My brand new Spark dropped its battery during flight, causing significant damage. The battery hit the concrete sidewalk and was cracked open. It kept getting hotter and hotter, I was worried if it was going to catch fire. It took 4 hours before it cooled off. The battery is heavy and has sharp edges. I am sure it will easily break through a windshield or cause serious injury if it falls on someone's head. The drone itself fell on a grassy surface so damage was not catastrophic, but its front window is gone, and all four motor shafts appear to be bent. It powers up fine, but the internal fan sounds like it is rubbing against something.  DJI wants me to ship it to them for repair. They don't want the battery to be shipped (I assume that means they don't repair batteries). I have no idea what all of this will cost, but I can't imagine it will be less than half the cost of a new Spark, especially since the price seems to be dropping fast. I also sent them the flight record and the video up to the instant the battery dropped, so any decision on warranty claim should be simple to make. Luckily, Amazon says they will take it back because it is less than a week old.  I told them I don't have the original packaging, and this drone is all damaged, but they said, no problem just return it, you'll get a full refund. Now that's customer service.
My question is, should I buy another Spark, or look for a different brand? I realize this is a DJI Spark forum, but buying another Spark and hoping it won't have the same flaw seems like foolish optimism to me. Any thoughts?

My guess would be they will repair your spark at their cost given it's a known issue in some case.  At least this is what they should be doing.  The will review the flight log and realize it just stopped mid flight and given the damage to the battery and spark; this should be a full replacement.  Again this is my assumption.  Let us know how it pans out

They don't want the battery because it's a liability issue to ship damaged lipo batteries, which you would be held responsible. If you want another DJI drone and can afford the Mavic Air I would go that route.

I would take Amazon up on their offer first and then decide. I just did my first short backyard test flight it and it went well. If you can afford to upgrade then why not get the Air. I gave myself a $ limit for my first drone.

Sparky_17 Posted at 2018-3-1 07:11
My guess would be they will repair your spark at their cost given it's a known issue in some case.  At least this is what they should be doing.  The will review the flight log and realize it just stopped mid flight and given the damage to the battery and spark; this should be a full replacement.  Again this is my assumption.  Let us know how it pans out

I spent a bit more time and checked the battery engagement mechanism. There is simply no way to insert that battery without firmly engaging it with a click. In other words, it is either locked in place, or it is completely loose and slides out by itself. There is no in-between. It seems impossible that the drone could be powered on, let alone flown for several minutes if the battery was not latched correctly. Yet, that is exactly what happened to me.  It is a mystery to me. One possibility could be resonance (or known as flutter in aerospace) that can occur at certain frequencies.  My Spark, despite its damage, shows no sign of any problem regarding battery engagement. Hence, the reason I am a bit hesitant to get another Spark, until I know what really happened and how it has been fixed.

More concerning to me is that the battery is a denser object than the whole drone, and has sharp edges. If it fell on someone's head it will definitely cause serious injury.

I hear what you are saying.  Bottom mounted batteries might not be the best solution but in the same token this seems to be an isolated type incident; meaning that if it was wide spread, we'd all have issues.  The best we can do right now is to follow a pre-flight inspection and double check every time we land before relaunch.  Again, sorry for your loss.

More concerning to me is that the battery is a denser object than the whole drone, and has sharp edges. If it fell on someone's head it will definitely cause serious injury.

That is why you are not supposed to fly over someones head.

LouisP Posted at 2018-3-1 11:54
More concerning to me is that the battery is a denser object than the whole drone, and has sharp edges. If it fell on someone's head it will definitely cause serious injury.

That is why you are not supposed to fly over someones head.

That rule only applies to people who are not participating in the flight. The pilot's head is just as important.

Regarding "all four motor shafts appear to be bent." - according to the DIJ FAQ, the motors are meant to be at a 5 degree angle to obtain optimal flight performance.  
I assume this concentrates the airflow & thrust area inward below the AC/Spark, like a funnel.

djiuser_RojfSW97etD9 Posted at 2018-3-1 20:58
Regarding "all four motor shafts appear to be bent." - according to the DIJ FAQ, the motors are meant to be at a 5 degree angle to obtain optimal flight performance.  
I assume this concentrates the airflow & thrust area inward below the AC/Spark, like a funnel.

I understand what you mean, but what I meant by "bent" was in reference to the gap that exists between the rotor and the lower frame. That gap should be uniform.  I realize you can't see this from my video, but my gap is not uniform, meaning the rotor is tipped from its axis. Upon second look, one of the rotors look ok, but three of them are definitely tipped. When I spin it by hand, I can feel the wobble.

Because i am new  hear  i did not want to post some pic i have seen and be bad mouthed as not knowing any.  but will say that i am one that sees much that many times others have missed. Has been proven by caterpillar and empire machine company that deals with them.  I have found many defects and have been asked how do i find when after the rigged cats and there inspections.   well enough boring history.  But.

Will say i seen a video on the air vs spark and one that compared them.  but when he held spark of i was shocked on what i saw and took screen shots so i can compare to mine.  His had a gap and space between battery and frame mine does not. Looked back to see if what i seen was true but was.  there was a gap on bottom and a large crack around battery and mine does not have.  All i am saying is mine does not have the gaps or spaces his did. but did he have battery in all the way?  cannot tell but the back of it against the frame kind of tells much. but its for others to judge as i do not. if i knew how to post pics of that one o would have but can give the link for all to see.   Sorry but am trying to be helpful as many has to me hear on learning.  No never will i repay many but am trying.


Yes i wanted to make a post but did not want to be hated for being new hear and not knowing what i am saying. but do have proof on all that i say.

I am so sorry for this case. Had you shipped the drone back to Amazon? If you haven't, it would be nice if you could provide us with the flight data from the drone, we would like to check the data of this accident. Basically, we suggest users check if the battery inserts firmly before flying, and for daily checking, please also ensure if the battery snaps are all in good condition without any damage.

DJI Thor Posted at 2018-3-2 00:58
I am so sorry for this case. Had you shipped the drone back to Amazon? If you haven't, it would be nice if you could provide us with the flight data from the drone, we would like to check the data of this accident. Basically, we suggest users check if the battery inserts firmly before flying, and for daily checking, please also ensure if the battery snaps are all in good condition without any damage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngEHdAlAh9A&index=13&list=PL8-vxWY64sBNIrePb_pR6Rd2Cp8GaKa_i&t=0s

I have sync'd the data from the app with DJI, but the drone has already been sent back to Amazon. I suppose you would eventually receive it from them.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I carefully examined the battery mechanism, and found nothing wrong. The mechanism does not allow partial latching of the battery. So no amount of preflight checking would have rectified this problem.  I think resonant buildup of energy jiggled the battery out of its slot. Those locking tabs are spring loaded, and that is ideal recipe for resonance. This is a classic scenario in airplanes. I don't know if drone engineers are aware of it.