Have a Phantom 2 that I bought new on eBay about a month ago. It had the older version motors and esc's. Had a zenmuse 3D, and my trusty GoPro Hero3 that I have had many times to depths of 100 feet or more in the ocean. I had added a video transmitter when I got it, and had a receiver and monitor attached to my DJI transmitter.

Got home early from work so I took it out in my yard and went for a quick flight before dinner. I calibrated the compass as I always do, and had 12 GPS satellites. It had the older style compass, and all firmware updates. I have a iOSD mini giving me the video overlay, which is how I know how many satellites I had locked. All systems go.

I took off, got to about 60 meters, and had flown east about 50 meters, as I had done several times before, and never had an issue. I was bringing it back, when all of a sudden I had no control over the phantom. Immediately I tired to bring it back, and also tried to bring it down, but it would not respond. At this time it was heading pretty much due south, at what I would call a high rate of speed. I had not yet switched to naza mode, I still consider myself a new pilot having only about 20 flights or so under my belt. So I knew my only options were pretty much failsafe, or shut off the transmitter. (I recall setting the right hand switch to failsafe in the software when it was switched all the way down). I continued to try to bring it back, running down the street, until it was obvious I had no control, so I shut the transmitter off, running down the street, until I lost sight of it.

I had not yet put my name on it as I have barely flown it out of my yard. I live in a rural area with no power lines, cell towers, etc. Not interested in bashing DJI or anyone else, just posting this for informational purposes I guess. If I did something wrong, I would really like to know what it might have been, in 20 flights I never had a hiccup. I am just sick about it, probably the worst thing of all was watching my 7 year old special needs son cry his eyes out. I don't really want to sell out everything I have left, but don't want to risk this ever happening again either.

Pretty much all there is to say, it all happened in the span of a few minutes, so I didn't really have a chance to check the readings on the video overlay like I wish I would have. I knew pretty quickly that I had lost control, but I really don't think there was much else I could have done. And also, no real wind to speak of, just a beautiful day. If anyone has any questions, or feels they can help in any way feel free to reply.  I think I'm going to have to have a pretty good idea of what I did wrong, that might be correctable, before I consider re-investing. Thanks.

dmiles,
Turning off the RC is same as enabling Failsafe, in a pinch and flustered or anything else turning off the RC is the next best thing to do vs. trying to flip switches and wondering and the net result should be the same.  I am flying in NAZA-M and my S1 switch all the way down is set as Failsafe also. is there any chance you lost Wifi completely? that said, if you had a compass calibration complete and it went into failsafe it should have gone into RTH and came home..sorry, but not sure what else to say at the moment,

Thanks for the quick replies, much appreciated. I was not aware of any find my phantom feature at all, and I can't find that app in the apple app store. I also had not tried home lock, don't you have to be in Naza mode for that to work?

Anyway, thanks again. I'm surprised I didn't see any reference to find my phantom in the manual, which I did read. I did have a phantom 2, not a vision or vision plus.

Having just lived through it, some other home, or some sort of major malfunction was exactly what it felt like. Moot point now, but I'm pretty sure I would have had to be in Naza mode to use home lock. I was thinking about testing all that soon for sure.

Yug Posted at 2015-4-24 12:27
Compass calibration on it's own is not sufficient? Does he not also have to have Home Lock establis ...

Home Lock is only active in NAZA-M which he was not in...So, no go!

dmiles Posted at 2015-4-24 12:25
Thanks for the quick replies, much appreciated. I was not aware of any find my phantom feature at al ...

o.k., the DJI app for the Phantom version i have for the iPhone has the find my Phantom feature right within the DJI app, it is in the settings (under the gear wheel so to speak) of the app itself, maybe a mute point at this moment as it may not likely show up on there even if you find the setting in the app as the battery could well be pooped by now,
As for Home Lock/IOC, yes, you would have had to be in NAZA-M for that to work...

