Hey guys. I have been a very, very happy owner of a DJI Spark for about 3 weeks now. I've recommended it to all my friends and had absolutely no complaints...until now.
I was flying it on the beach today, over shallow watter and about 10m high in sport mode. All was going well until it suddenly blinked red and crashed into the watter. No warnings ot anything.

I was able to retrieve it after about 30s. Lights were still on. I removed the battery and ran home, shaking it desperately to remove exxcess watter. Got home and wiped it dry, blew some air with an airdryer and shove it on a pot with rice.

Any suggestions what to do next both in terms of trying to save it and if I have any chance of getting DJI to fix it (it wasn't my fault)?

You always hear to put a phone in rice to soak up water. I have not tried this, but in a previous job we used to suck air out of a chamber to make the air pressure low enough to boil water at room temperature to get water out of electronics. You might be able to do that with one of those vacuum cleaner storage bags. Another thing to do would be to seal with silica gel. A cheap source of this is "crystal" cat litter which is cheap and readily available.

I was able to retrieve some of the footage from my phones cache and made a youtube video showing the crash.  . As you can see, it is flying normally an then just stopped.

My confidence I'll be able to fly it again is very low. Sea water is a b****.

I have zero confidence in flying radio control aircraft over water.  You guys are very brave.  Take offs are optional.  Landings are mandatory.

It looks like something hit it... Maybe a Sudden BIG GUST of WIND from the RIGHT SIDE of the Drone, as there seems to be a lot of waves, turning the Drone  to the Left, at that moment it fell. I live on an Island surrounded by sea, and know the Gust there is on the beaches. Right now you cannot even fly a drone with the wind we are recently having.

All of a sudden it freaked out ? It seems it spinned rapidly to the left then rolled in the air...... Where you touching the controls when it spinned ? Did you have prop guards on ? Any abnormal WARNINGS  like Compass / IMU Errors ?

I notice you where on Sports Mode. I found this thread, read it -

Be carefull when you are in Sport mode and you have the prop guards mounted!
Short movements at high speed and a little help from the wind can give  you a tilted Spark, and this results in shut-of engines and crash...

It maybe tilted on the Left and the engines shut off and fell ?

My Conclusion is that -

1) There was lot of WIND and thats what caused the flip. Do you have a reading the wind speed at that moment when you took off ?

2) Also although there are some birds / seagulls chirping in the Background, did you notice any bird attack ? Was your drone far way or in Line of Sight, I think Line of Sight ? Did you have the Final Fright as you watched it in the Video, or looking at it Visually as it was in Line of Sight ? Like that you can determine more what happened eg. Bird Attack, always keep a spotter near you, it helps a lot, even if they see something approaching it.

The drone seems very stable, if it didnt give you warning I wouldn't suspect for a Compass / IMU Failure all in a matter of about 1-2 Seconds, its like its HIT by something.
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Open a CASE with DJI Support, they are very nice and will surely help you.

BEWARE - OF THE BATTERY ! Dont charge it or put it indoor if it got wet, I would get rid of it ASAP, if there is a short in the electronics it can take fire and the FIRE WILL BE VERY DANGEROUS with LI-PO Batteries, if you have an open space keep it outside where there is nothing to catch fire, and place it in a LI-PO Bag if you have one.

Dont open the Spark yourself, open a Case with DJI and move from there, yours seems a Genuine Case, and you have proof with Video too. They will ask you for the Flight Logs / Black Box Data, they will guide you, I am sure.

Read this -

Pashi asked - Dear DJI engineers! Will Spark turn off if it will be turned upside down by heavy wind?

DJI Susan Replied - The motor will be turned off if the drone was turned upside down.

Beware of the Winds my Friend !!!



Find it here - https://forum.dji.com/thread-112694-1-1.html

If you want to learn about the LED Lights and ERRORS watch this -



Kloo is the Best Guy for Tutorials ! I believe him like I believe in God !

Kloo we need you help here. PLEASE !

DMX_MLT Posted at 2018-4-28 15:18
It looks like something hit it... Maybe a Sudden BIG GUST of WIND from the RIGHT SIDE of the Drone, as there seems to be a lot of waves, turning the Drone  to the Left, at that moment it fell. I live on an Island surrounded by sea, and know the Gust there is on the beaches. Right now you cannot even fly a drone with the wind we are recently having.

All of a sudden it freaked out ? It seems it spinned rapidly to the left then rolled in the air...... Where you touching the controls when it spinned ? Did you have prop guards on ? Any abnormal WARNINGS  like Compass / IMU Errors ?

Thanks for the very comprehensive answer.

There was some wind at the moment, but not a lot, like 5mph tops. It was actually quite a calm day and I flew with way more wind before, in sport mode, and changing direction rapidly without any problems. This time I was flying straight ahead and was still halfway through where I wanted to go before I changed direction. I might be wrong but my gut feeling is that wind and sudden change of direction were not the problem. I wasn't using prop guards as well.

