Yesterday I was flying my p4p. Everything seemed fine. All of a sudden I lost signal and I got an aircraft disconnected alert. I hit the rth button but it never can back. I went the the last known location on the satellite map and was able to fine my drone. It was badly damaged   I have no idea what happened. I was flying at 192 feet. Well above anything around. I had brand new propellers and a fully charged battery. Has this ever happened before to anyone?  

Please check DJI Flight Log Viewer : https://www.phantomhelp.com/logviewer/Upload/

Locating Your Flight Logs                         Follow these instructions to locate the flight logs on your mobile device:
                       
                       

• For Apple mobile devices, follow these instructions to retrieve your DJI GO TXT flight logs from iTunes. After                                  retrieving your flight logs, click the Browse... button above to select a flight log and upload it.
• Note: If you're using Litchi, you'll want to select Litchi in the listed apps and retrieve the flight logs from the flightlogs folder.
  

For Android mobile devices, connect your mobile device to a computer via a USB cable and go to DJI\dji.pilot\FlightRecord (for DJI GO 3) or                                  DJI/dji.go.v4/FlightRecord (for DJI GO 4).

• Note: If you're using Litchi, you'll find the flight logs in the LitchiApp/flightlogs folder.
• Note: If the log files are not visible or you're not able to find a specific log file that should be there, then install and                                  run SD Refresh or restart your mobile                                  device.
• For the Phantom 4 Adv/Pro + remote controller, connect your remote controller to a computer via a USB cable and go to DJI\dji.pilot.pad\FlightRecord. If needed, you can find detailed                                  instructions here.
  

                                

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                                         Getting Help With Your Flight Logs                         If you need help, please create a new topic in the DJI Drone Help forum.  If you have questions about a specific flight log, please upload it  above                          and include a link in your forum topic to the page that opens after  uploading your flight log. It would also be helpful if you include as  much information about your flight as you can remember.                

in this way the "LOG" will tell you what the HELL happened  

Has this ever happened before to anyone?

Yes.  Please see the link in post #2.

Thanks everyone for responding. I will find the flight log and upload it a soon as possible. Hopefully we can figure this out.

Our apologies for the inconvenience. Kindly contact our support to start up  a case: (https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav). We have the professional data analysis team who would do their best to find out the crash reason and then the corresponding resolution would be provided. You can provide your case number here in case you need further assistance.

I was able to go to the link you sent and pull up the flight record. I couldn’t find anything that caused the crash. For some reason it won’t let me download it to the form. I did read another form where people were talking about the battery falling out of the drone causing it to shut off and fall. According to the flight record it seems as if it just turned off in flight.  The flight record shows everything is normal and then it just stops. When I found the drone the battery was out and lying on the ground next to the drone. A neighbor saw the drone when it was flying. He stated that it appeared as if something hit the drone. He stated “it just went poof and then it fell”. I’m thinking that if something struck it I would have seem the drone jerk one way or the other but it did not. It just turned off.

All you have to do now is just post the link here.

ALABAMA Posted at 2018-9-28 13:17
All you have to do now is just post the link here.

Yes.  There are lots of experienced people here who may see something in the log that you might have missed.  

The battery being out could be a clue, any impact damage to the battery?

Agree with the others though, please link us to the flight log....

Please keep posting your findings.  
I for one find this sort of situation fascinating and with the amount of (so I believe !??) data available someone on the forum surely will come up with a logical explanation.
The fact the battery was out of your drone would be a could starting point eh ??

Good luck & keep on droning

flight log

Hopefully this link will show my flight log  If not then i can't figure out how to do it.

If your P4P is still under warranty,  you have a good case for a claim. Everything  looked normal and all telemetry just stops.  

That's it....no sweat.

The only thing I see other than GPS NO MATCH and Reconnected,  is that you were flying full forward for a fairly long time.   Not full power, just full forward......which I would think uses more power.  If the POOF of smoke or whatever you mentioned was a piece of electronics giving up....then I would think this is a warranty issue if you are still covered.......if it was a bird strike, then........

