Though it may be painfull to recount, I believe it may be helpful to read accounts (in one place) on how people have lost thier Drones.  Might also be helpful as I have read, on this forum, some very bright and helpful people trying to help others that have lost their drone.  I have only had mine since X-mas and taking it very slowly as I am paranoid on losing it.thanks in advance!!  

What happened? There's some really smart folks on here that might be able to figure out why and maybe even assist in locating it.

FatherXmas Posted at 2017-12-31 15:01
What happened? There's some really smart folks on here that might be able to figure out why and maybe even assist in locating it.

Nevermind, it just sunk in that you're wanting other folks to tell their story, not that you had lost yours.

With that in mind, search back through the posts, there's lots of 'I lost my drone' stories.

FatherXmas Posted at 2017-12-31 15:04
Nevermind, it just sunk in that you're wanting other folks to tell their story, not that you had lost yours.

With that in mind, search back through the posts, there's lots of 'I lost my drone' stories.

Thanks FatherXmas!  Yes I have seen some of those accounts.  Happy New Year, too cold to fly here in Dallas... :-(

Planodave Posted at 2017-12-31 15:07
Thanks FatherXmas!  Yes I have seen some of those accounts.  Happy New Year, too cold to fly here in Dallas... :-(

Dallas Texas? Your profile says Canada, so you must be visiting. We lived in the Dallas area for over 20 years, now in Alabama.

Hi Dave, I understand your concern. It might be not easy to avoid this issue completely, but a fully pre-flight checklist is helpful to reduce the risk. In case any unfortunate happens, please kindly offer the flight records for analysis, we'll be here for help.

Hey dave.. Tyler tx here..

Lost my Phantom 3 std  trying a waypoint mission using the litchi app https://flylitchi.com/ not a fault of the app, just me being unfamiliar with how it works.
Waypoint mission being where you pick points on a google map type interface, (and you can set flight altitude/etc per waypoint I later discovered) without having to pre-fly the route like the DJI app requires.
P3 doesn't have avoidance sensors like newer/more advanced drones which might have helped..
I flew 2 'test' missions creating a box pattern around a big field behind my house, and they worked flawlessly, so i decided to try for a target a little further out..
1st problem: My map wasn't fully loaded, I could see streets names, but not all cross streets, so I kind of guessed coordinates that should be in the general area of what I was wanting to video (a water tower)
2nd problem: I didn't realize the drone kept its altitudes relative to home location.. so 30m up behind my house was plenty high.. but following the path my drone should've taken, that same altitude was 'close' in a couple spots, and way too low in another.. one of the possible areas (new construction area) has been locked since my drone went down, i'm hoping they're back to work today, and someone finds it, its been tough to go looking too far away from the roads/etc due to the rain and bitter cold we've been having the last couple days in texas, but if nothing turns up, this weekend i'll get some mud boots and walk the flight path in the areas i've not been able to get to.

So the lesson i've learned.. if you're doing anything w/ your drone that could take it out of your sight even briefly, you might want to invest in a tracker..