Hey guys,

I’m new so let me start of by saying hello,

As the title says I’ve crashed and lost my Spark and eventually after looking for it I found it. (Flight logs helped )

I was flying around and I saw something fall of the craft and it plummeted to the ground from 50m, firstly I thought  the props flew off, a closer look at the video and looking at the scene where the craft was found I’ve noticed that the object that flew off was indeed the Battery, I’ve heard people mention this on the forums that insure the battery clicks in and give it a tug to make sure it’s in I keep this now as a habit and I did this very thing before I flew, and it still ejected mid flight!

Is this Normal as I’m concerned that continued flying this craft can be dangerous if I hit some people on the head or damage property that I’m flying over.

Also the craft looks like it survived without a scratch mostly due to the weight it shed (Battery ) before it plummeted to the ground.

What should I look at to make sure there’s no hidden damages  visually it looks fine.

Not to hijack a thread but you'll find a lot of info here.  This is a recent / current discussion goin on that will probably answer most of your questions.

https://forum.dji.com/thread-150009-1-1.html

I'd give it a good visual check make sure everything is in check.  Do a short small test flight. Check for good Satellite numbers 11+, good signal, take off, go up, hover, check all directional movements.  If you're comfortable with that and everything checks out try sports mode and check all directions.  Shoot some video, take some pictures, make sure the gimbal functions as normal.  Fly if out about 100 feet from the home point and do a RTH (return to home) make sure everything works.  If it all checks out and nothing seems out of place you are probably good to go.  Sparks are pretty tuff compared to other drones.  If you have anything weird that pops up we can help you get some flight logs downloaded and take a look for errors.  

Hey JDavidTX thanks for the link and advice il give that a shot tomorrow now as it’s 10pm here in London.  It’s quiet crappy how the battery falls out tho should be a recall or something.  I think I saw someone in the park with the same drone as me he same device that secured his battery was wondering why that was needed.  I guess I’m not alone.

Oh no not alone, seen the battery discussion come up few times now.  The battery strap is starting to become kind of a popular discussion topic.

sad to hear this.
since you checked for the battery being properly in place, out of pure interest, were you in sport mode when this happened?
as far as i picked it up there are probably two sorts of incidents:
1. the battery is plugged in, but it did not snap/click in properly, the separation happens quickly after takeoff (not your case)
2. the battery just fell off in sport mode (please don't tell me you weren't in sport mode...)

i don't fly spark in sport mode anymore without a battery holder which i got from amazon.

Sounds like we need a new poll.  "Do you use a battery holder".  LOL

I was indeed in sports mode !!

I was traveling towards me about 30-40 meters before I pulled the stick full in the opp direction to slow down when the battery fell out  

So is this issue tied more to sports mode it sounds like you have seen this far too many times   

I only use sports mode to go or come back to me quickly and then go back to normal mode

yeah it seems even properly snapped batteries can get separated in sport mode... it is pretty rare though and if the craft got damaged dji should send you a new/refurb unit under warranty and they should really consider calling the "older" batteries back.

@JDavidTX:
https://forum.dji.com/thread-131988-1-1.html

Ejected Battery again ????

I suggest that everyone checks the Battery Before Flying ! Do the 'Soft Pull' Test and try to buy Battery Retainers !

We are hearing about this issue almost once a day !

spookster Posted at 2018-5-27 15:29
yeah it seems even properly snapped batteries can get separated in sport mode... it is pretty rare though and if the craft got damaged dji should send you a new/refurb unit under warranty and they should really consider calling the "older" batteries back.

@JDavidTX:

Yes saw and did that one.  Just be interesting to see how many people are actually using one like YES / NO.

Guess the enertia created from the spark when making a hard stop in sport mode, makes the heavy battery fight against the drones movement, and then dislodges...
I got a battery clip, but am.not using it... Flyng without RC. So speeds are way down..unless in a RTH situation from far away

OP should check for wear on the black battery tabs.

Thanks guys
I’ve emailed DJI awaiting there response to this,  the drone is brand new got it 2 weeks ago and have accumulated 59min flight and 20 flights most of them very small like few min of hovering then landing,    I’m suspicious about the black tabs I’m going to see what tension is like on that particular battery as it was the additional battery I got and not the one that comes in the FMC il keep you posted. But first mission of the day is check all is ok as discribed by David. And get back to flying

What would be cool is a small coin like device that beeps and flashes so you can stick it on your drone to help you find it. The spark is so small that if it lands upside down with no battery in grass that’s only like 2-3 inches tall it’s hard to find, I walked past my craft twice before I found it.  Found the battery when I gave up looking for it noticed a green flashing light from the battery indicator.