Get her sent in and find out.......  I did feel that going from 95% to 73% in 5 min was a bit much.....but you were flying full stick forward for most of your flight, which I would think would draw more power thru the system than just lollygagging around.....

Randy

Ok good. I’m glad you guys were able to see the flight record. Unfortunately there is no warranty on my drone. I’m hoping someone from DJI can see the flight record and tell what happened. If what I read on the help forum about others saying the battery coming out in flight is true this should be a recall issue. I could have killed someone.   When I found my drone the battery was out of the drone. It was only a foot or two away. There was damage to the battery but I don’t know if it fell out on impact or in flight.

If it was that close, it came out on impact.   I would still press them, even though your warranty  has expired.

Your probably right about the battery coming out on impact. But I think there was definitely a stop in power. Complete shut off. Like when you pull the battery out. I tested the battery when I got home. Even though there was some damage it still works. Something shut the drone off. I just don’t know what.

I suspect the battery either fell out or lost connection due to not clicpped in, damage to the battery suggests that it could have fallen out, the total full stop of the log suggests that it became disconnected at the very least, looks like it landed on softer ground as opposed to asphalt/tarmac/concrete etc, i just thinking on how much damage can occur to a battery thats ejected on impact? ,

Jon 462 Posted at 2018-9-29 13:12
Your probably right about the battery coming out on impact. But I think there was definitely a stop in power. Complete shut off. Like when you pull the battery out. I tested the battery when I got home. Even though there was some damage it still works. Something shut the drone off. I just don’t know what.

Batteries dislodging in a crash are very, very common.
It only takes a small amount of deformation of the battery case for them to come out.

Unfortunately DJI aren't in the business of analysing and commenting on flight incidents.
Your flight data shows one of those frustrating cases where the cause of the incident can't be identified.
But it allows many of the usual suspects to be eliminated.
You launched with a good battery and still have plenty of power in the battery when the recorded data stops at 5:38.2.
You were in forward flight and looking at the pitch, roll and yaw data shows that the Phantom was in steady flight when the data stopped.
That eliminates collision with an obstacle or losing a prop or motor.
What we are left with is an unexplained sudden complete loss of power.
That might be caused by something causing the battery to disconnect, failure of something in the power circuitry or something like that.

jon462

We haven't asked yet.....................DUHHHH

Was your battery PUFFED or rounded when you found it next to the AC ??     If the battery failed/puffed it could have pushed itself off the connectors.......causing  the instant shutoff.

Randy

When I found the battery it appeared to be puffed out. The casing was slightly opened and the connection port was slightly out on one corner. I was able to put it back together but it’s very difficult to slide back into the drone. My other battery still fits normally.

Jon 462 Posted at 2018-9-30 08:20
When I found the battery it appeared to be puffed out. The casing was slightly opened and the connection port was slightly out on one corner. I was able to put it back together but it’s very difficult to slide back into the drone. My other battery still fits normally.

Well a FAILED/PUFFED battery could certainly cause a power disconnect....

Start a case with DJI......you never know!!  Take pics asap.....

Randy

Same thing happened with my p4pv2. I sent it in for warranty work.

i've had that happen one time before, have no idea why, but it was about 25ft into a tree so it wasn't badly damaged

MrDankYT Posted at 2018-10-1 13:18
i've had that happen one time before, have no idea why, but it was about 25ft into a tree so it wasn't badly damaged

Are you selling your P4A+ because if this accident?


RedHotPoker

rwynant V1 Posted at 2018-9-30 08:31
Well a FAILED/PUFFED battery could certainly cause a power disconnect....

Start a case with DJI......you never know!!  Take pics asap.....

Or it could have happned due to the impact?

Bashy Posted at 2018-10-1 19:35
Or it could have happned due to the impact?

Bashman

Of course this is a "possibility"  

I do have first hand experience at puffed battery disconnect with my I-1 from Dec 2017......I am also the VP at the local club, membership of 376,  and are terribly aware of puffed battery destruction of aircraft. Member since 2013......

Experience is a valid denominator.......although not necessarily the answer.

Randy