Was flying my Spark for around 1min 43 secs, battery still had 79% charge. At the time, it was hovering 29.5ft in the air. Suddenly, with no warning, the power was cut completely, it fell like a brick from the sky and smashed into a paved driveway into several pieces and scratched up the body. I had 25 prior flights with my Spark and no issues. The only difference is that I was flying in Texas where the temperature was somewhere around 108'F - that coupled along with the normal warm operating temperature may have tripped a thermal sensor in the battery cutting power to the Spark. Like I said, the battery had a good charge, but after the crash the battery displayed a single light the way it does when you hit 10% or less. After the crash, I was able to snap on the underside prop covers that popped off and I tried a fresh battery. I attempted another flight, but only 2 props tried to spin. It wouldn't take off.

What's interesting is that I see in the threads that this issue has happened to others purchasing an additional battery. This crash did happen while using my 3rd battery that didn't come with my fly-more package. (This battery was purchased through the Amazon DJI store).

This is also saddening because I have some important events I would like to film in 3 weeks and would really love to have my replacement before then. Luckily I did purchase DJI care, but it shouldn't matter, this is clearly a defect and not pilot error.

sorry to hear that. after all the cases like this im starting to believe it actually does have to do with the batteries bought from amazon. hopefully you will get a replacement through warranty.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-7-24 09:03
sorry to hear that. after all the cases like this im starting to believe it actually does have to do with the batteries bought from amazon. hopefully you will get a replacement through warranty.

i dont think it is limited to amazon either.   i doubt everyone with the sudden power down and falling from heavens bug has batteries from amazon.   i mean i could be wrong, but im guessing it has more to do with  a supplier or quality assurance..or something..   i think someone needs to look into it though.

Sorry for your loss. Was this the first flight for your amazon battery or have you flown with it before?

Following this thread...anxious to see what the cause & resolution will be.

Lets start building Parachutes For SPARK as accessory , and sadly we can be rich.

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-7-24 09:16
i dont think it is limited to amazon either.   i doubt everyone with the sudden power down and falling from heavens bug has batteries from amazon.   i mean i could be wrong, but im guessing it has more to do with  a supplier or quality assurance..or something..   i think someone needs to look into it though.

i was thinking the same, just that i figured maybe the amazon ones were made in the same batch in production. i could very well be wrong but i definitely think it has to do with a bad batch of batteries and not the drone.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-7-24 09:45
i was thinking the same, just that i figured maybe the amazon ones were made in the same batch in production. i could very well be wrong but i definitely think it has to do with a bad batch of batteries and not the drone.

ya, someone mentioned in a different thread that it could be firmware issue and refreshing the firmware
with that new battery may help.

could be anything, i'm holding off on buying another battery at the moment, just to see what comes out of all of this.  hopefully good fix..

side note, i hope DJI gives us a extended battery option.. even if it only adds a couple minutes..  i tested payload of my spark slightly, it can carry the second battery under it  without complaining... so i think its all down to DJI implementing at least 1 extra cell inside the pack and making it ever so slightly thicker..

ix3lplix Posted at 2017-7-24 09:25
Sorry for your loss. Was this the first flight for your amazon battery or have you flown with it before?

Pretty certain I had flown with this battery before without issue.

Thor1 Posted at 2017-7-24 09:03
sorry to hear that. after all the cases like this im starting to believe it actually does have to do with the batteries bought from amazon. hopefully you will get a replacement through warranty.

Thanks. I'm hoping I don't have to use one of my 2 DJI Care repairs on this.

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-7-24 09:58
ya, someone mentioned in a different thread that it could be firmware issue and refreshing the firmware
with that new battery may help.

that's a great idea, for some reason i doubt they will but i sure hope so!it would probably handle in the wind a little better with a heavier battery as well, maybe not much but still...

i have noticed my battery gets fairly "hot" during active use in sport mode.  maybe the battery got too hot and triggered emergency cut off? i haven't experienced cut offs.. but i have noticed batteries can get very warm to point where possibly too hot..

if this is the issue i think DJi should issue us replacement batteries as a precaution and update systems to limp home or limp to safty.

Sorry to hear that hopefully dji will sort you out..

If you want to put up your logs, you can just click link below and follow instructions and come back here and post the link.

http://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-7-24 10:27
i have noticed my battery gets fairly "hot" during active use in sport mode.  maybe the battery got too hot and triggered emergency cut off? i haven't experienced cut offs.. but i have noticed batteries can get very warm to point where possibly too hot..

if this is the issue i think DJi should issue us replacement batteries as a precaution and update systems to limp home or limp to safty.

I was in regular mode when this happened.

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-7-24 10:40
Sorry to hear that hopefully dji will sort you out..

If you want to put up your logs, you can just click link below and follow instructions and come back here and post the link.

That flight log viewer is pretty awesome, but looking at it I wasn't able to see any change at the end of the log that shows why it crashed, but yet I'm a newbie!

Here's my flight log.

Thanks for the help!

