Mavic River Crash,DJI denies fault.

fans97ec7d37

Flight Log Viewer (phantomhelp)
AirData flightlogOn 9-4-17 (labor day), i was flying my Mavic Pro at the CT River. I was hovering at T+ 4:41 with NO INPUTS GIVEN to the controller. There was a critical loss of Alt at T+4:44, when suddenly, the Mavic Pro fell out of the sky like a rock and crashed into the River. Quick analysis of the logs reveals GPS errors and Compass errors.

I started a support case with DJI and their response is as follows:

"For your claimed case CAS-968179-H1G7G3, we have already finished the analysis, and the result is as follows:

1. The aircraft was piloted under P-GPS mode, and responded to the pilot’s control well;

2. T=04:43, H=26m, D=237.2m,the icident happened when the aircraft was flying forward and falling. Before the aircraft crashed the obstacle, the pilot pushed the pitch stick forward fully and pulled down 67% throttle stick.

According to the analysis, the incident was not caused by any product malfunction factors. As such, we could not provide warranty service."

I replied:

" does not make sense. those inputs had nothing to do with the timing of the critical loss in altitude.

   what about the GPS errors?
   What about the compass errors?
   The downward throttle mentioned is at t+ 4:40 is not       applicable, I was hovering at t + 4:41 with no input given.  the       critical loss of altitude started at T+4:44,  4 Seconds       afterwards.


   Please reanalyze. "

I have serious doubts on the findings of the so called "Analysis".Logs show GPS errors and Compass errors. Not too pleased with DJI / DJI Support.

Any Tips / Guidance / Suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

DJIMINDY , please help!!

VDESAI05

heres some attatched images.
Airdata - compass errors
Google Earth Pro - location of landing spot, errors, flight path

VDESAI05

Excel Workbook Drone Crash Data
Average altitude , while hovering = 85.39 feet.
Column C shows Alt. Red >85.39. Green > or = to 85.39 (Read: RED = Drone is FALLING, GREEN = Drone is stable or gaining elevation.
Column K shows RcElevator deviation from Baseline (baseline=1024). Red = Down , Green = Up or No Input

Also here is the 3 images DJI provided me in their response, The images show a completely GREEN surface of earth? Seriously concerned about DJI Quality / Support / Customer Service / and ACCURACY of flight log analysis.

Their initial e-mail stated we take these reports very seriously. As do I, but it seems that Kim Jong-Un, a man who shot 38 under par!, would be able to conduct a more complete and accurate analysis.

Jenee 2

It is difficult to really assess what has happened based on Airdata and PhantomHelp because there is a lot more data held on the internal SD card whicih is what DJI are basing their assessment on.
You may just have to accept this one as DJI appear to have acted very fairly on many cases where they have accepted warranty repair when they probably did not have to.

VDESAI05

Jenee 2 Posted at 2017-9-15 22:22
It is difficult to really assess what has happened based on Airdata and PhantomHelp because there is a lot more data held on the internal SD card whicih is what DJI are basing their assessment on.
You may just have to accept this one as DJI appear to have acted very fairly on many cases where they have accepted warranty repair when they probably did not have to.

just to make sure I am understanding you clearly, your saying I should accept DJI's response as they have accepted warranty repair on cases when they probably did not have to?
Can you point to any data suggesting that the crash was due to pilot error?
Given the limited Data i can pull from my iPhone due to the Mavic resting at the bottom of the river, I am frankly appalled at the results of the analysis based on the data submitted?
No mention of GPS error or Compass error in analysis?
Frankly, Based on my primitive / limited analysis of the data I have, It is very clear, that something tragically went wrong.

Jenee 2

VDESAI05 Posted at 2017-9-15 22:36
just to make sure I am understanding you clearly, your saying I should accept DJI's response as they have accepted warranty repair on cases when they probably did not have to?
Can you point to any data suggesting that the crash was due to pilot error?
Given the limited Data i can pull from my iPhone due to the Mavic resting at the bottom of the river, I am frankly appalled at the results of the analysis based on the data submitted?

What I was meaning is that I have read some issues on the forum where I personally thought it was pilot error but DJI obviously had access to data that deemed it otherwise.
In your case, they are the experts in analysing the data from the internal SD card and I think that is hard to argue with.
You seemed to be asking the opinion of forum members and you got my opinion.

