Hi, for immediate clarification, this is not about a DJI Drone but since I visit this forum frequently, I hope it would be OK to post my question here. I know that we have many very knowledgeable people here and would appreciate if some of them could share their point of view on this incident. The drone in question is Aibao (by Walkera). I used this drone to practice my piloting skills since its size/power is comparable to Phantom 4 Pro I own and RC feels similar. This thing was blast to fly and I had real fun zooming it around and have not had a single issue. In an attempt to finance my next project, I sold it on eBay. Buyer contacted me next day after receiving it and stated that drone was not working right, fall from the sky, got damaged badly and now he want to return it for reason that it "Doesn't work or defective". While conversing with the buyer and trying to understand what may have happened, I learned that "Controller was shutting down randomly" and the drone just fall to the ground (apparently after losing connection with RC). The buyer also stated that the drone has not hit anything while in the air and he has a video to prove that. Here is link to the video in question:

  

Please share your thoughts. Thank you.

I just have the same questions I would have anyway regardless of the make. Was the battery fully charged at launch?  What was the air temp?  What was the battery temp at launch?

Mark The Droner Posted at 12-3 19:01
I just have the same questions I would have anyway regardless of the make. Was the battery fully charged at launch?  What was the air temp?  What was the battery temp at launch?

Unfortunately I have no way of knowing but the fact that the Drone continued recording even after it fell to the ground makes me to believe that battery did not get disconnected or died mid-flight.

I learned that "Controller was shutting down randomly" and the drone just fall to the ground (apparently after losing connection with RC).
The controller shut down ... or his phone/tablet shut down?
If the Aibo works similarly to the Phantom, losing the phone or tablet has no effect on the drone which is still perfectly controllable.
It seems very unlikely that the loss of controller or tablet would cause a fall-from-the-sky incident.
Having the app shut down with a Phantom is commonly caused by using a slow, old phone or tablet that isn't up to the task.

The buyer also stated that the drone has not hit anything while in the air and he has a video to prove that.
He has a video to prove that the drone didn't hit anything (during that video).

One really good feature with DJI drones is they record the flight data so we can investigate and find out what really happened instead of having to guess.

HI, i am quite sure he hit the pine type tree to the right, its out for shot for a lot of the video, but he does head towards it and you can judge this the closer he gets to the wires and how  much to the right of the wire pole the ac is, whilst typing this, i downloaded the video from YT and went over it in premier pro I am now 99.5% he hit the tree or got very c,lose to it and if it wasnt the tree then it prob blew a prop and him saying saying the controller shutting down randomly to me is bull, randomly suggests more than once, of which suggests it would have crashed more than once and prop wouldnt be flying, i dont know how hardy the drone type is to be fair. The roll in the air is indicative of hitting something, being hit by something and or blowing a prop, then theres the internal gubbings that could cause this roll, i.e. wire comes loose etc.

Bashy Posted at 12-3 21:15
HI, i am quite sure he hit the pine type tree to the right, its out for shot for a lot of the video, but he does head towards it and you can judge this the closer he gets to the wires and how  much to the right of the wire pole the ac is, whilst typing this, i downloaded the video from YT and went over it in premier pro I am now 99.5% he hit the tree or got very c,lose to it and if it wasnt the tree then it prob blew a prop and him saying saying the controller shutting down randomly to me is bull, randomly suggests more than once, of which suggests it would have crashed more than once and prop wouldnt be flying, i dont know how hardy the drone type is to be fair. The roll in the air is indicative of hitting something, being hit by something and or blowing a prop, then theres the internal gubbings that could cause this roll, i.e. wire comes loose etc.

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Yep, I was reaching similar conclusion. There were two high trees on the right side and while they were not in direct view of the camera as drone was turning to the left, the trajectory suggests that it was still moving towards these trees right before it started falling down...

TheWolk Posted at 12-3 21:38
Yep, I was reaching similar conclusion. There were two high trees on the right side and while they were not in direct view of the camera as drone was turning to the left, the trajectory suggests that it was still moving towards these trees right before it started falling down...

Yes, thats what made me look a bit closer, you have the video to show ebay/.... and you can explain what you think happened and that he crashed it, either way, it looks like  user error, and now he wants his money back...

