Phantom 4 CRASH PLEASE HELP!!!

How do I go about opening a case with DJI?



How do I know the extent of the damage? Also don't know why the camera is facing inwards. Is this a built in safety? Its looking like I'd have to replace the entire camera/gimbal though, which means I'm probably done for.

You have allowed it to dry a few days correct? If yes, is it powering on? If yes, what happens?
 
I notice there shows airport with 8 miles. Is this enough to trigger NFZ? I suppose software is ~5 mile radius? And a Heliport within 2 miles.
 

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Hm just wondering it already gave you a clue
No fly zone
Why did you push on?
Normally when i get some sort of warning i just pack up not worth it

What happened here is rather unfortunate, and we can all learn from it. However, one question remains: If the NFZ was truly valid, why did the app let him fly anyway? That is the part I'm not sure I understand. To let him fly, then crash his drone, is rather severe punishment.
 
I am waiting a couple of days to power it on. Do I have a chance in a case with DJI? I'm really not sure how there could have possibly been a no fly zone. Even then, it should tell me there's a no fly zone instead of letting me fly in it the auto landing into a forest. The only way it could auto land is if it had weak gps, allowing me to fly into it, then regained gps once I got in it. But I had 17 sats the whole flight. The main reason I pushed on after the first hint was because I had flown at this spot multiple times before and had no issues. When the drone restarted, I got all systems go. I keep coming back to the fact that there wasn't actually a NFZ in my area. Even if there was a small airport 8 miles away, it is well away from the 5 mile NFZ. I would like to get some answers. Thanks all for input
 
The way I understand NFZ (I believe it was a DJI manual) is that the 'volume' around an NFZ is not a vertical wall. It is more of a tapered region where, the higher you fly, the bigger the region expands. What I'm trying to say is, it's not on/off. As such, I do not understand the sudden loss of control that initiated the immediate descent.
 
I am waiting a couple of days to power it on. Do I have a chance in a case with DJI? I'm really not sure how there could have possibly been a no fly zone. Even then, it should tell me there's a no fly zone instead of letting me fly in it the auto landing into a forest. The only way it could auto land is if it had weak gps, allowing me to fly into it, then regained gps once I got in it. But I had 17 sats the whole flight. The main reason I pushed on after the first hint was because I had flown at this spot multiple times before and had no issues. When the drone restarted, I got all systems go. I keep coming back to the fact that there wasn't actually a NFZ in my area. Even if there was a small airport 8 miles away, it is well away from the 5 mile NFZ. I would like to get some answers. Thanks all for input

You may have a case as to why the app let you fly in the first place. You need to do your homework and study/learn how DJI 'handles' NFZs. I'm afraid they'll try to conclude it was user error, when in fact it could very well be 'flaky app'. Either way, you should pursue this and try and resolve with them.
 
You may have a case as to why the app let you fly in the first place. You need to do your homework and study/learn how DJI 'handles' NFZs
Where should I start with the research?

I still don't know why there was a NFZ. There is nothing on knowbeforeyoufly.org. And I also don't understand why it let me fly into the NFZ
 
What I'm trying to say is, it's not on/off.

The height you can fly slowly increases as you get further out from the airport. Supposedly, once you get five miles from the airport, all restrictions are lifted and you can fly the full 400 feet. If not, the A/C is only supposed to descend to the maximum altitude, not auto land completely. Let me know if I'm wrong.
 
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Correct. I believe one of the DJI manuals has explanation on how the NFZ works. Might be useful to 'print' the map that shows NFZ from the FAA, and try and overlay your trajectory (based on GPS logs) ... The better you're prepared for a discussion, the better you can 'win' this argument ... especially if the app is flaky. Not suggesting an 'aggressive' course of action, but it's always helpful to be prepared in case their first answer is a No.
 
The height you can fly slowly increases as you get further out from the airport. Supposedly, once you get five miles from the airport, all restrictions are lifted and you can fly the full 400 feet. If not, the A/C is only supposed to descend to the maximum altitude, not auto land completely. Let me know if I'm wrong.
That's exactly how I understand it, and what I was trying to say.
Now, you might be able to 'plot' the actual trajectory of your drone (based on the GPS log) and decide if you really were in the vicinity of a NFZ. If you were not, and the drone auto-landed ... then it looks to me that this is a software issue (flaky app or NFZ map)
 
That's exactly how I understand it, and what I was trying to say.
Now, you might be able to 'plot' the actual trajectory of your drone (based on the GPS log) and decide if you really were in the vicinity of a NFZ. If you were not, and the drone auto-landed ... then it looks to me that this is a software issue (flaky app or NFZ map)

If you could help me get a start in doing this, that would be great. I also don't know the exact steps for starting a case with them. Do i call them or email them or do something else entirely? Thanks so much for you help.
 
Sure, I'll do what I can (and know). As for starting a case, go to the link below, and start an on-line chat for instructions on what to do. They will ask you to send your log file.
 
Were you flying within the 30 mile radius of the VIP TFR.? (Obama in Chicago)
Where did you see this 30 mile TFR? I wasn't aware of this. Can you send a link to the TFR? can't find it on the FAA's website. EDIT- any possible TFR for obama looks like they ended late yesterday. The flight took place this afternoon
 

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