Pursuing a refund - Flyaway not found...

[Leon001]

I would like to start this post and this thread by saying that I absolutely loved flying the Phantom 3. It was like a dream to get my hands on it and I felt like a 10 year old on Christmas day when the package arrived a week ago.

Since receiving the P3 I have flown it every day, and have used it in the most prosaic manner I could have done. In fact, until today I hadn't flown it further than 300 or so metres, not higher than 70.

Today I made two flights, the first lasting no longer than a few minutes, but the second was the last time I've seen my P3.

The flights were within several minutes of one another.

On the first flight, once I'd reached the furthest point of the flight, I hit the home button and returned safely. All was well and good.

On the second flight, I took off and immediately found the P3 being dragged to my left and then started to accelerate and ascend upwards - all the while my fingers were off the controls. I tried to steer the P3 toward me, ensuring that the drone's front end was pointing toward me, but the drone wasn't reacting to the RC. The P3 must have been no further than 50 metres from me when I pressed the return to home button. Needless to say, and to my surprise, the drone carried on along it's unknown trajectory. The only lead I have is the direction the drone was heading in prior to my live camera view and flight log on the pilot app losing connection to the drone. I have been unable to locate the drone for the past 16 hours.

Now here's the issue, I did all my preflight checks for my first flight and everything was fine. I even tested the return to home feature. Additionally, I have flight logs on the app of both flights. Both show the home-points and the RTH feature being activated. Yet for some reason the drone malfunctioned and ignored this - EVEN THOUGH THE FLIGHT LOG SHOWS IT WAS ACTIVATED.

I feel that I've taken every precaution and have proof that this fly away was not pilot error. The logs show I activated RTH and had my home point set, and the first successful flight, ending only minutes before, shows that everything was working properly up until that point. I typically get 17 satelites while flying from that spot and today was no different.

After reading other posts, DJI seem to have a reputation for ascribing flyaways to pilot error (which may be true in some cases) but I really don't see how anyone could question my evidence. Any thoughts?

Additionally, can someone advise me how to record my screen or download the flight logs so everyone is able to see them on the forum.

I really want to get this sorted in some way because this is an amazing product. But I can't bare the thought of having to shoulder this loss myself as I've acted with the careful handling equipment like this deserves.

Regards,

 

[blade strike]

I would like to start this post and this thread by saying that I absolutely loved flying the Phantom 3. It was like a dream to get my hands on it and I felt like a 10 year old on Christmas day when the package arrived a week ago.

Since receiving the P3 I have flown it every day, and have used it in the most prosaic manner I could have done. In fact, until today I hadn't flown it further than 300 or so metres, not higher than 70.

Today I made two flights, the first lasting no longer than a few minutes, but the second was the last time I've seen my P3.

The flights were within several minutes of one another.

On the first flight, once I'd reached the furthest point of the flight, I hit the home button and returned safely. All was well and good.

On the second flight, I took off and immediately found the P3 being dragged to my left and then started to accelerate and ascend upwards - all the while my fingers were off the controls. I tried to steer the P3 toward me, ensuring that the drone's front end was pointing toward me, but the drone wasn't reacting to the RC. The P3 must have been no further than 50 metres from me when I pressed the return to home button. Needless to say, and to my surprise, the drone carried on along it's unknown trajectory. The only lead I have is the direction the drone was heading in prior to my live camera view and flight log on the pilot app losing connection to the drone. I have been unable to locate the drone for the past 16 hours.

Now here's the issue, I did all my preflight checks for my first flight and everything was fine. I even tested the return to home feature. Additionally, I have flight logs on the app of both flights. Both show the home-points and the RTH feature being activated. Yet for some reason the drone malfunctioned and ignored this - EVEN THOUGH THE FLIGHT LOG SHOWS IT WAS ACTIVATED.

I feel that I've taken every precaution and have proof that this fly away was not pilot error. The logs show I activated RTH and had my home point set, and the first successful flight, ending only minutes before, shows that everything was working properly up until that point. I typically get 17 satelites while flying from that spot and today was no different.

After reading other posts, DJI seem to have a reputation for ascribing flyaways to pilot error (which may be true in some cases) but I really don't see how anyone could question my evidence. Any thoughts?

Additionally, can someone advise me how to record my screen or download the flight logs so everyone is able to see them on the forum.