Bashy Posted at 12-3 21:53
Yes, thats what made me look a bit closer, you have the video to show ebay/.... and you can explain what you think happened and that he crashed it, either way, it looks like  user error, and now he wants his money back...

That is what it looks like... Thank you for sharing your opinion on this matter.

Also, flying over or near power lines is never a good idea for radio transmission.

1Eagle Posted at 12-4 12:37
Also, flying over or near power lines is never a good idea for radio transmission.

Absolutely agree! Although it is unlikely that magnetic interference could cause drone to flip over and fall like that unless it actually hits one of these wires.

You can see one set of powerlines while flying, when it's on the ground you see a second set at a 90 degree angle to the set in frame. Did he hit them?

TheWolk Posted at 12-4 12:45
Absolutely agree! Although it is unlikely that magnetic interference could cause drone to flip over and fall like that unless it actually hits one of these wires.

So true, this flight looked like disaster from the start.

The problem is that the guy now trying to get all his money back, effectively making me to pay for his mistakes with "it's never my fault" attitude. Since eBay usual sides with buyers, I very well anticipate that he will be successful. I'm going to communicate the link to this topic to him through eBay messaging for transparency and to allow his side of the story to be heard should he wish to share it.

TheWolk Posted at 12-4 12:45
Absolutely agree! Although it is unlikely that magnetic interference could cause drone to flip over and fall like that unless it actually hits one of these wires.

I have accidently hit a power wire before (didn't realize I had actually hit it until I watched the video and saw the wire vibrating all around). Nothing happened to the drone and continued flying normally.

fansb1fe1104 Posted at 12-4 17:26
I have accidently hit a power wire before (didn't realize I had actually hit it until I watched the video and saw the wire vibrating all around). Nothing happened to the drone and continued flying normally.

It would probably safe to say that outcome of hitting a wire could be very different and there are multiple factors to dictate such outcome as speed, angle, direction, etc. I'm very happy to hear that your experience turned out well, but would you be willing to try that again?

TheWolk Posted at 12-4 17:33
It would probably safe to say that outcome of hitting a wire could be very different and there are multiple factors to dictate such outcome as speed, angle, direction, etc. I'm very happy to hear that your experience turned out well, but would you be willing to try that again?

Yes you are correct it could have turned out differently, and no I wouldn't want to try it again. I try to stay as far away from them as possible now.

Man, that looks like WV.

Using the slowest speed and stopping it frame at a time, there is a lot of information. At 27 and 28 sec. you can see the power lines the whole time in front of him and to the left of him. He moves much farther to the right in 29 and 30 sec. Look at that line of spruce trees. It really looks like he hit the pine tree on his right. He was flying dangerously.

I wonder what it would look like from Google earth or better, a topo map of the area?

Goldenseal Posted at 12-4 19:40
Man, that looks like WV.

Using the slowest speed and stopping it frame at a time, there is a lot of information. At 27 and 28 sec. you can see the power lines the whole time in front of him and to the left of him. He moves much farther to the right in 29 and 30 sec. Look at that line of spruce trees. It really looks like he hit the pine tree on his right. He was flying dangerously.

It is actually hard to tell for me if the flight path was intentional, or the operator wasn't in complete control. There could also be a wind that may have played a role in this crash. I really hope that the guy finds some time and provides a true story of what went wrong...

I'm no expert, but he hit the branches, simple. There's no control of that flight whatsoever its all over the place.

Dale 68 Posted at 12-6 01:42
I'm no expert, but he hit the branches, simple. There's no control of that flight whatsoever its all over the place.

I agree with Dale 68, He is very twitchy with his controls.
I had a box club drone that flew the same, no precise movements at all.
Good Luck.

I greatly thanking  everyone who took the time and effort to review this case and state your valuable opinions. This helped to convince eBay to rule this case in my favor.

TheWolk Posted at 12-7 21:58
I greatly thanking  everyone who took the time and effort to review this case and state your valuable opinions. This helped to convince eBay to rule this case in my favor.

Glad to here it, it was a no brainer really.

TheWolk Posted at 12-7 21:58
I greatly thanking  everyone who took the time and effort to review this case and state your valuable opinions. This helped to convince eBay to rule this case in my favor.

Yay, well done chap, glad they saw reason, shame on him for trying.....