Phantom 3 Professional - Crashed into Lake

[Mimoid]

Here again is the difference in how the props looked before things went wrong compared to as things were going wrong... Do you still think it's just an imaging artifact or does it look like they're actually stopped in the second pic?

Before any trouble started...
View attachment 55687

Just before I lost connection...
View attachment 55688

And as a special treat, here is the final 11 seconds of video - after things had gone really wonky but then appeared to stabilize for 5-6 seconds....

No, the prop is definitely spinning in these images, it's just a camera sensor artifact. But the second picture seems to show a great deal of vibration (the landing strut looks like it is made if jello). To me, the steep angle of the horizon also seems to indicate some kind of propulsion failure. A broken propeller or a broken motor would be my guess. Sorry for your loss.

//Tom

 

[Alan Waterman]

And as a special treat, here is the final 11 seconds of video - after things had gone really wonky but then appeared to stabilize for 5-6 seconds....

If a prop had fallen off, there's no way it would suddenly be that stable for 5 seconds before suddenly going crazy again. My vote is a bad motor.

 

[steveeds]

Just saw this below, I'm going to try two at first, I'm really not sure if they would be hardy enough but shall see and don't know if they have already had a post on them.
They seem cheap, maybe cheap isn't good.

How to track your bike in case of theft, using your mobile phone? | Techie Fans

 

[Mimoid]

If a prop had fallen off, there's no way it would suddenly be that stable for 5 seconds before suddenly going crazy again. My vote is a bad motor.

Yeah, I thought maybe a crack in the propeller that escalated into a breakage... But I think you are right, a motor malfunction seems more likely. Guess we'll never find out.

//Tom

 

[axbagus]

You should not force to fly if gps reception not good. I see first 1M its a'ready red...

 

[Strat]

I was under the impression that DJI won't cover under warranty or replace if you were flying over water??

where did you hear this ??

 

[meissner58]

Actually, before you make the trip, we should probably make sure it will work. Can you put your Phantom on the bottom of Lake Michigan - about 14 feet down - and then see if it's visible with the sonar...?

Thank you!

LOL naw that's ok!

 

[dirtbird]

Very sorry to hear about this, but also very interested to see where this goes. Please let us know what DJI says.

 

[L.Chaney]

I love me some UltraMan


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[GadgetGuy]

I was under the impression that DJI won't cover under warranty or replace if you were flying over water??

That impression is not true. If the cause of the crash was conclusively or, in some cases, even more likely than not, not caused by pilot error, DJI warranty will usually cover the crash, especially if the aircraft is recovered. A crash into water from a decent height is usually just as destructive to the aircraft as a hard landing crash from the same height over land. If the aircraft is not recovered, a 30% discount towards a replacement aircraft is often offered, even if due to pilot error. Flying over water doesn't preclude warranty coverage. It just makes recovery of the aircraft more difficult for purposes of determining the cause of the crash, because the onboard .DAT file is what DJI prefers to use.

 

[Othan1]

Of course! That is the first thing I did. The ticket has been opened for 2 days and 2 hours but there has been no contact from anybody at DJI yet....

What were the circumstances of your incident? Did you have a crashed bird to send back to them or was yours gone completely also? How did the process go? (i.e. What information did they ask you to send? Did you have to argue with them? Did they tell you what the problem was?)

It was fairly painless but took 8 weeks before any communication. They got the logs, the remainder of the craft (but others have been replaced without the physical craft depending on data). I emailed them, they told me to call, I said No, they said send your info via email, I sent it and they sent me a FedEx (or UPS?) label to send back to them. No other information until I got it back 8 weeks later.

 

[GadgetGuy]

It's definitely not a white glove concierge service, but in the end, if they replace your aircraft, and you smartly have a backup bird in the interim, it works out, and it's FREE!

 

[Tenly]

It's definitely not a white glove concierge service, but in the end, if they replace your aircraft, and you smartly have a backup bird in the interim, it works out, and it's FREE!