VDESAI05

Jenee 2 Posted at 2017-9-15 22:42
What I was meaning is that I have read some issues on the forum where I personally thought it was pilot error but DJI obviously had access to data that deemed it otherwise.
In your case, they are the experts in analysing the data from the internal SD card and I think that is hard to argue with.
You seemed to be asking the opinion of forum members and you got my opinion.

i see, thank you for your input <Honestly, no sarcasm>

DJI Susan

Sir, I have double checked the case status, please check below:

1. According to the data analysis, the aircraft worked in GPS mode and responded to RC command perfectly. No error.
For the message you mentioned(compass errors, GPS errors), it appeared after the crash. Please pay attention to the crash time and the error time. We can not ensure the aircraft performance after crash.

2. As you can see the screenshot of 04:40, please check the sticks input, the drone was flying toward and downward. Before the crash, the pilot was pushing the left stick fully. I don't think it is matched with your description of hovering at 04:41.

From the data analysis, it can be confirmed as pilot error. I will re-attach the screenshot for better understanding.

VDESAI05

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-9-15 23:40
Sir, I have double checked the case status, please check below:

1. According to the data analysis, the aircraft worked in GPS mode and responded to RC command perfectly. No error.

I respectfully challenge your analysis, and would like a thorough and complete re-analysis.
The excel worksheet shows Column K as RC Elevator deviation from baseline, and Column C is Altitude in feet.
The drone was in full control until T + 4:44 (column C), There was no "CRASH" until the Drone hit the water at T + 4:48. (Column C)
Analysis should be focused on the events surrounding T + 4:44. I stopped giving input to the RC controller at T+4:41 (exhibit: Column J and K). A Full 3 SECONDS prior to the "CRITICAL EVENT". Given the detailed logs, down to the tenth of a second, your analysis does not make sense.

I stopped giving input to the throttle at: 4m 40.9s as evidenced by Column K, which uses the formula: [='1024' - "RcElevator"] to show change from baseline.
Average hovering height is 85.39 feet (excel average formula from 4m 41s to 4m 42.5s (1.5 SECONDS TOTAL) where you can see I am not giving any INPUT to the throttle. (Column K).

Throttle inputs at : 4m 42.6s to 4m 43.9s are all UPWARD throttle controls, with MINIMAL IF ANY Drone response.
Downward 67% throttle at 4:40 has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the "incident"
Please explain Compass errors and GPS errors? I did not crash into anything except the Connecticut River. The drone was falling sideways to the ground. Please look at the maps. your anaylsis images show a completely GREEN earth, you can do better DJI, i know you can.

PLEASE EXPLAIN

calmari

Hope you get it sorted.

ALABAMA

DJI knows exactly what happened. Accept as pilot error and move on.

VDESAI05

calmari Posted at 2017-9-16 01:41
Hope you get it sorted.

Thanks buddy, me too.

VDESAI05

ALABAMA Posted at 2017-9-16 10:10
DJI knows exactly what happened. Accept as pilot error and move on.

I would, if that was true, but since it is not, I cannot.

VDESAI05

Jenee 2 Posted at 2017-9-15 22:42
What I was meaning is that I have read some issues on the forum where I personally thought it was pilot error but DJI obviously had access to data that deemed it otherwise.
In your case, they are the experts in analysing the data from the internal SD card and I think that is hard to argue with.
You seemed to be asking the opinion of forum members and you got my opinion.

I was flying over the CT RIVER, there was no objects for me to "CRASH" into. I would prefer not to risk my life drowning attempting to recover the drone.
At T+ 4:41, I was maintaining an altitude of : 85.3 ft. no input was given to lower or raise the aircraft. 3 seconds later, At T+4:44 the mavic started crtically losing altitude,and eventually crashed into the river at T+4:48.
Google Earth KML file

VDESAI05

DJI , a well known and highly respected forum member had provided the following anaylsis:

After time 283 (4:43) the was no pitch (elevator) input. In addition, the only throttle input after this time was positive.

The incident was caused by a propulsion issue that started at time 283 secs (4:43) This can be seen by the unstable attitude with no control inputs and the motorSpeed data.

DJI Susan

VDESAI05 Posted at 2017-9-16 00:20
I respectfully challenge your analysis, and would like a thorough and complete re-analysis.
The excel worksheet shows Column K as RC Elevator deviation from baseline, and Column C is Altitude in feet.
The drone was in full control until T + 4:44 (column C), There was no "CRASH" until the Drone hit the water at T + 4:48. (Column C)

I understand your depression completely. I would feel the same if I lost my drone.

Actually, the drone has been crashed at 04:43. At that time, p:8.1 r: 59.5 y: 73.2 means that the drone has been flipped over. You can find it from the below picture.

Therefore, our colleagues offered you the corresponding solution according to DJI's policy. Hope you could understand and let us know how would you like to proceed. If there is any further questions, please feel free to contact us.

VDESAI05

what caused the drone to flip over at 4:43?

