as well.

It's not a matter of "if I think .... Your flight data clearly shows that at 900 feet and 435 feet the wind conditions were more than your Mavic could deal with in RTH.

On another note, the biggest knock about this forum is the "snarkiness" of some of the posts. There is a tone of rudeness and defensiveness that starts to build-up and I think some of those folks should consider toning it down if they want more participation..... When Meta and AirMan weigh in it becomes a sour tone.

The flying environment can be very unforgiving, mistakes mean going home with one less drone.
To survive in that environment you have to be aware of what your drone can and can't do and operate it appropriately.
I'm disappointed that you have learned nothing, won't accept responsibility and are upset at what you perceive to be a sour tone while you continue to ignore facts that matter.

Words and phrases like below are really not needed:
1) "don't quite match your story"
2) "you mysteriously pulled the right stick hard down sending the Mavic backwards at greater speed and quickly lost another 300 feet distance. And from then on you didn't touch the right stick letting the Mavic be blown away."
3) "Your lack of experience and understanding allowed it to be blown away when it should have been easily brought back"
4) "Your thread title is misleading"
5) "Also, in your original post you sure made it sound like it rose to 900 feet on it's own, now you say you did it on purpose. So I'm not really sure what to think at this point"

This shows how you just don't get it.
I said that the data didn't quite match your story because so little of your story was true.
Here are the points for which I can't find any factual basis:

• I am an experienced pilot with hundreds of flight hours
• After a few minutes of good flight, the Mavic Pro lost connection and just flew away
• The Mavic suddenly rose to over 900 feet in the air (despite my RTH height being set to 100 meters) and just flew away and was non-responsive to manual controls.
• I hit the RTH button but no response.

I said the data doesn't quite match your story because I was sugarcoating it and being polite.
Your explanation was misleading, confused and highly inaccurate.
Likewise your points 2-5 were all factual, are substantiated by the data and are important in understanding the incident.
I'm sorry if accurately reporting the cause of the incident offends your delicate sensibilities but I can't see any other way.
I'm amazed that you can't see how your thread title is misleading.
You say that your Mavic just flew away and just a casual scan of the data shows how wrong this is. You let your Mavic blow away when it would have been easy to bring it back.
You are blaming the Mavic for your own deficiencies as a pilot.
It's thread titles like yours that encourage a false belief that drones will just fly away.
If you don't have the honesty to change the title to something more accurate, I'll do it for you.

 

[sar104]

Just to reiterate the high winds aloft plus inexperienced piloting as the cause of this event, note that seven high wind warnings were recorded above 400 ft altitude. Additionally, Airdata windspeed calculations for that flight are shown below, showing gusty and sustained high winds blowing the aircraft almost directly away from the launch point.

Taken together these clearly lead to the conclusion that it was unable to return under RTH, but quite likely could have been piloted back in sport mode, given that the issue was already obvious at a distance of only a few hundred feet.

Flight time Altitude Home Distance Wind Direction Wind Speed
A 03m 23s 49.5 ft 85 ft 256° 9.10 mph
B 03m 32s 49.2 ft 86 ft 278° 6.91 mph
C 04m 47s 117.5 ft 254 ft 222° 16.17 mph
D 05m 25s 132.5 ft 762 ft 247° 12.64 mph
E 05m 47s 132.5 ft 1,339 ft 243° 13.76 mph
F 06m 40s 131.2 ft 2,186 ft 232° 9.66 mph
G 07m 00s 132.2 ft 2,184 ft 234° 5.53 mph
H 07m 35s 117.8 ft 1,920 ft 270° 7.27 mph
I 08m 05s 104.0 ft 1,302 ft 264° 14.85 mph
J 09m 21s 104.0 ft 583 ft 264° 13.00 mph
K 09m 39s 104.0 ft 548 ft 263° 14.56 mph
L 11m 02s 906.8 ft 548 ft 259° 22.79 mph
M 11m 46s 697.8 ft 464 ft 243° 19.95 mph

 

[Meta4]

I've wondered if or when it breaks connection out of the RC itself (Not GO.), if it resets the home position to where the RC link is re-captured on the re-booting of the RC where the voice says "Setting home point?" If so, the RTH may be someplace new and if it keeps breaking the link, the RTH may be where ever. Dunno.

Home point is set by the Phantom itself when it gets a GPS position fix.
Losing connection with either the app or the RC won't have any effect.
The whole idea of saving the home point is so the drone can RTH if it loses signal so it would be extremely poor programming to have it any other way.