I really want to get this sorted in some way because this is an amazing product. But I can't bare the thought of having to shoulder this loss myself as I've acted with the careful handling equipment like this deserves.

Regards,

Please post the flight log from your device.

 

[envisionabove]

http://www.phantompilots.com/threads/flight-log.49401/#post-464884

 

[jake88]

I had my phantom fly away once lost signal and video but for whatever reason Google maps still led my to the landing site

 

[jake88]

Did u have sticker with reward/details etc?

 

[Leon001]

@blade strike - I'm charging my device to get the logs now.

@envisionabove - Thanks a lot matey.

@jake88 - I spent a few hours looking about the last point on googlemaps but couldn't see the drone. It's very dense woodland and tall grass in that area so even if it was there it would be difficult to find. As far as stickers etc, I was going to do that yesterday but couldn't find the tape - I should have waited before flying. I didn't intend on straying too far from the field but I wish I'd have waited now. I've posted a reward etc. on a few local facebook groups so fingers crossed that will help.

 

[Leon001]

I cannot find the text file. Remember, I do not have the drone, only tablet I have used with the pilot app. Here is a pic showing the home point for the time being. About 10 secs into the video it shows at the top left of the screen that RTH has been activated - I can't seem to get the screen shot in time though.

 

[Leon001]

Is this the file you need?

 

[III% Streve]

I would be getting a KML file made to drop in to google earth.. this will at least show the last point in 3d space where the drone was. The log will show battery levels. And the 3d map will show distance over time. You should be able to fairly easily predict the location the battery would have gone in to emergency land mode, as well as maximum flight distance to ZERO battery. That cant be more than 100 feet or so I would bet, but along a very defined path... then go for a walk while using the google earth app. It will show your location and the superimposed 3d flight path.

 

[III% Streve]

Im working on this my self also

 

[III% Streve]

Here is the logged path...

 

[C0ps]

Id go take a drive!!

 

[III% Streve]

Looks like the KML file shows a total distance of .86 miles with a max altitude of 436 ft.

 

[Leon001]

Id go take a drive!!

But that is the point that the signal between the Drone and RC was lost, wasn't it? Not where the drone went down. I've searched that area already, but if It's definitely where the drone went down then at least I can search knowing it's not in-fact another KM along that trajectory instead.

 

[III% Streve]

Im betting....here. This is about 1.5 miles along the same path

 

[Jason Weston]

Leon001 can i ask, did you use the auto takeoff function OR did you use the RC to takeoff. I have seen alot of the same thing in Facebook group post with the same type of trajectory (Like a half moon shape flight) and every single one of them they used auto takeoff function. It appears that the Phantom does not release control after the auto takeoff and the only way to recover is to switch to ATTI mode and bring it back without GPS.

 

[Leon001]

Looks like the KML file shows a total distance of .86 miles with a max altitude of 436 ft.

The App tells me that the max altitude was 57m (187ft) and total distance of 1318m (0.82 miles). So the numbers you're giving me are more than my app suggests. Much much more in the case of the altitude. But the photo is the same as the one on my app that I've attached above.

 

[C0ps]

Im betting....here. This is about 1.5 miles along the same pathView attachment 26558

I was thinking the same thing. Probably in someones backyard. Wont hurt to put pictures and reward at the grocery stores

 

[mohan]

Looks like your near Radcliffe, UK - speeds upto 65mph and only shows short travel on logs (0.9 miles). The voltage appears to drop to 12.9V from 15.3V at one stage within seconds but recovers to 14.35V.

 

[PacketRacket]

So sorry this happened. I absolutely loved flying my Phantom. I loved the aerial shots I could get with it. Nothing could compare. I literally fantasized almost every day about what I could see or take pictures of that would different and captivating from above.

I was super careful and never crashed it but the thought of a flyaway always lingered in the back of my mind. Just knowing that there is nothing I can do to prevent it drove me nuts. I flew it less and less as I always felt like each flight was pushing my luck. Will this be the flight that I'm that guy? Will it finally happen?

It was like having a Ferrari and reading forum messages about how randomly the car might explode like something out of Grand Theft Auto for no reason while your driving it. No insurance or warranty to back it up.

Finally Ebayed my Phanton 2 Vision+. Miss it like hell.
I sure as hell DON'T miss the worry about when my thousand dollar drone will become sentient and leave me sitting in my lawn holding my joystick, weeping, wondering what I did to deserve this. Why God? Why did she leave !?