HarpMudd Posted at 2017-7-24 12:01
That flight log viewer is pretty awesome, but looking at it I wasn't able to see any change at the end of the log that shows why it crashed, but yet I'm a newbie!  

Here's my flight log.

Looks like what the rest of us suffering from mid air shut off are seeing... No obvious abnormality and then log just stops, presumably due to loss of power.

Start a claim with DJI, they will have you send it back and they will analyze the files embedded in the SPARK.

They SHOULD warranty your claim and it SHOULD be free, including postage both ways.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

HarpMudd Posted at 2017-7-24 12:01
That flight log viewer is pretty awesome, but looking at it I wasn't able to see any change at the end of the log that shows why it crashed, but yet I'm a newbie!  

Here's my flight log.

Hey yes they are good usually they can tell you a lot about what happened, but your log is very similar to other logs where sudden power loss and craft just drops to the ground, they just show perfect flight until power cut off

The flight log in your spark i.e. Black box is equipped with a lot more stuff it should be able to show the reason for power cut, dji will be able to extract this for you when you send in your crashed spark.

So far they have offered 30% to those who lost their craft to i.e. Water, but those who had sent in craft have received full warranty. So good luck, sorry there isn't anything else to tell you.

Alas this drone is what is now but nothing like what we expected

Today saw an offer for the beepop 2 fpv edition, can't believe the beepop s more tempting now, I'm sure parrot has better experience with wifi drones

HamdiR Posted at 2017-7-24 12:25
Alas this drone is what is now but nothing like what we expected

Today saw an offer for the beepop 2 fpv edition, can't believe the beepop s more tempting now, I'm sure parrot has better experience with wifi drones

A month ago I would've said that was the funniest thing ever....

I bought my nephew a Bebop 2 18 months ago when they first came out. He also now has a Mavic. We fly both on a regular basis and are never worried that one of them might not come back.

My P4 runs like a champ and I fly it without ever worrying about reliability ( Although I haven't upgraded firmware or Go4 for quite some time to be safe). My SPARK on the other hand is sitting at the bottom of a lake. I would buy another one right now if they would just let us know that the issue is fixed. But they haven't and maybe never will. Bebop 2??? Not for me I don't think, but if forced to buy one I would choose it over the SPARK right now... That's kind of depressing actually.

HamdiR Posted at 2017-7-24 12:25
Alas this drone is what is now but nothing like what we expected

Today saw an offer for the beepop 2 fpv edition, can't believe the beepop s more tempting now, I'm sure parrot has better experience with wifi drones

I posted a lengthy thread about this on another forum.  Simply put,  the Parrot is using the same WIFI technology as the Spark along with zillion other devices and my son has flown his BeeBop for over 1 year without a glitch.  I'm a programmer, thus my hardware knowledge is limited, but I have at least 6 devices with apps that connect to my iPhone WIFI flawlessly so why in the world can't the Spark.

HamdiR Posted at 2017-7-24 12:25
Alas this drone is what is now but nothing like what we expected

Today saw an offer for the beepop 2 fpv edition, can't believe the beepop s more tempting now, I'm sure parrot has better experience with wifi drones

I think if dji are giving warranty for these drones dropping out of the sky, then it's likely they know what's happening and they most likely have a fix for it,

It's just a pity they don't warn users of the likelihood of this happening and when it's likely to be fixed.

I am not quite sure if it is really a pity like Mr. HallMark said above, or it is so irresponsible of DJI, and not showing their respect to customer (by keeping silent to cover their mistake).
I believe DJI should learn from Japanese motorcycle company, Yamaha for example, they just recalled the new R3 in my country to fix (at Yamaha's own cost).
You may say because motorcycle can cause human injury and death if error, however, please note Spark can also cause injury if falling on people from a high altitude...

Phuong Do Posted at 2017-7-24 17:38
I am not quite sure if it is really a pity like Mr. HallMark said above, or it is so irresponsible of DJI, and not showing their respect to customer (by keeping silent to cover their mistake).
I believe DJI should learn from Japanese motorcycle company, Yamaha for example, they just recalled the new R3 in my country to fix (at Yamaha's own cost).
You may say because motorcycle can cause human injury and death if error, however, please note Spark can also cause injury if falling on people from a high altitude...

True true. I was going to take my Spark out to my niece's soccer game and film (next to the field, not over top of the field). Luckily my father in law wanted to see the drone as he never saw one before - so we did a test flight at home first a few hours before the match. This is when it crashed. I can only imagine if I was zipping along the length of the soccer field and power cut out - it could have hit a bystander, or even worse a player. Not a good thing.

HarpMudd Posted at 2017-7-24 10:04
Thanks. I'm hoping I don't have to use one of my 2 DJI Care repairs on this.

Same case as me. They said flight log stopped at the middle and cannot be analysis. I have to share the repair cost or claim the refresh.

I refused !

ya, i agree, refuse refuse refuse..either try damndest to get full refund or free repair...  not your fault.. these sparks are hating their lives..... mine killed its self today as well, it decided it didn't like listening to me anymore and flew up a tree 100 feet, chew a branch and fell to its death, nose first.    i'm going the route of amazon returns, because spark has something seriously wrong in its design..or its software..

sparks are legit suicidal...

