My drone went crazy and I don't know why

[danielamann]

This is my first post, flight was going completely normal and then out of nowhere completely lost it. I had no control as my phantom 4 just went faster and faster out of control until it hit a tree and went down. Any chance you could look into this?

I see that it says there is a compass error. This has been flown a multitude of times so I am not sure why this particular flight suddenly went wacko.

Here are the flight logs
Phantom Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

Thanks

 

[Suhail78]

I see it was telling you to switch to ATTI mode b/c of the compass errors if the craft was behaving abnormally, and it would appear that you did not do that.

 

[danielamann]

I see it was telling you to switch to ATTI mode b/c of the compass errors if the craft was behaving abnormally, and it would appear that you did not do that.

No I did not, and I honestly never thought to. Everything happened extremely fast and I was most focused on trying to stop the drone from hitting me or any of the trees around. It should have been my first reaction the first moment it did something on its own, but it went from a regular flight to completely out of control extremely quickly and I never reacted by switching modes. Next time (if there is one) I absolutely would try that immediately. However, not once did I see the on-screen command to switch to Atti or the compass error on my tablet, only afterward on the flight log. I guess that it may be due to my focus on the drone in the sky and not looking at my tablet, I can't honestly say, but usually I've heard audible alarms in the past for other situations (battery, obstacle, etc.) and am not sure whether that happens in this situation as well? If not, it should. There definitely was not one audible alarm yesterday. My real curiosity, though, is why this might happen suddenly and randomly after so many successful flights? Where I was flying when this happened was an open field and a small nearby wooded area but that's it, I don't understand why the sudden and random loss of control. I can't imagine any real source of interference and my calibration has been good. I've flown so many other times without a hitch, this makes me a little frightened to fly until I have more information.

 

[Rankmonkey]

I've experienced the same thing but was able to get control back. I noticed some dark thunderstorms around can somehow cause magnetic interference.

 

[N017RW]

My real curiosity, though, is why this might happen suddenly and randomly after so many successful flights?

EVERY or ANY flight could be your last.
There is a cause, it's just [presently] unknown or undetermined. It is not random.

Past success is NO indication of future success(es).

These are consumer grade, mass-produced, wireless-ly controlled devices with a great deal of on-board decision making occurring so that you can just steer it around.

The lack of experience and past failures with r/c aircraft makes for a lot of overconfident operators.

Sadly some will experience not only personal loss of property but also liability for their aircraft's 'actions'.

 

[F3honda4me]

Have you ever flown in this area before?

 

[danielamann]

I've experienced the same thing but was able to get control back. I noticed some dark thunderstorms around can somehow cause magnetic interference.

Lucky you managed to get yours back under control. I wish I had, as it would have scared me less, but somehow the crash didn't do anything to the drone so I am very thankful for that. I am not surprised to hear that but have never flown around a thunderstorm before. We only have them here occasionally and that is in the summer. Now I know not to in the future though!

 

[danielamann]

Have you ever flown in this area before?

Not exactly right there, but within half a mile. There is like a 10 acre plot of trees and everywhere from southeast around toward the south and then direct west is open field. I flew on the southeastern side two weeks ago and this time was over on the western corner.

 

[danielamann]

EVERY or ANY flight could be your last.
There is a cause, it's just [presently] unknown or undetermined. It is not random.

Past success is NO indication of future success(es).

These are consumer grade, mass-produced, wireless-ly controlled devices with a great deal of on-board decision making occurring so that you can just steer it around.

The lack of experience and past failures with r/c aircraft makes for a lot of overconfident operators.

Sadly some will experience not only personal loss of property but also liability for their aircraft's 'actions'.

I appreciate this perspective. I do agree that at times I get, maybe overconfident isn't the best word...but rather complacent with my drone. It has always acted exactly how I intended until this point so it was absolutely unexpected when I lost total control. Fortunately I have always been aware enough to know not to fly over others or in such a way that I might put them in danger if something like this did happen. The only victims to this drone accident was the trees and the ground of open fields. I flew my drone this afternoon, monitoring everything, starting with just some hovering and basic movement and then working into a usual flight, all at a location I have flown at before and had lots of space in case something went wrong again. Everything seemed completely normal, which makes what happened yesterday all the more interesting and surprising to me.

Thanks for your response, more people need this type of mindset when flying their aircraft!

Daniel

 

[Rankmonkey]

If you were standing in the middle of trees you probably lost signal or had weak signal. Also the antenna should always be adjusted while flying in places like the one you choose. Make sure your antenna tip never faces your drone for it will loose signal. Watch some you tube videos on how to adjust antenna for best results and keep an eye on you signal at the top of screen by a picture of the remote. I hope that helps. I would calibrate everything and if your home position is surrounded by trees you will need to adjust the antenna as you fly. If you get weak signals I usually fly higher. I don't fly at low altitude when I am around alot of tall trees. Just look at the signal bars and fly higher to improve signal.

