Video Of DJI Phantom out of control

[Northwest_Scene]

Here are the video links to my problem and actual footage of the crash.

https://vimeo.com/92949561
https://vimeo.com/92949562

Mind you that i did all my pre-flight inspections and check ups, i even do a pre-hover test to make sure everything is still good and yes I do all my basic and advanced calibrations and manual compass calibrations.

I press my record button on the go pro after all gps are locked in and then proceed to pre-hover, so No i did not just take off right away. No cell towers in the area, no where near airports or commercial buildings that could interfere with signals, and yes the gopro wifi is turned OFF. All batteries are good on both tx and phantom unit, and i also do physical inspections inside the unit itself for loose connections or any loose debris; So i do take care of the unit and I do not mis-treat or fly crazy or erratic. I fly with the intention of getting the most steady shots, so small and slow movements and no fast throttle. You can see my previous footage on youtube which I recently posted a few weeks back. This was on GPS Mode and was never on ATTI middle or Bottom.

I did not panic as well, you can clearly see the footage that it just banked FULL throttle on its own without stopping.

 

[T0Rtur3]

Here are the video links to my problem and actual footage of the crash.

https://vimeo.com/92949561
https://vimeo.com/92949562

Mind you that i did all my pre-flight inspections and check ups, i even do a pre-hover test to make sure everything is still good and yes I do all my basic and advanced calibrations and manual compass calibrations.

I press my record button on the go pro after all gps are locked in and then proceed to pre-hover, so No i did not just take off right away. No cell towers in the area, no where near airports or commercial buildings that could interfere with signals, and yes the gopro wifi is turned OFF. All batteries are good on both tx and phantom unit, and i also do physical inspections inside the unit itself for loose connections or any loose debris; So i do take care of the unit and I do not mis-treat or fly crazy or erratic. I fly with the intention of getting the most steady shots, so small and slow movements and no fast throttle. You can see my previous footage on youtube which I recently posted a few weeks back. This was on GPS Mode and was never on ATTI middle or Bottom.

I did not panic as well, you can clearly see the footage that it just banked FULL throttle on its own without stopping.

Did you set your home location on that concrete wall?

 

[DanCH]

It did a very mechanical looking 45 degree change in roll attitude. That happened so fast that I'd be surprised if anyone could switch to manual to recover it. But my guess is switching to manual would be the only thing anyone could try.

It would be good to send a link of that vid directly to DJI customer support.

I've had something very similar happen to me last phantom (v1.1.1). I switched it to GPS mode and 5-10 seconds later it banked in a similar way. As I realised it was out of control my first thought was to put it in manual, but before I could do this the power cut and it dropped and crashed. Luckily for me the shop I got it from agreed there was a fault (one battery wire came loose causing the power to cut) and gave me a replacement.

I hope there isn't much damage. The second vid was taken afterwards?

 

[Northwest_Scene]

Here are the video links to my problem and actual footage of the crash.

https://vimeo.com/92949561
https://vimeo.com/92949562

Mind you that i did all my pre-flight inspections and check ups, i even do a pre-hover test to make sure everything is still good and yes I do all my basic and advanced calibrations and manual compass calibrations.

I press my record button on the go pro after all gps are locked in and then proceed to pre-hover, so No i did not just take off right away. No cell towers in the area, no where near airports or commercial buildings that could interfere with signals, and yes the gopro wifi is turned OFF. All batteries are good on both tx and phantom unit, and i also do physical inspections inside the unit itself for loose connections or any loose debris; So i do take care of the unit and I do not mis-treat or fly crazy or erratic. I fly with the intention of getting the most steady shots, so small and slow movements and no fast throttle. You can see my previous footage on youtube which I recently posted a few weeks back. This was on GPS Mode and was never on ATTI middle or Bottom.

I did not panic as well, you can clearly see the footage that it just banked FULL throttle on its own without stopping.

Did you set your home location on that concrete wall?

That was a pathway, and the metal rebars on there did not interfere with home lock or gps signals before take off. I have taken off from multiple surfaces and most are concrete surfaces without any problems. So I dont see why that would cause the problem, second video shows that throttle response does not respond well even after the stick springs back to the center and it keeps going. No modifications on TX and all sticks are clean and no debris and moves freely all directions and springs back with no problems.