No need to apologize, you are posting here to try to be helpful. You have all the slack you need.

Unless I'm mistaken, from what I read in the manual, the indication that a new home point was stored is when the green LEDs start flashing while it's still on the ground. There is no question in my mind that I had that. The reason I can say this is because about the third time I flew it, I flew without GPS lock. It started acting weird right away, and scared me so much I sat it down and got the manual out. (You know a male is desperate when he gets the manual out). After that, I never took off until I saw the green flashing lights.

Thanks a bunch guys, much appreciated.

Miles,
I hate to hear that. Any chance the WiFi on the GoPro was mistakenly on? You mentioned having FPV. Were you receiving camera and telemetry video while this occurred?
Ray

Dmiles, sorry to read of your misfortune. I hope you can find it. I would go out & try to head in its last direction. You might get lucky. If i am mistaken, only if  you have IOC checked & NAZA turned on, failsafe can only be initiated by turning off transmitter. I think all other positions of S1&2 are turned off.
If you are not able to find it, I hope you can get another one. Hate to hear your boy is tore up.  

After reading this I did a quick check on something. While at work, I went to both apps on my phone The factory DJI and also the Vision Plus and Ulitimate  app and selected "find my Phantom" and both show it being at my house.. Which is in the box with the battery removed. The phone was using normal data or my work wi-fi. So I think your app records its last known location before it crashed and that determined where you may be able to find it. I think its still worth a shot.

  Im going to do another test by taking the Phantom to another spot. turn it on, let the app get astablished and or get satelite lock, then turn it off, pull the battery and see if it will remember that spot. Reason it says mine is at my house is because I was using the app to download the videos from it the other day.

Yes, but the OP does not have a Phantom Vision, so no app...

He HAS to have a Phantom Vision app, otherwise how would he know how many satellites he had locked? Isn't that info only displayed through the Vision app?

Have a Phantom 2 that I bought new on eBay about a month ago. It had the older version motors and esc's. Had a zenmuse 3D, and my trusty GoPro Hero3 that I have had many times to depths of 100 feet or more in the ocean. I had added a video transmitter when I got it, and had a receiver and monitor attached to my DJI transmitter.

Got home early from work so I took it out in my yard and went for a quick flight before dinner. I calibrated the compass as I always do, and had 12 GPS satellites. It had the older style compass, and all firmware updates. I have a iOSD mini giving me the video overlay, which is how I know how many satellites I had locked.

He had the Phantom 2 but not the vision + also had the IOSD mini so that's how he knew how many satellites he had locked

Yea. if he had a aftermarket FPV setup using go pro, etc. then it still works same as a vision / +, right? Still uses a app of some sort that provides "Find my Phantom" screen. Ulitmate Flight and Vision Plus both do that and there 3rd party apps.

No app, FPV kit and a monitor I would guess, the IOSD overlays the fight data onto the video feed that is viewed from a monitor.

This is a IOSD mini screen shot (No it's not mine)

I've only been here a short time, but I have seen DJI employees chime in on threads like this. Kind of surprised not to have seen one here. I in no way intend to bash. I dive a rebreather, so I am familiar with the concept of accepting risk. If I fly a $1000 bill around in the air, I understand that there is risk involved, and I accept that.

I have seen many posts where the OP believes that practically 100% of flyaways are pilot error. That would jive with the data that has shown that the vast majority or rebreather fatalities are the result of pilot error. However, in every case, the evidence must support the pilot error finding. I think before I can continue this sort of risk, someone at the expert level is going to need to make a strong case that there is a good possibility that I did something, that I will be able to correct in the future, if there is to be a future for me with this wonderful machine.

100% of crashes and losses are surely not pilot error of the usual type. It's somewhat of a sliding scale......we would call some human error and others a combo of various things.

In this case, the OP may have done absolutely nothing wrong....but maybe could have done a few things more "right". These would include having the bird in NAZA mode and also the testing of RTH using the switch (once in NAZA mode) - which in some ways assures a property set home point.

