Hi gang,

I was after some advice on my lost drone and issues relating to the  flight log disconnecting on my DJI Mavic Pro.

I was out filming at a wedding last night at a vineyard when my controller/phone lost visual with the drone. With the battery quickly depleting I tried to call it home, but to no  success and it was forced to land without me having a visual connection to it. Tried restarting the app a couple of times, with no success of it reconnecting the vision. The battery depleted completely and it landed approximately 100-200 metres away.

But knowing my Mavic had the 'Find my Drone' software, I thought I could access my flight logs and pinpoint the exact landing location.

Issue is, the flight log only  recorded it's location up until it had 14% battery life remaining but nothing  beyond that, so I have no idea as to it's final landing location via the  'Find my Drone' feature in the app. The last known data records it as being 35 metres or so above the ground, with it moving 12km/h.

If I can find a way to access that remaining log up until it landed, I would easily be able to find it. I went searching in the general vicinity, trying to work out a trajectory of where it may have landed, but unfortunately couldn't find it.

Can anyone help?  Happy to upload my flight logs if that helps? But has anyone else encountered this issue where the flight log doesn't log the entire flight, and final resting landing spot when it is forced to land?

Cheers!

Here is my flight log, which shows how the data cuts off at 14% battery left, 120ft altitude and moving 7.8mph... with no way of knowing where the final landing location is.

Is there a way to access the remaining data?

https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/8RJL4KR632CB39BXOZ0P/

Thanks for any help!

Hello and good day ThirstyMMM. I am sorry to read and to read and to know what happened to your DJI Mavic Pro. Since this unfortunate incident happened. I would highly recommend to contact our DJI support team at https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav for us to be able to assist you further with regards to this issue.  We have the team who would do their best to find out the reason of the said incident and then the corresponding resolution would be provided. Please note that DJI will not perform data analysis for cases occurring after the expiry of the warranty period; otherwise, valid charges will apply. Again I am sorry for the trouble and thank for your support.

ThirstyMMM Posted at 12-8 05:54
Here is my flight log, which shows how the data cuts off at 14% battery left, 120ft altitude and moving 7.8mph... with no way of knowing where the final landing location is.

Is there a way to access the remaining data?

Hi ThirstyMMM,

Flightrecord is updated on your mobile device as long as there is connection with the drone.
At15m54s connection was lost, so logging into flightrecord stops.
As long as the drone is powered the DAT file in the drone will log all data....without drone no more answers.

After loosing connection your MavicPro enters a RTH. With 14% battery left only a short RTH, soon an critical power landing.
In the last part of your flight with 100% fwd stick little progress made on distance out to homepoint.
So i think that drone cannot be far from the last know position in the air.
My guess is the orange spot where it has landed.

cheers
JJB

DJI Stephen Posted at 12-8 08:05
Hello and good day ThirstyMMM. I am sorry to read and to read and to know what happened to your DJI Mavic Pro. Since this unfortunate incident happened. I would highly recommend to contact our DJI support team at https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav for us to be able to assist you further with regards to this issue.  We have the team who would do their best to find out the reason of the said incident and then the corresponding resolution would be provided. Please note that DJI will not perform data analysis for cases occurring after the expiry of the warranty period; otherwise, valid charges will apply. Again I am sorry for the trouble and thank for your support.

Thanks for your reply. What area on the support page do I lodge my incident? Thank you.

ThirstyMMM Posted at 12-8 11:29
Thanks for your reply. What area on the support page do I lodge my incident? Thank you.

You are very much welcome ThirstyMMM. Since you are located in Australia you may try to send an email at support@dji.com stating what happened to the said drone and instructions will be given to you on how to do next. We hope to hear from you soon and looking forward to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Thank you.

JJB* Posted at 12-8 08:47
Hi ThirstyMMM,

Flightrecord is updated on your mobile device as long as there is connection with the drone.
[Image]

Thanks for your reply, much appreciated.

Would the .DAT file I have in my phone potentially have more data than the .text log as to where the location of it is? Or are they the same thing in different formats? It appears as though there are 4 .DAT files, whereas the .text files only have 2. Could this hold the missing info?

As to your guess of location, thank you - may I ask what leads you to think it deviated left from the last known marker to the area you have placed the orange marker? I was trying to work out if it had hit the trees right next to where the last known marker is (given it was still 30 metres in the air at that time, doing 12 kms) but couldn’t find it below or in the trees.

It is a 1 hour and 30 min drive back to the location, but will try and give another look in that spot you have marked. Am just super worried that if left in the sun if it could pose a fire risk in hot weather (but not sure of this given the battery has completely depleted).

Thank you again!

ThirstyMMM Posted at 12-8 12:05
Thanks for your reply, much appreciated.

Would the .DAT file I have in my phone potentially have more data than the .text log as to where the location of it is? Or are they the same thing in different formats? It appears as though there are 4 .DAT files, whereas the .text files only have 2. Could this hold the missing info?

DAT file in the phone is updated also only when in connection to the craft, so no more info in there.
DAT file in the device for this flight is FLY027.DATIn the DAT file more info is found, sometimes you can find more errors than in a flightrecord.txt
But your flight was a flight with no errors, just low on battery at the end.