 

[JetLife]

It's not surprising that you lost signal 900 feet straight up.
Straight up is the worst angle to maintain signal.

I'll address that now.
Your initial home point was 27.459062 -80.308703
At the end of the flight, the home point stored by the Mavic was: 27.459062 -80.308703
I don't know why you would think a new home point had been set (or how that could have happened).
The flight log is very clear. Your Mavic was trying to get back home but being blown backwards.


And I stick with my assessment of 100% pilot error.
I'd suggest you read it again because a lot of work went into it.
On the bright side others can learn from your mistakes even if you don't.
When the flyer puts their drone in a situation from which it can't get back and has a poor understanding of what it can and can't do, it's no-one else's fault.
The Mavic did not exhibit any sign of being a faulty product and operated exactly as it was designed.
As fighter pilots say: Lose sight, lose the fight.
If you want to take your drone home, you must maintain situational awareness.
If you don't know where it is, how do you ensure you avoid crashing or flying behind and obstacle?
Your lack of experience and understanding allowed it to be blown away when it should have been easily brought back.
Your thread title is misleading too as the Mavic did not fly away. It was running its battery down trying to get back to you.
If you'd just brought it down from 432 feet this thread wouldn't have been written.

Bakersfield Quad and Meta4, Excellent posts and assessment! I learned something today.

 

[steen6673]

I would reiterate what JetLife just said - this is one of most informative posts I've read in a long time. Though the careful dissection of what occurred, it is a wonderful lesson for all of us on careful flight preparation and practice. I would have had many tragedies if it wasn't for those with vastly more experience taking the time to illustrate their own and others mistakes. On days when lighting is bad, no subjects for photography, etc, I often head out into the country to practice scenarios I read out on our forum.

I definitely feel for the OP on losing his drone. It is never easy to lose $1,000 no matter what. (On a side note, I have all my drones insured through State Farm Insurance. Very cheap and effective and you don't have to worry about things like this.). Back when I used to teach intro courses on using the Internet (yes, a while ago) I spent time explaining that it is easy to blast an email off with putting the proper amount of thought into what was being communicated. For most people, it is very hard to express the emotion and meaning behind the words in written form without effort. Thus, a response can very easily sound "snarky", rude, self righteous, etc, when that was furthest from the mind of the writer. (When scrutinizing a complex flight log, I excuse the experts from any tone as I'm very glad they are taking the time to help me understand what when wrong.). On the other hand, it can also be very hard to come right out and say "I screwed up and lost my $1K because I made a mistake". I think this thread is a wonderful example of how slight judgement was shown when the mistake was pointed out. It would have been nice to see the OP express he understood what happened and accept responsibility though in the end.

My thanks to Meta4, Msinger and all of those who help us when we can't figure it out!!!

 

[Razorback1]

900 feet high? Glad no planes were anywhere near

 

[Gnormand]

Nole1988: I experienced the same bashing when I posted a fly away last December. I was expecting some good advice, or kind words, but was duly criticized instead.
I was flying for the second time in an area, with new and charged battery. While at high altitude, battery suddenly gives warning that it is reducing power to save itself...
couldn't overcome the wind and started flying North, away from me.
How in the world could anyone know that was going to happen with a new and fully charged battery-but the "experts" on this site had some way to tell me that I did something wrong.
UPDATE: after 5.5 months in the South Alabama rainy weather, a roofing crew found my drone. Every metal part was starting to rust, and the decal was faded, but after replacing the battery,
cleaning it up, new props, calibrations, it flew beautifully for 2 days. EVEN the camera worked perfectly. I was going to post how Great DJI products were.... But, then, something went amiss...
maybe a weather deteriorated ESC, the craft refused to behave and seemed to purposely crash-maybe commit suicide. Anyway, I got a good story out of it...call it the Phoenix

 

[rodgerbwg]

I am an experienced pilot with hundreds of flight hours and several drones including the P4 and Mavic Pro. I am not asking for advice but merely telling the story for your own information. I was in beginner mode for a quick photo shoot over a marina. After a few minutes of good flight, the Mavic Pro lost connection and just flew away. Everything was calibrated and I had recorded the RTH location. All batteries and controller were fully charged. The Mavic suddenly rose to over 900 feet in the air (despite my RTH height being set to 100 meters) and just flew away and was non-responsive to manual controls. I hit the RTH button but no response. I tried the combination of manual flight and RTH five times but soon it was nearly 3,000 feet away an over the water. The Find My Drone feature shows it in the water over a mile away. I have opened a case with DJI and they have the flight log records and all associated files and are analyzing. I guess my only question is should I expect a new drone from DJI? I have spent $5,800 with them on my drones, accessories and drones for some of my close friends. I am certainly a good customer.