I got off the phone with a DJI Rep and the only thing he told me was that it might have been a transmission interference or some sort since the unit run on a very busy link, so now I have to pay a hefty shipping for them to diagnose the item and could take up to 4 weeks turn around time. By the way I also recorded the whole entire conversation on my goPro from beggining to end. Total of 1 hr 26 minutes with waiting for my call to be answered :shock:

 

[Northwest_Scene]

It did a very mechanical looking 45 degree change in roll attitude. That happened so fast that I'd be surprised if anyone could switch to manual to recover it. But my guess is switching to manual would be the only thing anyone could try.

It would be good to send a link of that vid directly to DJI customer support.

I've had something very similar happen to me last phantom (v1.1.1). I switched it to GPS mode and 5-10 seconds later it banked in a similar way. As I realised it was out of control my first thought was to put it in manual, but before I could do this the power cut and it dropped and crashed. Luckily for me the shop I got it from agreed there was a fault (one battery wire came loose causing the power to cut) and gave me a replacement.

I hope there isn't much damage. The second vid was taken afterwards?

I had no time to switch to manual, it just went. The second video was after the crash during initial inspection, it fires up but will no longer be recognized through the Naza Software so I am sending it back to DJI. Unfortunately I purchased this from Hobby Town near my area, and I doubt they are gonna do anything about it. This was purchased maybe 1 1/2 month ago so their policy for return is only 14 days. Besides ive invested alot of money on this bird already so I cant see myself turning back anytime soon.

 

[Northwest_Scene]

By the way I also recorded the whole entire conversation on my goPro from beggining to end. Total of 1 hr 26 minutes with waiting for my call to be answered :shock:

What did the DJI guy say when you told him you were recording the conversation?

I did not tell him he was being recorded, i needed an actual phone call/ conversation so that he does not alter any of the responses.

 

[ShoreBird]

PN, is correct. Don't ever try to use that recording for anything. I work in law enforcement as a converge systems manager and police surveillance tech. You cannot records someone without them knowing they are being recorded. Even in our Public safety building people entering have to sign that they understand that the building is monitored. Otherwise its a wiretapping offense.....just be careful!

 

[Northwest_Scene]

PN, is correct. Don't ever try to use that recording for anything. I work in law enforcement as a converge systems manager and police surveillance tech. You cannot records someone without them knowing they are being recorded. Even in our Public safety building people entering have to sign that they understand that the building is monitored. Otherwise its a wiretapping offense.....just be careful!

It is not being used for anything but for my own record, and I dont intend to publish or upload the video.

 

[Northwest_Scene]

It is not being used for anything but for my own record, and I dont intend to publish or upload the video.

FWIW, that's not a defense. Nobody is going to come a knockin' but now you know that Washington is a two-party consent State.

Well i guess ignorance is the law could be the savior here :? well anyways this isnt what my point of argument so Lesson learned. Needless to say, that phone call does not provide any help in resolving my fly away case. The videos posted corresponds with the actual problems and footage so anyone who experienced a fly away and could not have the chance to retrieve or record the flight may have an understanding of what or how Fly Away or Signal Inference etc .

 

[QYV]

hey I'm just trying to be helpful here, in the US at least it's been a legal standard for longer than any of us has been alive that ignorance of a law does not excuse you from the penalties of breaking it. just sayin.
It is actually a violation of federal law to record a telephone conversation without the other party's knowledge. You don't have to have their CONSENT - but as long as you inform them the call may be recorded (on the recording obviously) that's your get out of jail free card... now you're legal.

if you attempt to use a recording of a call in any legal proceeding and you don't have that on record, that particular piece of evidence is inadmissible and regardless of anything else they'll usually charge you with that crime.

 

[Topeeka]

You could do like all of the "Help Desks" do and say, "This call may be monitored for quality control and training purposes". I've never thought about that, but now I bet the reason they do that is exactly what this discussion has centered on...

 

[Northwest_Scene]

hey I'm just trying to be helpful here, in the US at least it's been a legal standard for longer than any of us has been alive that ignorance of a law does not excuse you from the penalties of breaking it. just sayin.
It is actually a violation of federal law to record a telephone conversation without the other party's knowledge. You don't have to have their CONSENT - but as long as you inform them the call may be recorded (on the recording obviously) that's your get out of jail free card... now you're legal.

if you attempt to use a recording of a call in any legal proceeding and you don't have that on record, that particular piece of evidence is inadmissible and regardless of anything else they'll usually charge you with that crime.

