endotherm
First Officer
Flight distance : 503241 ft
Australia
Offline
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The problem is that the evidence does not support your description of the events. There is no evidence of a GPS failure. The track coordinates were being updated and recorded in real time from up to 21 satellites, and it is not typical of a malfunctioning unit with random or no coordinates being detected.
I agree with Labroides analysis above. For large sections there is no forward propulsion recorded and the aircraft was in ATTI mode, and was therefore left to drift in the wind. It is likely that the mode switch was changed to ATTI either deliberately or accidentally. The aircraft did respond to all stick movements without fail, with corresponding roll, yaw and pitch changes recorded. It acted precisely as it should have in that flight mode and in response to the flight commands. The GPS was working and recorded at all times while in ATTI mode, but was not utilized for position holding as expected. It was still available for RTH if so required. We observed more satellites available than usual due to the excessive height, making more equatorial satellites visible.
We see a number of error messages throughout the flight which were not heeded, but none indicating a "weak GPS link affecting home points". While close to home we see multiple "Strong Interference. Fly with caution" warnings, suggesting there was interference close to the home point. This may have been responsible for the signal being severed abruptly at the end of the record. I have no explanation for why the record suddenly stops, but it may have been caused by poor orientation of the controller antennas, or an obstruction such as a person between the controller and aircraft etc. You mentioned a loss of video, which often occurs at the edge of range, however the telemetry and control signals are still operational. It is possible you lowered the controller or stopped flying once the video feed dropped out, which may explain why the telemetry dropped out abruptly.
There was not a failure of the aircraft in this situation, and you were in full control at the time of loss. Being in ATTI mode does not constitute "genuinely out of control". It is a flight mode that is unassisted by GPS positioning, but you are still in the driver's seat. Just because you may not know how to drive in that mode does not automatically make it a case for DJI to cover the replacement of a lost aircraft. DJI will not assume responsibility for a loss in those circumstances. This is what is referred to as "pilot error". Unless you are able to demonstrate the electronics or software failed, you are unlikely to get a replacement. You may get an offer for a discounted replacement, as they often offer a 10-20% discount in reported cases such as these, as a good-will gesture. |
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