I'm going to email DJI, but wanted input. I have a P3 advanced. Was flying just now and here was the info:

44- degrees F
Strong GPS signal with no interference
37% battery life
approx 200' above me

The drone throws a propeller off and crashes straight down and is completely destroyed. What happened? Got zero error messages on app.

Prop not tight or possible cracks.  Were you able to retrieve the prop to inspect?  

Im thinking the prop wasnt fitted properly before flight unfortunately this is a user error. Not doing correct or thorough pre flight checks causes far more crashes than equipment failure.

@hellsgate - this was 15 minutes into the flight though, wouldn't this have happened near immediately if it was a fit issue?

Not necessarily no depending on how you fly if the prop is not fitted correctly they can sometimes take a little while to actually come off due to the inertia and g forces on the prop.
Is there any damage to the prop mounting posts? If locked in place correctly the props should not be able to come loose due to the locking mechanism.

Did you find the prop that came off?

If you have a broken or worn locking mechanism then that would explain why the prop came off but again pre flight inspection should pick up any faults in that area.
Many pilots dont check the little things prior to flight it only takes 10 minutes to thoroughly check your drone, batteries, controller and accessories for wear or damage.
Going through a pre flight check list every time you fly can avoid these failures and costly repairs.

Im sorry for the loss of your drone.
Unless proven otherwise i still think this could have been avoided.

I may be wrong but without being able to inspect the drone its really hard to say what happened or give any recommendations.

Yeah - I'm certainly willing to take blame where applicable, probably c/should have done a better preflight check. But I can't tell from the damage alone what happened pre or post fall. The prop that came off didn't break, it more ejected from the body in one piece.

Have you checked the prop mounting bracket for the one that came off does it look worn or broken?
Try putting that prop back on it does it feel loose at all?
If everything looks and feels normall then im afraid it really sounds like the prop just wasnt locked in place correctly prior to flight

Nah, it's so toast from ground impact you literally can't tell anything. It was 200' up, came straight down.

ESO ES PQUE TE PICÓ EL MISMO VIRUS QUE A MÍ, HIZO, ESO, SOLTÓ TRES HÉLICES Y CAYÓ AL SUELO, ASÍ QUE LA MICRO SD ESTÁ BLOQUEADA CON ARCHIVOS RAROS CAMBIAN CON EL TIEMPO DESDE QUE SUCEDIÓ, ASÍ QUE MIRA LA MICRO O LA INTERNA, CREO QUE LO ESTÁN ENVÍANDO DESDE LA ÚLSTIMAS ACTUALIZACIONES, ASÍ QUE SOLO DAN PROBLEMAS DE VUELO DIVERSOS, ESE DE SOLTAR LAS HÉLICES, ES YA SEGÚN VEO UNA FORMA, MÁS, PERO OJO QUE LAS NUEVAS ACTUALIZACIONES ESTÁN OBSOLETAS VIENEN CON PRODUCTOS QUE TE OBLIGAN A USAR SI QUIERES SEGUIR CON LA APLICACIÓN QUE VIENEN PIRATEADAS, ALGUNAS NO DEJAN VOLAR MÁS ALLÁ DE 30 METOS ARRIBA Y ALEJADO, ASÍ QUE SE QUITA EL REGRESA A CASA, LO PONE A CERO METROS Y SE EXTRELLAN, YA ESCUCHÉ VARIOS CASOS SIMILARES AL TUYO, VIENE EN LA ACTUALIZACIÓN, INCLUSO LA ORIGINAL DJI TAMPOCO FUNCIONA CORRECTAMENTE PIDE ACTUALIZARSE, SI LO HACES ESTAS PERDIDO, NO DEJA ABRILAR SE CIERRA SOLA, ASÍ QUE SIN FUNCIONAMIENTO

DLevy Posted at 2018-2-4 14:53
Nah, it's so toast from ground impact you literally can't tell anything. It was 200' up, came straight down.

Unfortunately then its gonna be a case of suck it up i think.
Others here with more experience than i may be able to help a bit more but nothing will bring your drone back.
Time to open the wallet and get that upgrade

Hellsgate Posted at 2018-2-4 14:47
Have you checked the prop mounting bracket for the one that came off does it look worn or broken?
Try putting that prop back on it does it feel loose at all?
If everything looks and feels normall then im afraid it really sounds like the prop just wasnt locked in place correctly prior to flight

There is no mounting bracket for P3 series drones.
Their props screw on and everything depends on the soft screw threads which can become damaged or weakened over time.