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-7-24 18:25
ya, i agree, refuse refuse refuse..either try damndest to get full refund or free repair...  not your fault.. these sparks are hating their lives..... mine killed its self today as well, it decided it didn't like listening to me anymore and flew up a tree 100 feet, chew a branch and fell to its death, nose first.    i'm going the route of amazon returns, because spark has something seriously wrong in its design..or its software..

sparks are legit suicidal...

lol, I imagine that the ISIS would really happy to buy Spark for bombing purpose...

Phuong Do Posted at 2017-7-24 18:27
lol, I imagine that the ISIS would really happy to buy Spark for bombing purpose...

i doubt it... i think for bombing you want to have some control over your drone at all times...   and that's just not how a spark operates....the spark has almost a fetish for not working as designed.

hope a new update would come out to fix this.

So sorry to hear about the crash. have you contacted the Support to start a case? If not, please refer to the link below to contact the Support first, then send the drone in for diagnosis and repair.
http://www.dji.com/support

damn they dont want to take responsability because the media will bomb their name all over, is worst if they stay silent, but probably they will try to just give the update and say that everything is fixed

Damn, sorry to hear about this. Very concerning...hope there is some good outcome to this. Not even the fact that the Spark fell out of the sky but luckily it did not damage anything as it landed or hurt someone. Subscribed for updates.

bcharleson Posted at 2017-7-24 19:43
Damn, sorry to hear about this. Very concerning...hope there is some good outcome to this. Not even the fact that the Spark fell out of the sky but luckily it did not damage anything as it landed or hurt someone. Subscribed for updates.

When the Spark falls out of the sky and damages or injures someone DJI's response will be:

"With the record ended without any sign of abnormality, we could not verify what happened afterwards.
We truly appreciate your support for DJI, and especially applied for a 30% off coupon for aircraft without charger and remote:
http://store.dji.com/product/spark"

DJI Diana Posted at 2017-7-24 19:23
So sorry to hear about the crash. have you contacted the Support to start a case? If not, please refer to the link below to contact the Support first, then send the drone in for diagnosis and repair.
http://www.dji.com/support

Thanks DJI Diana. I started a case CAS-826779-C3H0D6, but I want to make sure they do not use my DJI Care Refresh. This should be covered under warranty. I'm sending out my drone today.

Onomarn Posted at 2017-7-24 20:27
When the Spark falls out of the sky and damages or injures someone DJI's response will be:

"With the record ended without any sign of abnormality, we could not verify what happened afterwards.

its ridicules ! Power lost during flight of course record ended without any sign of abnormality ! They don't want to look in the issue and don't want to take responsibility of this.

May be at the end the Spark dropped from the air and hurt someone and they will take reaction.

HarpMudd Posted at 2017-7-25 03:41
Thanks DJI Diana. I started a case CAS-826779-C3H0D6, but I want to make sure they do not use my DJI Care Refresh. This should be covered under warranty. I'm sending out my drone today.

It is hard to say now, since the aircraft needs to be evaluated after it arrives, it will be covered by warranty if it's product malfunction and within warranty period.

I've noticed you can "power on" a Spark battery even if it's not plugged into the spark itself. Might be worth switching a faulty battery on and hitting it with a hair dryer or heat gun for a couple of minutes and seeing if it shuts itself down once it gets hot. My Spark fell from the air on a hot day too.

fans5d9349b7 Posted at 2017-7-25 05:13
I've noticed you can "power on" a Spark battery even if it's not plugged into the spark itself. Might be worth switching a faulty battery on and hitting it with a hair dryer or heat gun for a couple of minutes and seeing if it shuts itself down once it gets hot. My Spark fell from the air on a hot day too.

This is a good suggestion but pretty sure no-one wants to waste $60 to test that. And DJI is not willing to share us what are they doing with the cases.
Also, I would not suggest anyone doing that. What if it will not shut off and explode, very dangerous.

Phuong Do Posted at 2017-7-25 05:15
This is a good suggestion but pretty sure no-one wants to waste $60 to test that. And DJI is not willing to share us what are they doing with the cases.
Also, I would not suggest anyone doing that. What if it will not shut off and explode, very dangerous.

Well you could monitor the temperature the battery is exposed to with an external sensor. It should be fine up to around 50°C, which is probably just slightly higher than the temps its operating at.

Adding for updates.

Well, I'm truly blown away by DJI customer service. I slacked a few days and shipped out my Spark a little late.. it was received at the California repair center yesterday and they did the assessment the same day! What's weird is that they stated that the damage was done to the 'Gimbal and Camera Module', but yet it looked fine after the crash. Luckily, they said the repair was covered under the warranty, so I didn't have to use one of my DJI Care repairs. They didn't say anything about the battery - Hopefully they replace it with another one..I'll know once I get it back and look at the serial.  Today they completed the repair and said it will be shipped within the next 3 days. Stay tuned...