is there a way to shut the motors off. i have had a few minor crashes. the only damage is the props because the blades start spinning out of control. i try pulling back on the throttle but has no effect. what am i doing wrong?

If your drone is a Phantom 3 Standard, all you have to do is full the left stick all the way back to the stop.  That should work.  I have never tried it in a crashed situation though.

CSC maneuver?

I think the quickest way is to turn both sticks in the same corners you used to turn your engine for 3 seconds.

To stop the motors, please refer to the manual below. Besides, is everything alright now?

You state the blades are spinning out of control.  The only time that happens is if the aircraft becomes inverted.  Is that the case?

Unfortunately, the aircraft only knows two states -- in flight, and landed.  It will only allow the motors to turn off if knows it has landed or if you execute a CSC command in-flight -- an emergency shutdown.  If you flip the aircraft on the ground it still thinks it is in flight and won't allow you to issue a motor-off command.  Being upside-down in flight is a bad thing and it thinks it is in severe trouble, so it will ignore all commands from the remote in order to get the right side up, before resuming listening to commands again.  If it doesn't succeed getting the right way up, it will sit there spinning the motors and trying to do so (typically spinning a pair of motors hard, and slowing the others).  Unfortunately this ends up destroying the props and sometimes the motors and ESCs.  The best advice is to run over as quickly as you can and get it upright, or kill the power.

In summary, the "get-upright" state trumps "CSC", which has priority over "left-stick-down motor off", which is defeated by being "in flight".  They can all be beaten by cutting off the power.

endotherm Posted at 2018-4-25 03:45
You state the blades are spinning out of control.  The only time that happens is if the aircraft becomes inverted.  Is that the case?

Unfortunately, the aircraft only knows two states -- in flight, and landed.  It will only allow the motors to turn off if knows it has landed or if you execute a CSC command in-flight -- an emergency shutdown.  If you flip the aircraft on the ground it still thinks it is in flight and won't allow you to issue a motor-off command.  Being upside-down in flight is a bad thing and it thinks it is in severe trouble, so it will ignore all commands from the remote in order to get the right side up, before resuming listening to commands again.  If it doesn't succeed getting the right way up, it will sit there spinning the motors and trying to do so (typically spinning a pair of motors hard, and slowing the others).  Unfortunately this ends up destroying the props and sometimes the motors and ESCs.  The best advice is to run over as quickly as you can and get it upright, or kill the power.

yes my problem is that the aircraft lands upside down. how do i cut the power?
thanks for your response

Either pull battery out, or pick up and pull left stick down for 3 seconds.

What are you flying?  It shouldn't be landing upside down.  I guess what you're saying is it lands too hard and bounces to an upside down position.  Best solution is to come up with a method so as to avoid that.  

Are you landing on flat smooth ground?  Try to do that.

You might consider disabling the VPS sensors unless you need them - as many have noticed that they tend to make it more difficult to land smoothly.  

You might consider a hand-catch, although you should take a look at AMA's safety handbook first.  

If the AC is upside down on the ground with the motors spinning, it's been repeatedly reported that CSC doesn't work.  We aren't sure why.  So in that case, I would pause to be sure the area around you is clear, then firmly grasp one of the verticle landing gears with one hand, hold the AC right side up firmly, then use the other hand to move the controller left stick down and hold 3 secs to stop motors.  

Mark The Droner Posted at 2018-4-25 07:30
What are you flying?  It shouldn't be landing upside down.  I guess what you're saying is it lands too hard and bounces to an upside down position.  Best solution is to come up with a method so as to avoid that.  

Are you landing on flat smooth ground?  Try to do that.

phantom 3 advanced. i am a newby. i bough tmy drone at a yard sale for $200 two times on trying to take off i got out of control and the aircraft flipped upside down and went full throttle. another time i clipped a tree and it landed upside down. both times the only damage were the blades. but i imagine this cant be good for the motors. i live on a hill and the street out front of my house is not level i think that might be part of the problem.
thanks for your input
Bill

handyguy58 Posted at 2018-4-25 09:53
phantom 3 advanced. i am a newby. i bough tmy drone at a yard sale for $200 two times on trying to take off i got out of control and the aircraft flipped upside down and went full throttle. another time i clipped a tree and it landed upside down. both times the only damage were the blades. but i imagine this cant be good for the motors. i live on a hill and the street out front of my house is not level i think that might be part of the problem.
thanks for your input
Bill

You would be trying to take off in an area that has too many obstacles or overhangs.  If you are an experienced pilot that should not be too much of a challenge, but as a newbie, do yourself a favour and give yourself as much room to maneuver as you can while you are learning and gathering experience.  Any small mistake can result in a disaster.

We DO know why CSC will not work while it is inverted.  It is because it is doing everything it can to fly itself the right way up, and listening to flight controls while it is doing that would just be a distraction.  It can't act on them anyway, so it is safer to just ignore them until it is able to maintain stable flight.  Likewise left stick down won't shut the motors off  unless it is upright.   It's a characteristic that is hard wired into the machine for safety and self preservation.  It's a bit like a situation where you are caught up in a net and drowning, while someone on the shore is yelling at you to swim slowly in a particular direction.  It's pretty pointless listening to irrelevant directions while you are fighting for your life  --  you have more important things on your mind.

Having the motors spin up/slow down works wonders to right it in the air while it is falling, but it is unable to ascend while it is on its back.   Unfortunately this means the props will try to drill into the ground and usually grind away the prop hubs and damage the edges.  The added drag doesn't do the motors any favours either.

All you can do is get to the downed aircraft quickly and turn off the battery or pull it out, or pick it up and turn the motors off the usual way.  Be grateful it is happening in your driveway and not a couple of miles away.

I've landed in some rough uneven terrain before, but the worst thing that happens  --  even with a hard landing  --  is a nose-down or arm-down tip.  If you are flipping it in the process, you are doing something seriously wrong.

endotherm Posted at 2018-4-26 05:23
You would be trying to take off in an area that has too many obstacles or overhangs.  If you are an experienced pilot that should not be too much of a challenge, but as a newbie, do yourself a favour and give yourself as much room to maneuver as you can while you are learning and gathering experience.  Any small mistake can result in a disaster.

We DO know why CSC will not work while it is inverted.  It is because it is doing everything it can to fly itself the right way up, and listening to flight controls while it is doing that would just be a distraction.  It can't act on them anyway, so it is safer to just ignore them until it is able to maintain stable flight.  Likewise left stick down won't shut the motors off  unless it is upright.   It's a characteristic that is hard wired into the machine for safety and self preservation.  It's a bit like a situation where you are caught up in a net and drowning, while someone on the shore is yelling at you to swim slowly in a particular direction.  It's pretty pointless listening to irrelevant directions while you are fighting for your life  --  you have more important things on your mind.

No you are not doing anything seriously wrong so disregard his ignorance. I see it all the time when racing and someone clips an tree branch or anything like that.

djiuser_n0dRorxHu5FV Posted at 2-11 11:59
No you are not doing anything seriously wrong so disregard his ignorance. I see it all the time when racing and someone clips an tree branch or anything like that.

A Phantom is not a racing drone.