Ahh sorry my bad ive not flown the p3 so just trying to give best advice i can.
Still this should have been evident during pre flight check i believe ?

a better title

P3 Advanced loses prop and crashes because of me

Hellsgate Posted at 2018-2-4 14:47
Have you checked the prop mounting bracket for the one that came off does it look worn or broken?
Try putting that prop back on it does it feel loose at all?
If everything looks and feels normall then im afraid it really sounds like the prop just wasnt locked in place correctly prior to flight

Mounting bracket ???

This is a P3A where props screw on ....

Usually thrown props are due to not fitting tight and then when flying .... doing a quick stop. The casual flight up to that point hasn't added to the props tightness and the stop means prop momentum causes it to unscrew.

Nigel

I'm going to suggest the 15 minutes of flight consisted of hard braking and directional changes.   A loosely fitted prop (either due to worn/defective threads or insufficient torque in attaching them) is likely to work itself loose with such maneuvers due to inertia of the prop working against a braking or slowing motor.  A few violent or abrupt moves and the entire prop can work loose, though it will take some minutes.  This can be confirmed if you upload your flight log.

Usually with abrupt changes in motor RPM - the increased RPM will tighten the prop - reason for the plastic prop tool. But if throttle is only lightly increased - but a sudden stop is called for ---- WHEEEEEEEE ! away goes a loose prop.

Nigel

Was it the standard P3A prop being used ?

I've read of cases in the past where some had used metal threaded Phantom 2 props which had a tendency to spin off with the active breaking introduced in the P3 series.

Here was one discussion at the time:- https://forum.dji.com/thread-14475-1-1.html

DLevy Posted at 2018-2-4 14:53
Nah, it's so toast from ground impact you literally can't tell anything. It was 200' up, came straight down.

I have a P3A too. These have self tightening props, no locking mechanism. You should always check for tightness before taking off.  What happens is even if you were 15 minutes into a flight, you were more than likely just flying around maybe not being too aggressive. If you do a hard breaking or any type of action like full throttle and then just let go of the throttle, that braking action will cause those props to spin right off if not properly tightened. It is simply the inertia of the props and the braking of the motors allows the props to spin right off. Now if you were accelerating and it came off, it may be the threads were stripped or something. More than likely I would guess it was not tight on the motor shaft. Sorry.

RicardoGray Posted at 2018-2-5 05:28
I have a P3A too. These have self tightening props, no locking mechanism. You should always check for tightness before taking off.  What happens is even if you were 15 minutes into a flight, you were more than likely just flying around maybe not being too aggressive. If you do a hard breaking or any type of action like full throttle and then just let go of the throttle, that braking action will cause those props to spin right off if not properly tightened. It is simply the inertia of the props and the braking of the motors allows the props to spin right off. Now if you were accelerating and it came off, it may be the threads were stripped or something. More than likely I would guess it was not tight on the motor shaft. Sorry.

Loose prop or did you notice any birds in the area you were flying, I had 6-8 swallows come out of nowhere & attack my P3A yesterday, i know one of the little buggers got to close as there are tuffs of feathers stuck on one prop shaft, & my bird did a couple of sideway moves i;ve never witnessed before, but righted herself.
I;m told if birds take an interest in your bird, best reaction is go straight up, seems this is a manouver that birds find aggressive & leave you alone.

fans987d278a Posted at 2018-2-5 16:33
Loose prop or did you notice any birds in the area you were flying, I had 6-8 swallows come out of nowhere & attack my P3A yesterday, i know one of the little buggers got to close as there are tuffs of feathers stuck on one prop shaft, & my bird did a couple of sideway moves i;ve never witnessed before, but righted herself.
I;m told if birds take an interest in your bird, best reaction is go straight up, seems this is a manouver that birds find aggressive & leave you alone.

I agree, when birds seem to take an interest, going straight up has worked for me. As far as the OP in this case, I could see hitting a bird maybe breaking a prop, but not causing it to fly off. Just my opinion though.

Sad to hear that! Got any photos! of the wreck?

I think a add on parachute would be good idea for future Drones!

AIister Posted at 2018-2-4 20:04
a better title

P3 Advanced loses prop and crashes because of me

That's a bit Harsh!

DLevy Posted at 2018-2-4 14:53
Nah, it's so toast from ground impact you literally can't tell anything. It was 200' up, came straight down.

Gravity "Sucks" sometimes!

Hello DLevy, I'm sorry to read your post. If the drone is still in warranty period, please kindly contact the support and report: https://www.dji.com/support The designated team will take care of this and offer corresponding solutions according to the data analysis result.

Susan, it's not under warranty. I emailed them but there's not much they can do. It's so trashed and I bought it used, so any repair would be more than I paid.

How long has the prop been in use?

Porkhunt Posted at 2018-2-5 18:52
Sad to hear that! Got any photos! of the wreck?

LOL don't we love crash pics...

Bought used. Zero idea. But prop had no visible damage. How long do props last?