Antoine ADC

I'm having the same issue with DJI at the moment. Mine crashed for strictly no reason into the sea. but I was able to dive and got it back.

I'll be exposing my case soon, currently corresponding through mails with the support.

DJI Diana

Antoine ADC Posted at 2017-9-18 02:50
I'm having the same issue with DJI at the moment. Mine crashed for strictly no reason into the sea. but I was able to dive and got it back.

I'll be exposing my case soon, currently corresponding through mails with the support.

Sorry for this, could you please provide us with your case number so we can look into it?

Antoine ADC

@Diana,
Pm sent.
Thanks

DJI Susan

VDESAI05 Posted at 2017-9-17 20:38
what caused the drone to flip over at 4:43?

We are not sure what crashed the drone exactly, but from the picture you can see that the accelerated speed changed a lot at that time, so the drone indeed crashed something and lost the balance.

DJI Diana

Antoine ADC Posted at 2017-9-18 04:02
@Diana,
Pm sent.
Thanks

Just checked your case, I am so sorry to say that we could not verify what happened afterward since the flight records ended without any sign of abnormality, we are so sorry for this. Anyway, I'll double confirm it with our appropriate team, see if it is able to review it, will keep you updated. Besides, should you have any further info about this case, please provide me with it, I'll forward it to our engineers for review.

Antoine ADC

DJI Diana Posted at 2017-9-18 19:43
Just checked your case, I am so sorry to say that we could not verify what happened afterward since the flight records ended without any sign of abnormality, we are so sorry for this. Anyway, I'll double confirm it with our appropriate team, see if it is able to review it, will keep you updated. Besides, should you have any further info about this case, please provide me with it, I'll forward it to our engineers for review.

Diana, Thanks for your answer.

When you write "we could not verify what happened afterward since the flight records ended without any sign of abnormality" : do you realize that it is exactly why I'm contacting DJI ?

The fact that my Mavic fell like a stone without any reason ? I paid 1500€ and should accept that it just fell for no reason into the sea ?

I just can't stop like this. Not when we're talking about that amount of money that crashed for no reason, don't you think ?

Thnaks again Diana for taking care of that case too

VDESAI05

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-9-18 18:56
We are not sure what crashed the drone exactly, but from the picture you can see that the accelerated speed changed a lot at that time, so the drone indeed crashed something and lost the balance.

The drone was flying above a river with no objects in nearby vicinity to crash into.
I suspect prop failure or motor failure. I kindly request a replacement drone under warranty.
I do not want to risk my life drowning trying to retrieve the drone from the river bottom.

VDESAI05

Going to be filling a complaint with the BBB due to lack of complete analysis, getting the run-around, and excessive response times.
The ball is in your court DJI.

BBB strongly encourages consumers to first attempt to resolve complaints directly with the company, however BBB will not reject a complaint if a consumer has not taken this step. All complaints are processed by local BBBs, most often the BBB where the company is located. Historically, over 70% of complaints filed through BBB are resolved. In some cases, BBB mediation or arbitration may be offered to assist in resolution.

VDESAI05

VDESAI05 Posted at 2017-9-19 19:21
Going to be filling a complaint with the BBB due to lack of complete analysis, getting the run-around, and excessive response times.
The ball is in your court DJI.

Your complaint will be forwarded to the company within two business days. The company will be asked to respond within 14 days, and if a response is not received, a second request will be made. You will be notified of the company's response when we receive it (or notified that we received no response). Complaints are usually closed within 30 calendar days.

If not resolved in 48 hours, Thursday 9/21/17 11PM EST. I will submit my complaint to BBB

DJI Susan

VDESAI05 Posted at 2017-9-19 18:34
The drone was flying above a river with no objects in nearby vicinity to crash into.
I suspect prop failure or motor failure. I kindly request a replacement drone under warranty.
I do not want to risk my life drowning trying to retrieve the drone from the river bottom.

The video might be helpful if you were recording when the accident happened. As discussed above, the data analysis is conducted based on all the information you provided, and I'm sorry it is not a warranty case according to DJI 's policy. I'm glad to help if more information can be offered.

DJI Diana

Antoine ADC Posted at 2017-9-19 01:53
Diana, Thanks for your answer.

When you write "we could not verify what happened afterward since the flight records ended without any sign of abnormality" : do you realize that it is exactly why I'm contacting DJI ?

I totally understand how you feel, I've informed our appropriate team to look into it, will have someone contact you soon for the details, appreciate your patience.

Antoine ADC

DJI Diana Posted at 2017-9-19 23:14
I totally understand how you feel, I've informed our appropriate team to look into it, will have someone contact you soon for the details, appreciate your patience.

Thanks you Diana

Mavic River Crash, DJI denies fault.