This device would be cool if it exists does anyone on the forums know or seen a device like this

Guys i have come across what i might think the problem might be just need to verify the possibility

1. when you incert the battery  so it does not click in the battery pops out on take off confirmed ( i even had a hard time trying to keep it in kept falling off as it springs back easily )

2. now when you incert the battery so it clicks in properly and by accident pull back the release tabs but not actually pull the battery out it actually disengages mid flight tried it in the house confirmed

3. could the vibrations on the tabs gently  cause it to release and have the battery dis engage ( trying to figure out how to test that theory )

DipeshN Posted at 2018-5-28 05:51
Guys i have come across what i might think the problem might be just need to verify the possibility

1. when you incert the battery  so it does not click in the battery pops out on take off confirmed ( i even had a hard time trying to keep it in kept falling off as it springs back easily )

Thank you for that Information DipeshN.

Before very Flight make sure that the Battery is Secure and Buy Battery Retainers.

In the other post I mentioned them. Do an Ebay search and you will easily find them for Spark.

DMX_MT Posted at 2018-5-28 05:55
Thank you for that Information DipeshN.

Before very Flight make sure that the Battery is Secure and Buy Battery Retainers.

i'm Defiantly going to buy one thats for sure its a must need item, just wanted to let everyone know what i found out by trial and error, i think i might have done number 2 i was in a bit of a rush that day to get it up i definitely remember it clicked but i think when i tested to make sure its in properly or when handeling the drone might have pulled back the latches the battery does not disengage and you cant tell until you try and pull it off  this time it comes straight off, so it is plausible thats what might have happend  

Good day. I am sorry that the battery of your Spark detached while in mid-flight. Rest assured that I will send this information to our engineers so that we can further make adjustments on our drones to make them much safer in the future.

DipeshN Posted at 2018-5-28 06:09
i'm Defiantly going to buy one thats for sure its a must need item, just wanted to let everyone know what i found out by trial and error, i think i might have done number 2 i was in a bit of a rush that day to get it up i definitely remember it clicked but i think when i tested to make sure its in properly or when handeling the drone might have pulled back the latches the battery does not disengage and you cant tell until you try and pull it off  this time it comes straight off, so it is plausible thats what might have happend

DipeshN now you know about the Problem and Thats the Most Important Thing !

Like this you won't repeat. Try to make a Pre Flight Checklist, Check Battery, Sensors, Compass, Check for Emergency Landings, and also learn what ATTI Mode is as most Crashes happen because of ATTI Mode.



Fly Safe Mate !

DipeshN Posted at 2018-5-28 06:09
i'm Defiantly going to buy one thats for sure its a must need item, just wanted to let everyone know what i found out by trial and error, i think i might have done number 2 i was in a bit of a rush that day to get it up i definitely remember it clicked but i think when i tested to make sure its in properly or when handeling the drone might have pulled back the latches the battery does not disengage and you cant tell until you try and pull it off  this time it comes straight off, so it is plausible thats what might have happend

Here are the Battery Retainers -

Thanks DMX_MT your a star im going to get the one you mentioned theres quite a few out there on Amazon but everyone seems to have the one you have a photo of.

im quiet comfortable in ATTI mode been flying like that for years, My first Drone was the DJI Phantom 2 v2 with the gimbal then i just upgraded to this one never managed to kill the drone so wifey wouldn't let me get a new one , played with a friends Mavic pro like that but bit on the expensive side for me just for occasional use   

DJI Stephen Posted at 2018-5-28 09:19
Good day. I am sorry that the battery of your Spark detached while in mid-flight. Rest assured that I will send this information to our engineers so that we can further make adjustments on our drones to make them much safer in the future.

Thanks Stephen please do as that was one scary thing for a customer to go through my heart was pounding when that happen,  when i found my craft after hours looking for it in neighbours back yards there was a point in time i gave up.

but what can DJI do now to stop this happening theres loads of people this has happened to

I am sorry you feel that way. Rest assured DJI is looking for the best way so that this issue will not happen again. Thank you.

This mishap is discouraging to all Spark owners and we all fly and do our best to limit complications. I think the biggest factor causing complications to these batteries dislodging has to do with the actual charging tray that comes included with the Fly More Combo.

When first purchasing my Spark after investigating all the equipment, I noticed to keep wear-and-tear down to a minimum it's important to gently place and remove the batteries from the charging plate. If you look closely, the groves of the plate and on the batteries both have ridges that clip together along the track that can become stripped and damage batteries if not handled properly.

Important to look for stripping along the grooves like on a screw on both the plate and the batteries to see if there's an irregular rubbing relationship happening with your equipment. If your batteries have damaged grooves, this can translate to batteries dislodging from the Spark and you should visually examine each battery to see if this is happening. Take pictures if you're not sure and post them to this forum - we can determine the extent if there's damage.