I tried to smartly buy my backup bird yesterday. It wouldn't activate. Going back today to try again. It's a brand new unit, buy I'm buying it from an individual - not a store (so there's only one to choose from).

Any ideas why a brand new Phantom would refuse to activate?

 

[Tenly]

You should not force to fly if gps reception not good. I see first 1M its a'ready red...View attachment 55707

Ease up on that judgemental tone there cowboy.

If I had that data before my flight, I would definitely not have flown - but maybe I can help educate you - the charted data you are looking at is not available until AFTER the flight is over! As soon as I saw the chart data, I tried going back in time and "not" flying - but I couldn't find a way to do so. If you have one - please share!

When I took off, I was looking at a big green "Safe To Fly (GPS)" and a connection to 11 satellites. Throughout the entire flight, I remained connected to 9-12 satellites and I did not have any indication of an problem until the first "GPS Signal Error" appeared in DJI Go after the 2 minute mark

Having said that though - the Phantom should be perfectly capable of stable flight without GPS. It may wander and drift with the wind - but it should maintain altitude - not dive into the water.

 

[DGitalChaos]

It looks like your propellers are black, instead of the white ones that ship with the Phantom 3.

If you dyed the propellers or have an after market set, I'm wondering if there was a weak point that caused a propeller to break mid-flight.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[DGitalChaos]

If your bird is down 15' in water, there's a way to use poles, a hook, and a GoPro to retrieve your bird if you have a GoPro.

WiFi doesn't work under water, but you can use a cheap RF cable that you tape to the GoPro case and the other side to your phone or tablet which lets you see under water.

I used this method when my girlfriend dropped my iPhone into the water in a place called "The Devil's Punchbowl" near Aspen, CO.

I was unable to retrieve the phone due to freezing waters and depth of over 30', but I could completely see underwater using my iPad.


Here's the video of how to do that:

 

[cypher007]

Just saw this below, I'm going to try two at first, I'm really not sure if they would be hardy enough but shall see and don't know if they have already had a post on them.
They seem cheap, maybe cheap isn't good.

How to track your bike in case of theft, using your mobile phone? | Techie Fans

I had a look and its useless where I live in the UK as it depends on other peoples phones picking it up.

I wonder about this sort of thing, maybe need another thread:

[$26.99] Mini GPS Tracker Locater Spy Vehicle Real time GPS/GSM/GPRS Car Vehicle Tracker

 

[Tenly]

It looks like your propellers are black, instead of the white ones that ship with the Phantom 3.

If you dyed the propellers or have an after market set, I'm wondering if there was a weak point that caused a propeller to break mid-flight.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

Yes. They're after market carbon fiber props. Fairly new, but not brand new. I had used them in at least 8 previous fights and I always inspect them for wear and tightness before each flight. They were fine.

But if it were a prop breaking or spinning off - that 5 second period of recovery could never have happened....

 

[Tenly]

If your bird is down 15' in water, there's a way to use poles, a hook, and a GoPro to retrieve your bird if you have a GoPro.

WiFi doesn't work under water, but you can use a cheap RF cable that you tape to the GoPro case and the other side to your phone or tablet which lets you see under water.

I used this method when my girlfriend dropped my iPhone into the water in a place called "The Devil's Punchbowl" near Aspen, CO.

I was unable to retrieve the phone due to freezing waters and depth of over 30', but I could completely see underwater using my iPad.


Here's the video of how to do that:

I have a friend that has a fishing boat and underwater camera. He's coming out Sunday and we're going to mount a search and recovery mission. Thank you for the tip though...!

 

[GadgetGuy]

I have a friend that has a fishing boat and underwater camera. He's coming out Sunday and we're going to mount a search and recovery mission. Thank you for the tip though...!

Is the water too polluted to snorkel in? If the depth is only 15 feet or so, that's a swimming pool depth, and you should be able to even snorkel from the surface to locate it. The white color should standout from the bottom. Then just dive down and pick her up.