That seems like a lot of trouble, but the older models did have a weaker GPS setup.

Also, the addition of a trackimo or other find-it device is one more assurance - in addition to the labeling of the machine.

Real aircraft pilots with 10's of thousands of hours still make mistakes. Whether or not those mistakes cause a loss is another thing - sometimes it's just bad luck.

In summary, it's probably not things you did wrong - but perhaps more things you could have done better which would increase the odds of keeping the craft longer. It's all about the percentages!

Perhaps the manual should be revised to reflect the advantages of naza mode, and the need to test the features. I had planned on doing just that, but I feel that I was lead to believe that phantom mode was more of a safe, "newbie" mode, and naza mode should be used as skills are acquired. I now do not believe that is the case.

Obviously a good tracking device is a good idea, I know I will never fly without one, ever again. Of course if DJI were to stress this in the manual, it would not bode well for having confidence that a flyaway would be as unlikely as it probably should be.

This could be a moot point, as I just ran across an entire facebook page dedicated to helping people deal psychologically with phantom flyaways. I found that pretty amazing.

Still not sure if I want to get back in, or sell completely out. But should I get back in, I think for at least the first few weeks, I will have a GoPro strapped to my forehead, recording everything I do pre-flight, recording telemetry, and the performance of the phantom in the air.

Some sort of product defect, pilot error, or combination should be documented, and put out for public display when you consider the possibilities of property damage and/or injury that could result from these things flying around uncontrolled.

Drone flyers has some good points.  Was the firmware up to date?  Did you do a IMU calibration on top of the compass calibration.  The other question is what was the K factor on the day you had your flyaway?  Above 6?  Since this was a used model you don't know what treatment it had before you acquired it.  I feel sorry for your loss.  It is unfortunate.  I fly my Phantoms in Naza mode because I have more control options.  With 20 flights you should have been comfortable enough to make the change from Phantom to Naza.  But each person has their own comfort levels.  I hope you get it back.  Don't give up.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-4-26 12:17
Drone flyers has some good points.  Was the firmware up to date?  Did you do a IMU calibration on to ...

1) Firmware was up to date.
2) DJI assistant indicated no IMU calibration was needed.
3) Phantom was new, the battery showed 0 discharge cycles, so no previous treatment.
4) Just to be clear, no support from DJI in this case, correct?

Without anything to send back to DJI for diagnosis and repair, there really is nothing they can do.
Have you contacted the seller you bought it from ? I would start there.
Also I would be out looking for it, in atti it would have continued in the direction of the wind, autoland should have kicked in and brought it down before travelling too far.

dmiles Posted at 2015-4-26 21:20
1) Firmware was up to date.
2) DJI assistant indicated no IMU calibration was needed.
3) Phantom w ...

I would contact DJI anyway.  Sometimes depending on the circumstances they can provide some assistance.  It is worth a call.

johnwarr@live.c Posted at 2015-4-26 21:34
Without anything to send back to DJI for diagnosis and repair, there really is nothing they can do.
...

Regardless you have something to send to DJI or not.. They still won't do anything.. The OP is on his own...

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-4-26 23:36
I would contact DJI anyway.  Sometimes depending on the circumstances they can provide some assist ...

I have to say, the reason I went the route I did when I purchased my phantom was because from the research I had done, I figured even if I had spent a few more dollars and bought my phantom directly from DJI, I still would not get any support, so may as well make sure I buy new, but save a few bucks if I can.

After seeing Ed's presence in this forum and trying to give fair and reasonable consideration to what he has to say, I must say that I may have been wrong about that. I now believe that support may be there from DJI. I'm at least willing to take a shot and see what happens.