I'm also positive there were no for birds or any other objects hitting the drone as I was looking at it at that moment it crashed (you can hear me gasp when it starts falling) and took off running to retrieve it from the water. It did blink the red light once before it wen't down. I wasn't looking at the phone at that moment, so I can't confirm there were warnings there as well. I was looking at the phone about 5s before the crash happened, so if there was a warning, it was a sudden one right before it crashed.

I did open the case with DJI. I'm worried they are out for the weekend and times is precious in this case, if there's anything I can do to save it.

Thank you very much!

DMX_MLT Posted at 2018-4-28 15:54
If you want to learn about the LED Lights and ERRORS watch this -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= ... IxTSJjuI8g&index=21

I did watch this video before, it's great.
I'm unable to pinpoint what kind of red light I got as it went down immediately after that happened. It could have been a critical error red light, but could also something else.

Gunship9 Posted at 2018-4-28 15:02
I have zero confidence in flying radio control aircraft over water.  You guys are very brave.  Take offs are optional.  Landings are mandatory.

Think I'm joining the zero confidence team from now on.
I was super impressed with everything about the spark until now, but became really frustrated (and drone-less) after that sudden crash

I didn't even go too far into the water. Drone sank into a 1-2 feet deep area and I was able to see the lights from the shore, then ran into the water to get it. Not doing that again, unfortunately. I was getting amazing footage, but the file is also corrupt.

We are sorry for the crash accident, if the aircraft is water-damaged, its performance may be severely affected, please send in at your earliest convenience, the data analysis will be arranged and the corresponding resolution will be provided according to the result. Good luck.

Hi Gabriel I was reading that some time ago many spark where falling from the sky, two things to check mentioned into he vids I saw was to keep the Firmware of the Spark and Batteries updated, and to see that the batterybclips well before take off as some had issue that battery go lose and stopped making contact. I believe you know far more than us what happened.I asked so many questions as like that you start cancelling speculations to get closer to what caused the problem. If u upload logs and data many here know how to read it and May help. A PRO guy like Hallmark is really good at this if u contact him. Wish u luck brother kelp us updated. Maybe DJI will send u replacement.

Based on the video it looks like maybe a prop came off or broke mid-flight. Were any of the props broken or missing when you fished it out?

As for the drone itself; even if it does work again after drying out, salt water is a killer and will eventually corrode the electronics one way or another. You should definitely get it replaced.

Strange,, Drone was flying straight with no issues then suddenly tilted and crashed, If not wind or a bird causing the tilt then I would also suspect a propeller,? Were all propellers good?,, also need to check some more info on the lights you mention just before the crash, not sure what to read into that. Hope you get it working and back flying. Looked like a nice stretch of beach to fly on,, !!

Has much as you have it in rice to dry out the salt water will cause corrosion on the internal circuits. If you know how to open it up and spray electrical spray over it do it or send it in to sort out. Corrosion will build up and cause issues down the line. Be Safe

great informative video..thank you

DJI Mindy Posted at 2018-4-28 19:10
We are sorry for the crash accident, if the aircraft is water-damaged, its performance may be severely affected, please send in at your earliest convenience, the data analysis will be arranged and the corresponding resolution will be provided according to the result. Good luck.

Thanks Mindy. I need to figure out where to send it to as I'm in Brazil. I did open a case with DJI and hope to get some guidance on next steps.

DMX_MLT Posted at 2018-4-28 19:42
Hi Gabriel I was reading that some time ago many spark where falling from the sky, two things to check mentioned into he vids I saw was to keep the Firmware of the Spark and Batteries updated, and to see that the batterybclips well before take off as some had issue that battery go lose and stopped making contact. I believe you know far more than us what happened.I asked so many questions as like that you start cancelling speculations to get closer to what caused the problem. If u upload logs and data many here know how to read it and May help. A PRO guy like Hallmark is really good at this if u contact him. Wish u luck brother kelp us updated. Maybe DJI will send u replacement.

All up to date, I'm crazy about updates and always update everything immediately.
I heard about battery clips in the past and I always push them hard. I have cache footage until after it starts falling, so don't think that's it as well.

Thank you for the support. I'm now mostly hopping for DJI to look into it and hopefully get me a replacement.

Firehawk989 Posted at 2018-4-28 20:18
Based on the video it looks like maybe a prop came off or broke mid-flight. Were any of the props broken or missing when you fished it out?

As for the drone itself; even if it does work again after drying out, salt water is a killer and will eventually corrode the electronics one way or another. You should definitely get it replaced.

Props were fine even though it fell from the sky into shallow water, but the way it flipped after it started falling looks like what would happen if one of the props stopped working.