 

[F3honda4me]

There are some power lines running right through the area you were at. And at one point it looks like you flew under them as well?

 

[N017RW]

I appreciate this perspective. I do agree that at times I get, maybe overconfident isn't the best word...but rather complacent with my drone. It has always acted exactly how I intended until this point so it was absolutely unexpected when I lost total control. Fortunately I have always been aware enough to know not to fly over others or in such a way that I might put them in danger if something like this did happen. The only victims to this drone accident was the trees and the ground of open fields. I flew my drone this afternoon, monitoring everything, starting with just some hovering and basic movement and then working into a usual flight, all at a location I have flown at before and had lots of space in case something went wrong again. Everything seemed completely normal, which makes what happened yesterday all the more interesting and surprising to me.

Thanks for your response, more people need this type of mindset when flying their aircraft!

Daniel

Cool. Glad you didn't take it wrong way which can happen at times.
Seems you have a good attitude and handle on the possibilities of loss or liability.

 

[danielamann]

There are some power lines running right through the area you were at. And at one point it looks like you flew under them as well?

Actually now that you mention it, there are, though the only time I went near them was when it spiraled underneath them on its crash course. Otherwise the first 5 minutes of the flight were completely the other way. Do power lines actually have the capability to cause interference? From what I understand inspectors actually use drones to look at the lines without having to get on a lift, so I would think that meant they were safe to fly around. I make a point to never fly near them anyway do to other dangers, and have never had this type of issue before. Interesting point though, and could be the problem. Does anyone else know more about this?

 

[danielamann]

If you were standing in the middle of trees you probably lost signal or had weak signal. Also the antenna should always be adjusted while flying in places like the one you choose. Make sure your antenna tip never faces your drone for it will loose signal. Watch some you tube videos on how to adjust antenna for best results and keep an eye on you signal at the top of screen by a picture of the remote. I hope that helps. I would calibrate everything and if your home position is surrounded by trees you will need to adjust the antenna as you fly. If you get weak signals I usually fly higher. I don't fly at low altitude when I am around alot of tall trees. Just look at the signal bars and fly higher to improve signal.

I wasn't actually in the trees, I was in the field flying toward and above the trees. Most all my flights have been in wooded areas (it is where I live) and I know I didn't lose RC signal. The drone only went haywire down well below the tree line and fairly close to me as well. It was between me and the trees. This was a compass error.

 

[danielamann]

Cool. Glad you didn't take it wrong way which can happen at times.
Seems you have a good attitude and handle on the possibilities of loss or liability.

Definitely. Peoples unwillingness to accept fault or listen to others only holds them back, and thus I always try to be open to discussions and hear people out. Many many many people know much much much more than I do.

 

[Rankmonkey]

Power plants sometimes send a burst of electrical current thru the power lines. The reasoning is the Burst can clear limbs and stuff with out sending workers out. Sometimes after a storm you can actually hear the lines purging and moving around. Perhaps this can make interference. I fly under power lines and around them all the time but never while they purged. My guess I will soon because I have alot of power lines around my house.

 

[Phantom-Paul]

Power plants sometimes send a burst of electrical current thru the power lines. The reasoning is the Burst can clear limbs and stuff with out sending workers out. Sometimes after a storm you can actually hear the lines purging and moving around. Perhaps this can make interference. I fly under power lines and around them all the time but never while they purged. My guess I will soon because I have alot of power lines around my house.

Sorry this statement is almost as silly as "my drone just flew away on its own" . If we sent bursts of electricity down the line to clear tree limbs etc. off you would all be buying new TV's every time there's a wind storm.
Yes occasionally excessive amounts of current do go down the line , strong enough that the magnetic field caused can make the conductors sway but this current is caused by a fault down the line not the other way around.[emoji14]


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[Rankmonkey]

So you say it's silly but agree... The transformers and fuses keep high electrical currents from damaging your home electronics. Also this is a forum for us to figure things out and learn from others mistakes. He mentioned power lines being worked on and workers were present obviously for they saved his drone. Positive feed back would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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[N017RW]

When I read this I too thought it was BS.
Do spikes happen? Yes.
Are they done intentionally? Simply post or cite your reference source or material.

 

[Rankmonkey]

I was first told about this by a high school friend who works with Entergy. After a storm hit my area he was at my house and told me of this. When there are no broke or downed lines he said they usually purge the lines. We watched the power lines as the main purged the lines. It lasted about 3 or 4 mins. You could hear the lines warping. They also moved in a whipped motion. I was surprised. I work along side a electrical engineer that did work with NASA. A very talented individual. I told him about the purging. He told me that it's a old tactic that they have used for years. He explained it to me. I myself thought it seemed dangerous and lazy of the electric companies. He also said they purge to check equipment too.

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