The way I see it, we have some exciting new offerings on the horizon. I'm at least willing to take a step back, see what happens, and then make an honest appraisal of the route I should choose. I'm familiar with the tightrope that companies that offer new technology have to walk. I guess I will see what happens.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-4-26 23:36
I would contact DJI anyway.  Sometimes depending on the circumstances they can provide some assist ...

Ed,

I went ahead and submitted a message using the form on the web site. I just did it yesterday, so I don't expect to hear anything back for a few days at least.

I was surprised that there was no "case number", or something like that generated. I was looking for something to pass along to you. My name is Glen Miles, and my phantom serial number was PH645328711, if that helps.

Another reason I'm posting this is something I remembered after going through this in my mind. I remember noticing in the left corner of the screen, on the iOSD video overly, the display was toggling between GPS, and ATTI. I figured it was probably just something wacky with the iOSD because:

1. I was in Phantom mode, and best I remember, in Phantom mode, I can't even switch into ATTI mode.
2. It was more like a "flicker" than a toggle, if you can picture what I'm saying.

Just thought I'd pass that along. For all I know, it may be anything from a well known harmless issue, to something going on with my phantom that no one has ever seen before. I believe you when you say you have never seen a fly away, just wondering if you have ever seen that anomaly.

Thanks!

Glen,

I looked for you on ZenDesk and cannot find you.   

Ed

dmiles Posted at 2015-4-29 06:25
Ed,

I went ahead and submitted a message using the form on the web site. I just did it yesterday, ...

dmiles

In phantom mode you will go into Atti automatically if you lose the required number of satellites.

Do you recall the number of satellites in your iosd display? Was that number flickering also?

Yug

dmiles Posted at 2015-4-25 12:52
Perhaps the manual should be revised to reflect the advantages of naza mode, and the need to test th ...

I personally think everybody should be in Naza mode from the outset. I did not but when I realised the advantages and the increased safety of Naza I did. The most important point to watch for in Naza is to make sure Switch 1 has not been programmed to Manual Mode but Fail-Safe mode.

I feel a little cheated by listening to DJI hype but I was lucky and did not fall foul of not having Naza features to fall back on. There have been many cases on the Forum where properly trained pilots would have stood a better chance of averting a mishap if they had been in Naza.

Yug

Dont feel bad! I got my Phantom 2 vision plus  in jan. Started slow and easy. Im 59. not some stupid young kid. I have flown RC aircraft my whole life. I Had 18 perfect flights. Took some great video. Calibrated my compass every flight. Went to video the river near my home yesterday. Was going to be a beautiful flight. Went up about 25 feet and out about 30 feet and flew up the center of the river about 100 yards. Tried to stop and turn around and it started drifting away. No left control, no right control, as it drifted it started going right, i had about 20 feet before i lost site of it.I Flipped  the home lock switch down to no avail, even tried to gain altitude, nothing. Heard it hit, had to swim across a damn cold river to look for it, with a friend. looked for 3 hours. cant find it. heading out in an hour to continue the search. Im sick to my stomach. I had read so many stories about this but chose to believe it was all stupid pilots. Maybe it is and I am? What an expensive lesson.

gasquetmike@gma Posted at 2015-5-3 01:04
Dont feel bad! I got my Phantom 2 vision plus  in jan. Started slow and easy. Im 59. not some stupid ...

Sorry to hear.....

I have long said to not fly over bodies of water unless you want to lose your Phantom to them. Many people dispute me when I say this......but experience seems to prove that I'm at least 1/2 right!

DJI - in their new manuals - warns not to fly over bodies of water....

I'm not claiming pilot error - but, once again, there are many things you can do to up the percentages in your favor.  Some are superstition and some are more practical. Here is some of my list.

I don't fly over water if I can help it - and, if I do, I would only do so with certain conditions.  A beach is often better than a river due to the shallow water and you can get shots without going too far out. Here is an example I just did recently:


I don't calibrate my compass on each flight. Once it's right, it's right (IMHO) and I think more pilots may introduce errors by doing it too often. That's purely my opinion.

