Took the Spark out this afternoon for a quiet flight around the lake. Heading back in I flew the Spark through a boathouse and halfway through the structure, the drone paused and then lowered itself towards the water. I was able to get control of the Spark but not until it had hit the water. It submerged itself just to camera level and once it cleared the structure, flew okay.

I landed the Spark, shook out a little water and swapped out the battery. On first inspection, it looked as if the only area the water collected was around the camera gimble. I decided to take it up for a quick flight to make sure everything is in working order and seconds into the flight the DJI app indicated a compass error then a vision error. I tried to maneuver the Spark back but it started spinning around and then flew into the front yard. My guess is the metal structure of the boathouse scrambled the Spark's sensors.

I did lose a prop and the plastic cover that goes over the LED light. One of the prop arms has a slight scuff on it but the external damage was minimal. I'm worried that the water fried some of the sensors. I let the Spark dry out for a few hours and another test flight yielded the same results with compass and vision errors popping up. I was able to land it without crashing this time.

Is the Spark a goner or do you think DJI can fix it? I do have the DJI Care Refresh for the Spark. Would that do me any good?

Hello and good day Coppertop. I am sorry to know what happened to your DJI Spark. Since this incident happened to your DJI Spark. The best thing you need to do is to contact DJI Support at https://www.dji.com/support and open a ticket for your drone. Please sync the flight records as well using your DJI Go 4 application for additional analysis on what happened. Thank you.

DJI Stephen Posted at 11-22 15:16
Hello and good day Coppertop. I am sorry to know what happened to your DJI Spark. Since this incident happened to your DJI Spark. The best thing you need to do is to contact DJI Support at https://www.dji.com/support and open a ticket for your drone. Please sync the flight records as well using your DJI Go 4 application for additional analysis on what happened. Thank you.

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Thanks for the information.
Will definitely get a ticket started and sync my flight records.

Coppertop Posted at 11-22 15:25
Thanks for the information.
Will definitely get a ticket started and sync my flight records.

You are very much welcome. If you have any other concerns or inquiry. Please feel free to post it here at DJI Forum we are here to help you.

Boat houses are the same as tunnels and drainage pipes...at some point once inside you'll lose GPS and then go into ATTI mode...not a good situation when you have trouble seeing it in the first place.

I think for such an event did the care refresh get invented! Lucky you

If the AC gets wet it is a mistake to try to fly right away. Take the time to make sure it is dry throughout and then keep it hovering indoors first to ensure that it is working fine.

Put it in a closed container with Rice. They take moist from the air and drone. Leave it in a warm room for a day.

Good luck

Rustic17 Posted at 11-22 16:14
Boat houses are the same as tunnels and drainage pipes...at some point once inside you'll lose GPS and then go into ATTI mode...not a good situation when you have trouble seeing it in the first place.

And he is low enough, in the boat house, that the vision sensors start helping stabilize the drone.  Or sorta helping because the vision sensors are easily confused by water under them and tend to sink the drone  randomly.

Sounds like an Evil Knievel stunt flight to take a DJI drone into a shelter/structure with hot lava, water, or acid below it.  Death of the drone if it should fall or land.  Quite the daring flight.

You just blocked out gps, cardinal sin, you can see this happening by simply putting your hand over top of spark.

hallmark007 Posted at 11-23 11:44
You just blocked out gps, cardinal sin, you can see this happening by simply putting your hand over top of spark.

Huh GPS Can Get Blocked Easily
then does clouds affect it or something similer
i saw that hand will block it when i held it while it was on and it switched to atti

Hi Copptertop,

Using a piece of electronics like a drone after it got wet wasn't such a great idea.
Remove battery, then let it dry up on a nice warm spot for at least several days. Forget about that "rice trick", it's an urban legend.
If you're keen enough to void the warranty and open the Sparks case, you can address all the wet spots and check if there is any corrosion going on.

Cheers,
Wolferl

Wolferl Posted at 11-23 12:29
Hi Copptertop,

Using a piece of electronics like a drone after it got wet wasn't such a great idea.

Thanks for the tips. I really didn't think the boathouse would impair the Spark as open as the structure is.
It was a little nerve racking watching the Spark lower itself towards the water and having zero control to stop it.

I have placed a repair request in with DJI and already shipped the Spark to the Texas repair facility. I remember buying the Care Refresh because I was planning on flying it around the lake a lot. It has definitely made getting repairs (or replacement) taken care of. If you are on the fence about spending the extra bucks for the Care policy, it's worth every penny.

Oh.. and it's rather depressing what I paid for the Spark earlier this year and what they are running now. For what I spent back in January for the Spark, I could get a Mavic AIr today. But I guess that's the nature of the beast when it comes to electronics.

SAADHERO Posted at 11-23 12:13
Huh GPS Can Get Blocked Easily
then does clouds affect it or something similer
i saw that hand will block it when i held it while it was on and it switched to atti

No clouds do not effect gps.

GPS is an all-weather navigation system and it works perfectly for anyone that doesn't try to use it Under a bridge in a vehicle etc .

Just to follow up on this adventure, I cannot say enough kind words about DJI Care.

I sent the Spark in last Friday and received notice today that it was being prepped for shipment today.
I'm not sure if this is a replacement or repair, though.
The repairs were approved at no charge under warranty but the return invoice makes it look as if a replacement is being shipped.

I'm happy either way and very impressed that DJI was able to turn this around in a week.
As tempting as it is to fly through a boathouse, I've learned a lesson and will steer clear of these structures from now on.

I appreciate everyone's input and help on this one.
Again, if you come across this discussion and are having doubts about DJI Care, it is worth every penny.
Cast your doubts aside and don't hesitate to invest in this security blanket.

Coppertop Posted at 11-30 13:21
Just to follow up on this adventure, I cannot say enough kind words about DJI Care.

I sent the Spark in last Friday and received notice today that it was being prepped for shipment today.

Too bad DJi said i cant use Dji care in Kuwait