Extremely doubtful on a replacement.

 

[Method007]

All good points. I thought the product was more robust that it could handle a 80 foot building and virtually no wind. If you really think that a slight breeze (5 mph-ish at ground level and maybe higher at 900 feel) disconnected the RC, froze the screen and drove the device backwards 2,000+ feet then I guess so be it and lesson learned on my part. Additionally, if visually watching the drone at all times is required (I know it is recommended) then that really hinders the usefulness of the product as well. I will keep everyone posted on the outcome with DJI on the issue. I truly appreciate the responses and the time put forth.

On another note, the biggest knock about this forum is the "snarkiness" of some of the posts. There is a tone of rudeness and defensiveness that starts to build-up and I think some of those folks should consider toning it down if they want more participation. I was concerned to even post because I have seen this in the past with other pilots that dared to question the great DJI in this forum. I think if you read my posts and the posts of Fly Dawg and GMack you see a tone of professionalism and politeness despite the direction of the thread. When Meta and AirMan weigh in it becomes a sour tone. Words and phrases like below are really not needed:

1) "don't quite match your story"
2) "you mysteriously pulled the right stick hard down sending the Mavic backwards at greater speed and quickly lost another 300 feet distance. And from then on you didn't touch the right stick letting the Mavic be blown away."
3) "Your lack of experience and understanding allowed it to be blown away when it should have been easily brought back"
4) "Your thread title is misleading"
5) "Also, in your original post you sure made it sound like it rose to 900 feet on it's own, now you say you did it on purpose. So I'm not really sure what to think at this point"

This is a forum and not a court of legal authority. I was not expecting every word to get dissected and thrown back at me. I wrote my initial post in a minute without thoroughly examining the flight log so some details were missed or incorrectly remembered. Remember guys, one of your forum members just had a $1,000 drone vanish. Try to cut down on the sour tone and snarkiness and just help where you can with facts.

Nope on all that.

 

[randyvanscoy]

There are smart people on here about this stuff. Sometimes they tell it like the logs see it. They are confusing to read and understand. Drones like every other electronic device are not perfict, cell towers can play a big effect on them, microwave paths can make them loose their connections easy. U dont know where a microwave path is and fly into one , ur craft can do strange things. Logs dont always show things like that because the pathnisnso small. Could be polit error , drone issue or remote issue. Wind like they said plays a big big part in it. I have lost 2 p3p drones due to wind sheers up that i had no idea was there. Im sure all if these people here dont mean to cut u down, they just come on strong sometimes trying to get their point across. This form has helped me a ton in the past also. Dont take it personal. They can be a ton of good help. Sorry for ur loss of a good drone. But now at least u have a better idea of what could of caused it. Good luck

 

[ribjig]

What minimum wind speed "blows away" a P4P+...?
30mph? (asked by novice)

 

[randyvanscoy]

What minimum wind speed "blows away" a P4P+...?
30mph? (asked by novice)

I lost one with a 10mph wind before. Depends on lots of things. From what i could find out, the wind was blowing in a circle pattern in area where my drone was and it did not have enough power to get out if it. People said it was caused by a farmers cilow in the area and wind was hitting it and caused it to spin.

 

[stuka75]

Where do find the wind data for this flight? Looked over the .csv
Thanks

 

[joe_cali]

I'm a newbie with my P4, had it about a month now. I flew at the beach a couple of weeks ago, just over the breaking waves and around the cliffs, and at one point my bird started moving up-up-and away despite full left-stick-down and right-stick-forward (it was oriented towards me). I didn't realize it then but I was caught in an up-draft above the cliffs. This sucker was getting pretty far away. Then I heard "you've reached maximum altitude", and I thought oh-crap I'm going to loose it and I haven't even made the first credit card payment! I kept orientation to me and down stick but it wasn't coming down. I hit RTH and watched the screen, in disbelief I saw the altitude climbing - WTF! After a agonizing 10 minutes of altitude ups and downs I went back to "down and forward" on the sticks and it finally came home. It got worse with RTH- now I know why,, thanks!