It's just not worth it to me to fly constantly over water and places where I cannot retrieve the quad. Even in the best cases, something with 4 toy motors on it does not have 100% reliability.

I'm not a real pilot, but from what I have heard even most real aircraft plan their flight paths so they can always reach an airport with their glide ratio or with an engine out. I try to apply the same basic logic to my flying.

Some people claim that's too conservative and no fun. But it's my wallet at stake.

I had a fly away once, went home, made wanted posters. Went back out to the area that I believed that it crash in. 100 dollars later got my Phantom back. I keep spare posters with me now.

searched again today for 3 hours, it didnt go into the water but up onto a wooded hillside. going back tomorrow....still bummed out...

gasquetmike@gma Posted at 2015-5-3 08:58
searched again today for 3 hours, it didnt go into the water but up onto a wooded hillside. going ba ...

Well, dry land is good news!

I have two methods of possibly finding my Phantom on dry land - in addition to my eyes and a label on it, etc.

The Vision has "find my phantom" which shows on google maps the last GPS position of the quad. It works fairly well.

But just as reliable aircraft have two engines...just in case....I added a trackimo GPS device strapped onto it. That uses both GPS and the cell phone network to locate the bird.

I'm throwing this stuff out there just in case you find it or get another one.

Another method some people use is an audio alarm. This can be powered from your quad or FPV tx battery feed and it will sound when the voltage of the battery drops down below a certain level. If the woods are fairly quite you'd be able to hear it 200 feet or so away.

Someday I will find out if they work......good luck in your search!

droneflyers.com Posted at 2015-5-3 11:24
Well, dry land is good news!

I have two methods of possibly finding my Phantom on dry land - in a ...

I thought I would pass this on. I sent an email to emcotec regarding their beeper. The reply from them....

Hello,

you can connect the Beeper to the plugs F1 or F2 on your Naza Controller. Then please Program a Falisafe on this plug (via PC). Turning off the transmitter will now make it beep.

A low voltage warning is not possible with our beeper. Sorry!

I hope I could help you so far. If you have any further questions just write an email.

Best regards

Stefan Minke
stefan.minke@emcotec.de

I checked the "find my phantom" yesterday, it shows a spot i flew 2 weeks ago? so much for that...

Sorry to use this post but i cant seem to be able to post anything by myself?...My ? is do phantoms float? I still cant mind mine and am starting to wonder if it went into the river and floated down stream?

Sorry to hear that.

I got two p2, one is vision plus and the other one is H3-3D. This is quite strange since my P2 H3-3D always behaved very stable and never have any kind of problems through my experience on it.

However I did experienced several "almost fly away" circumstances with my vision plus, basically all of them were due to compass issues as my understanding. According to the manual, the phantom should be re-calibrated if you intend to take off the phantom in a place different from the previous one.
In other words it means no calibration is required if you choose the same location to fly. Abided by the instructions but the phantom will sometimes asking for recalibrations in the air.... once if the message showing up and then the phantom will start to behave madly... Drifting around with maybe its top speed  like a mad dog....totally nightmares to me.

To prevent my phantom goes mad again, now I always performing calibrations before each flight, calibrate the phatom then power cycle before flight>>a tip from an veteran.
Never have problems again ..till the moment......

Sincerely hopes you can take your sight up there again soon.

gasquetmike@gma Posted at 2015-5-4 08:03
Sorry to use this post but i cant seem to be able to post anything by myself?...My ? is do phantoms  ...

no they sink pretty quick, but trees will catch them pretty well.

I see your post that the find my phantom location shows a old flight point.
That implies that home gps lock was not set at takeoff on your last flight. It would show that location if it had.
good luck and hope you find it.

kirk2579@aol.co Posted at 2015-5-4 22:46
no they sink pretty quick, but trees will catch them pretty well.

I see your post that the find m ...

thanks, heading out aga
in today for another search