Flighty Posted at 2018-4-28 22:22
Strange,, Drone was flying straight with no issues then suddenly tilted and crashed, If not wind or a bird causing the tilt then I would also suspect a propeller,? Were all propellers good?,, also need to check some more info on the lights you mention just before the crash, not sure what to read into that. Hope you get it working and back flying. Looked like a nice stretch of beach to fly on,, !!

Props were alright even though it fell from the sky into shallow water.
As for the lights, it was too fast and I only saw it blinking red once, maybe logs will get more info, but that's beyond my knowledge.
Beach was indeed nice and I was able to get some great footage, which then corrupted as I pulled the battery out of it after fishing it from the sea

Suren Posted at 2018-4-28 23:50
Has much as you have it in rice to dry out the salt water will cause corrosion on the internal circuits. If you know how to open it up and spray electrical spray over it do it or send it in to sort out. Corrosion will build up and cause issues down the line. Be Safe

Right. I'm getting less and less confident on its recovery. Will focus on working with DJI on a replacement.

They mentioned the Props idea too. I didn't think about it ! Well done !

Look what I found, seems like your case ? Very similar.

https://youtu.be/j_ohsN__9co

It was compass error due to interference. I think something like that happened. Let DJI help u more.

Whatever the outcome let us know.

Before taking off it's important you include a -

1 Compass check, check that the red arrow point in the direction the Spark is facing.

2 No errors Compass / Imu

3 Gps Satellites Typically 12

4 Hover for 20sec and test front back right left and up and down in low altitude, then when sure fly. Always in LINE OF SIGHT. Imagine it was far where would u find it ?

5. Drone warm up a bit helps too so hover a bit then go flying, battery on spark is limited but you can't think a small drone will do things like Mavic Pro does.

So keep in mind you have a Small Drone, fly safe and I am sure you be ok.

Good luck Brother !

DMX_MLT Posted at 2018-4-29 05:07
Before taking off it's important you include a -

1 Compass check, check that the red arrow point in the direction the Spark is facing.

I did go through most of these steps and made sure it was in GPS mode (I never fly out of GPS mode). Flew it around in the sand a couple of minutes and then went on to film that stretch of water where it fell down.

Gabriel I watched another video on YouTube, in comments on said he gets four red lights, and on the display it flashes compass error. Always pay attention to alerts, sometimes there is interference, when u see that land and change location. I will send u vid, this guy was deliberately pass in metal structure unlike you as u where on the beach, but there could be antennas, powerlines causing this.

https://youtu.be/LJTzu5S_tQI

Read first comment on the video.

How far was the Spark from you ? Do you use OTG and Remote ?

DMX_MLT Posted at 2018-4-29 05:31
How far was the Spark from you ? Do you use OTG and Remote ?

There were no structures around, neither power lines or phone towers. Nothing abnormal to cause a compass error, but who knows.

I fly with the remote but using wifi, not OTG.

Did you buy this spark second hand Gabriel. Did you do a lot of flight before this accident ?

If it went in atti mode I think you can still control it. It just doesnt hold position so it drifts with wind so you have to force fly it back home. Did you update all batteries too ? As ones a firmware issue caused this type of malfunction back last year. If you have spares you need to update 1 by 1.

Guys I found this video about ATTI modes and all explanations, it's very interesting and wanted to share it with u all. There are 3 parts so watch other parts too. This guy's is Very Good in Explaining in Depth as easy to understand with Displaying Graphics of Procedures. Here it is https://youtu.be/g7Id3uZAICk

gabrielsturmer Posted at 2018-4-29 05:00
Right. I'm getting less and less confident on its recovery. Will focus on working with DJI on a replacement.

That's better

I don't think this was caused by compass error or interference or anything like that. It just drops out of the sky! That's not what happens when there's a compass error. Also if it was the battery coming loose you wouldn't have any footage of the fall. This is a weird one!

I made a video with the last footage I captured from the drone before it plunged into the sea, including the actual crash

gabrielsturmer Posted at 2018-5-1 03:56
I made a video with the last footage I captured from the drone before it plunged into the sea, including the actual crash

0:48 Birds flying in a Flock few meters away from Drone
0:51 Birds Chirping in the Background
0:58 The Crash
Sky is the same lighting from the birds flying until the Crash. So there wasnt difference in time.
In my Comment #5 I asked you about Bird, remember ? and you told me you forgot / didnt notice anything.

Keep an eyes on birds / wind. Especially in that really HIGH ALTITUDE, remember you have a Spark, which is very limited, and doesnt fight Large Gusts of Wind especially at the Height where the Power of the Wind is Far Bigger and Stronger !