 

[sar104]

Where do find the wind data for this flight? Looked over the .csv
Thanks

Airdata run some algorithms to calculate wind speed and direction from aircraft velocity, pitch and roll that you can access if you upload a flight log and have one of their HD 360 accounts.

 

[DaveP4Pilot]

I'd like to thank Nole for starting this thread and sorry about losing the Mavic. Also, the guys who analyze the data are invaluable for the rest of us to learn what goes wrong. Most times reading a story like this I am really impressed with the data that is collected and able to be reviewed. I also believe the average person has very little knowledge of wind especially how much it may increase with altitude. Many people seem to want to complain about DJI including "high wind warnings" on the app but personally I am sure this is the cause of many fly aways.

A good way to test this is to take off and hover at about 20 feet and switch to ATTI mode and observe the drift. Increase altitude in GPS to maybe 100 feet and repeat, often much greater drift will occur. Repeat at 400 feet.

In GPS mode it would only take about 20 mph wind (depending on which model drone) to prevent you from making any headway if flying against it. Wind over 20 and you are going backwards. Without reducing altitude the only way to overcome it would be ATTI mode or S mode, RTH will have you in GPS mode and you are in trouble.

This situation was made much more difficult at over 900 feet and out of sight along with the disconnect. Try not to focus on the tone of the replies but instead the data. Sucks to lose the drone for sure.

 

[NRJ]

All good points. I thought the product was more robust that it could handle a 80 foot building and virtually no wind. If you really think that a slight breeze (5 mph-ish at ground level and maybe higher at 900 feel) disconnected the RC, froze the screen and drove the device backwards 2,000+ feet then I guess so be it and lesson learned on my part. Additionally, if visually watching the drone at all times is required (I know it is recommended) then that really hinders the usefulness of the product as well. I will keep everyone posted on the outcome with DJI on the issue. I truly appreciate the responses and the time put forth.

On another note, the biggest knock about this forum is the "snarkiness" of some of the posts. There is a tone of rudeness and defensiveness that starts to build-up and I think some of those folks should consider toning it down if they want more participation. I was concerned to even post because I have seen this in the past with other pilots that dared to question the great DJI in this forum. I think if you read my posts and the posts of Fly Dawg and GMack you see a tone of professionalism and politeness despite the direction of the thread. When Meta and AirMan weigh in it becomes a sour tone. Words and phrases like below are really not needed:

1) "don't quite match your story"
2) "you mysteriously pulled the right stick hard down sending the Mavic backwards at greater speed and quickly lost another 300 feet distance. And from then on you didn't touch the right stick letting the Mavic be blown away."
3) "Your lack of experience and understanding allowed it to be blown away when it should have been easily brought back"
4) "Your thread title is misleading"
5) "Also, in your original post you sure made it sound like it rose to 900 feet on it's own, now you say you did it on purpose. So I'm not really sure what to think at this point"

This is a forum and not a court of legal authority. I was not expecting every word to get dissected and thrown back at me. I wrote my initial post in a minute without thoroughly examining the flight log so some details were missed or incorrectly remembered. Remember guys, one of your forum members just had a $1,000 drone vanish. Try to cut down on the sour tone and snarkiness and just help where you can with facts.

Hi Nole, I am coming into this thread late as I usually read the past weeks most popular topics when I get them in an email. My reason for popping in on this thread is because I read it and I don't agree with your post #15 and your assessment of Meta4's analysis. Meta4 had your log file. Unless the file is corrupted which normally makes it unreadable, this is exactly what happened with your drone. These are indisputable, undeniable facts that will never change because they happened and have been recorded. The amazing ability and tenacity that went into this work to help you understand exactly what happened is truly deserving of a HEARTY THANK YOU to Meta4 without disagreement. He was reading a log of 'exactly' what happened to your drone. And you seem to dispute your drone's factual log. So, I too after putting in a pretty long time to analyze your flight log and then put that in writing in a concise and well laid out form for you to understand the facts, would make me a bit crazy too. Meta4 was not telling you what he thought you did, he told you 'what' you did. He is clear about that, are you clear about what you did at each moment? You can't disagree with facts, but you can question something if you don't understand.

Yes some of these posts get heated, and snarky, but doesn't the same thing happen when talking with people face to face as well? That's life, so stop whining.

Thanks for listening and fly well.