Thanks lesson learned from the first and second guy.

 

[Tripnman]

With all due respect, the law enforcement opinion in the above posting is only partially correct. The legality of the recorded phone call all depends on the poster's location. At last check, thirty-eight states are considered "single party consent" so as long as you tell one of the two parties (yourself!) that the call is being recorded then you are fine. The remaining states are "two party consent" and both sides would have to be aware of the recording. More at http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/recording-phone-calls-and-conversations

If DJI has an automated greeting that says "this call may be monitored or recorded" then they just gave you permission.

 

[Tripnman]

The OP is in Seattle, WA a two-party consent State.

Ah. I obviously wasn't paying enough attention. Yes, WA is a two-party state but the rest of my post remains accurate. Still wondering if DJI has that "this call may be recorded..." bit on their phone system greeting.

 

[Northwest_Scene]

Should we move this thread under a Law forum?

 

[Tripnman]

Should we move this thread under a Law forum?

What, you expected us to keep chatting about the malfunction? More fun to blather on about the legality of recording that call.

Getting back on track... In looking at the second (test) video, it certainly looks and sounds as though the aircraft is not properly responding to commands from the TX. When you center the throttle, the motors (at least two of them) keep going. I'm not knowledgeable enough about how these things all work, but could the error be in the TX itself? A sticky connector on the throttle stick? Grasping here...

 

[Northwest_Scene]

Should we move this thread under a Law forum?

What, you expected us to keep chatting about the malfunction? More fun to blather on about the legality of recording that call.

Getting back on track... In looking at the second (test) video, it certainly looks and sounds as though the aircraft is not properly responding to commands from the TX. When you center the throttle, the motors (at least two of them) keep going. I'm not knowledgeable enough about how these things all work, but could the error be in the TX itself? A sticky connector on the throttle stick? Grasping here...

Lol, yes legality issues are always a fun debate "at most times" . Anyways, when the tx throttle is pushed up, it just keep going. At first I did thought it was the sticks, but after carefull inspection nothing in ot that is making it stick in place. All sticks springs back to center with no problem.

 

[Tripnman]

I know it's the standard response around here but have you done a full calibration on the TX and the IMU? If you've opened up the TX and don't see a possible mechanical failure point on the stick, then you may be looking at a firmware failure inside the airframe - almost if it's misinterpreting the command signals.

One more thing gleaned from lurking on these boards... Have you had other crashes? Some have reported wildly unpredictable flights after a crash and several of them lead to the discovery of cracked GPS pucks inside the shell.

Totally in the dark here. I've been lucky and have not had a single malfunction in over 60 hours of flight time in PV2 and a whopping two hours in PV2+.

 

[Northwest_Scene]

I know it's the standard response around here but have you done a full calibration on the TX and the IMU? If you've opened up the TX and don't see a possible mechanical failure point on the stick, then you may be looking at a firmware failure inside the airframe - almost if it's misinterpreting the command signals.

One more thing gleaned from lurking on these boards... Have you had other crashes? Some have reported wildly unpredictable flights after a crash and several of them lead to the discovery of cracked GPS pucks inside the shell.

Totally in the dark here. I've been lucky and have not had a single malfunction in over 60 hours of flight time in PV2 and a whopping two hours in PV2+.

I plug the bird in atleast once a week for imu and tx calibration when Im doing video editing. And this is my first crash, and I dont think the p1 have those gps pucks just a board taped under the top center ?

 

[QYV]

With all due respect, the law enforcement opinion in the above posting is only partially correct. The legality of the recorded phone call all depends on the poster's location. At last check, thirty-eight states are considered "single party consent" so as long as you tell one of the two parties (yourself!) that the call is being recorded then you are fine. The remaining states are "two party consent" and both sides would have to be aware of the recording. More at http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/recording-phone-calls-and-conversations

If DJI has an automated greeting that says "this call may be monitored or recorded" then they just gave you permission.

good call you're right, I've only paid attention to the states I've lived in