Also need to note that you where flying very low when the 'SPARK CRASHED' so the wind is not the problem at that height of maybe 10m, though with the Speed in Sports Mode, the drone can easily be caught by a Gust of Wind and flip, and if it rotates, it will Automatically Shut Off the Propellors and Fall.

If it was me I keep it in line of sight, keep a spotter near you too to watch the drone while you look at your Phone / Remote, he or she maybe can see things you missed. I really suggest to be with a Spotter, whenever possible.
You mentioned you saw the Drone in RED LIGHTS when you looked at it before the crash. I read that on Low Battery it Flashes Slowly Red, and on Critical it Flashes Fast Red. Do you have the footage with the DJI GO4 App details like GPS Satellites / Battery / Obstical Avoidance as this could help a lot.

Anyways you should know better than us what happened around you as there isnt a clear answer to this, its just Speculation. We cannot see no warnings / or whats doing on your phone screen etc...

I wish you Luck Dude on your Replacement.

DMX_MLT Posted at 2018-5-1 04:16
0:48 Birds flying in a Flock few meters away from Drone
0:51 Birds Chirping in the Background
0:58 The Crash

Thanks again.
I'm positive it wasn't a bird.
Battery was fully charged and I flew it for about 2 minutes before the crash, so that wasn't a problem as well.
It wasn't a windy day and I haven't had any problems flying in days where there was a lot more wind.
I can only imagine it was a critical error of some sort.

gabrielsturmer Posted at 2018-5-1 06:01
Thanks again.
I'm positive it wasn't a bird.
Battery was fully charged and I flew it for about 2 minutes before the crash, so that wasn't a problem as well.

Unfortunately your Spark was a 'LEMON' as you are claiming. It could be.

At least did you have DJI Care Refresh ?

Was it a New Drone or Second Hand ?

Just a small hint for whos interested - Watch the Video about the REAR STATUS Leds.

6min 58sec - Slow Flashing Red is Battery Low

7min25sec - Fast Flashing Red is Battery Critically Low

7min58sec -Solid Red is a CRITICAL ERROR meaning

To see what is causing the Error using the DJI Go4 App (Unfortunately you wanted to know what happened but you didn't give us much Info and at least supplied video cache)

Compass Calibration Problem
IMU Calibration
Gimbal Overload
Overheated

-YOU NEED TO IMMEDIATELY LAND - To avoid it falling falling down from the SKY, thats why a Spotter would always Help and Keeping in Line of Sight, so if something abnormal is Spotted, you can easily find a safe place and start the landing process.

In your video I am sure you went up about OVER 700m for sure (2000ft and over) which is a VERY IRRESPONSIBLE, on Urban Areas and especially if there are Flying Helicopters and People inside them. But thats your Responsibility... To impress you dont need to imitate Bad Pilots who want to do World Records and get Youtube Likes but kids, you can Impress with Creativity and Quality of your Flight in a responsible manner.

Flying that High is Stressing the Spark to the Limits, also will may result in Overheating. (Thank God the Crash didn't occur at that Height especially if you dont even have an Insurance).

Maybe some other Pilots will learn from the Information and from your Mistake, to ALWAYS Fly with Caution and be Alerted for any Signs the Drone is giving you while flying it. Especially if you where flying in SPORTS MODE at LOW ALTITUDE and ON UNEVEN SURFACE like WATER.

Also NEVER TALK to Curious Timewasting Bypassers, while you are Flying, as many Accidents are caused when the Pilot is Distracted. When you crash you will see non of them, it will be just you and the broken drone. Believe me.




DMX_MLT (Darryl)

Im sorry but im borrowing your topic. My Dji Spark. Just from no where went down to the water. I really dont know why or what happend. Didnt see anything on the phone while i was flying it. Here is the flight log. /phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/85105Y9M3GUQ4NTDPDI4/ If anyone could help me and tell me why it went down please? I still have warrenty on it.

GreenMango Posted at 1-31 03:58
Im sorry but im borrowing your topic. My Dji Spark. Just from no where went down to the water. I really dont know why or what happend. Didnt see anything on the phone while i was flying it. Here is the flight log. /phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/85105Y9M3GUQ4NTDPDI4/ If anyone could help me and tell me why it went down please? I still have warrenty on it.

phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/85105Y9M3GUQ4NTDPDI4/ *** here is the link

GreenMango Posted at 1-31 03:58
Im sorry but im borrowing your topic. My Dji Spark. Just from no where went down to the water. I really dont know why or what happend. Didnt see anything on the phone while i was flying it. Here is the flight log. /phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/85105Y9M3GUQ4NTDPDI4/ If anyone could help me and tell me why it went down please? I still have warrenty on it.

Hey. Sorry to hear your spark also decided to be a submarine...
DJI reviewed my flight log and all info and agreed to give me a new one. They even covered the shipping costs. Good people.

Just get in touch with the support and they’ll take care of it.

Good luck