It is so difficult to give a good estimate landing position, lots of if and if and then....
After loosing contact i will fly/hover some seconds before entering RTH
In RTH is will adjust heading towards home.
It was flying hdg 162 but moving 138. Home heading 188 ; so it will move in RTH roughly 160.
For not too long as it will autoland due critical low batt.
Taking into account the distance it did flown with 100% fwd stick per second.....
Well lots of if and then...
So my guess is the orange marker, but for sure not really far around that point. This orange marker is better, i enterd 260 before and not 160!  (so skip the previous one)
As the height is low my guess it autolanded at 10% batt level and not earlier. Pos Marker : LatLon -38.13500000, 144.59500000

If not, sorry, just trying to predict with lot of uncertain data .Good luck finding your drone.

Sun is better than rain for your MP, batt is 0%. After is has landed/crashed in tree ect  motors stopped but drone not. So 0% batt if you find it.

cheers
JJB

JJB* Posted at 12-8 12:38
DAT file in the phone is updated also only when in connection to the craft, so no more info in there.
DAT file in the device for this flight is FLY027.DATIn the DAT file more info is found, sometimes you can find more errors than in a flightrecord.txt
But your flight was a flight with no errors, just low on battery at the end.
[Image]

Thank you so much for going to all this trouble, I can’t explain how much I appreciate it!

I am heading back today to the location and will look around the area. I hadn’t looked in that area as I wasn’t sure which direction it would’ve been heading. May I ask how you came to that particular direction and how you found that return to home was activated, as I couldn’t see that info when I uploaded the log.

If I am successful in finding it I will owe you a beer or ten!

Thank you once again!

JJB* Posted at 12-8 12:38
DAT file in the phone is updated also only when in connection to the craft, so no more info in there.
DAT file in the device for this flight is FLY027.DATIn the DAT file more info is found, sometimes you can find more errors than in a flightrecord.txt
But your flight was a flight with no errors, just low on battery at the end.
[Image]

Sorry to bother, but do you have a birds eye top down view of that radar you mocked up? Cheers!

ThirstyMMM Posted at 12-8 17:39
Thank you so much for going to all this trouble, I can’t explain how much I appreciate it!

I am heading back today to the location and will look around the area. I hadn’t looked in that area as I wasn’t sure which direction it would’ve been heading. May I ask how you came to that particular direction and how you found that return to home was activated, as I couldn’t see that info when I uploaded the log.

From last position it will Return To Home, so direct line that position to HP, with some wind correction.
Its not in the log ofcourse, but after loosing connection and with a working GPS drone will go into a RTH mode.

And no  i do not have a top down view. (just use the latLon data to find the spot)

cheers
JJB

JJB* Posted at 12-8 23:21
From last position it will Return To Home, so direct line that position to HP, with some wind correction.
Its not in the log ofcourse, but after loosing connection and with a working GPS drone will go into a RTH mode.

Thanks mate.

I searched for over 4 hours yesterday in a 150 metre radius as the marker you laid down but unfortunately had no success in finding it in the vineyard or surrounding areas.

I can only assume it has landed in dense shrubbery or out in the open (there were people staying in glamping tents nearby, and someone may have seen it land and took it).

I’m just really annoyed by the fact it hasn’t recorded the full flight log, and cuts out with 14% battery remaining. What is the use of having ‘Find my Drone’ software when it doesn’t record the full log and provide landing coordinates. Because now, without it, I can’t find where it is.

Not sure what else I can do, I feel helpless.

ThirstyMMM Posted at 12-9 13:37
Thanks mate.

I searched for over 4 hours yesterday in a 150 metre radius as the marker you laid down but unfortunately had no success in finding it in the vineyard or surrounding areas.

Sorry to hear that it cannot be found.

Only when the drone is in contact all flight, and it lands somewhere than the last coordinates are known.
If disconnect, for every branbd of drone, no data can be logged so a 'find my drone' feature is useless.

cheers
JJB

JJB* Posted at 12-9 23:52
Sorry to hear that it cannot be found.

Only when the drone is in contact all flight, and it lands somewhere than the last coordinates are known.

Is it possible to extract data from the remote controller to see whether the distance was shortening past the point of when the flight log stopped recorded.

My theory is; if the distance and altitude recorded by the remote controller continued to shorten up until the battery hit 0% (beyond the recorded 14% recorded in the flight log) I could rule out if the drone had landed in a tree, and use the last recorded distance to the RTH point to build a circumference as to where it could be.

ThirstyMMM Posted at 12-10 05:47
Is it possible to extract data from the remote controller to see whether the distance was shortening past the point of when the flight log stopped recorded.

My theory is; if the distance and altitude recorded by the remote controller continued to shorten up until the battery hit 0% (beyond the recorded 14% recorded in the flight log) I could rule out if the drone had landed in a tree, and use the last recorded distance to the RTH point to build a circumference as to where it could be.

no, Remote does not log, just the phone logs the flightrecord (as long as there is a connection)

JJB* Posted at 12-10 06:36
no, Remote does not log, just the phone logs the flightrecord (as long as there is a connection)

What about via the Black Box file located in the remote control?

ThirstyMMM Posted at 12-10 18:03
What about via the Black Box file located in the remote control?

Oops, never heard about a black box file in the RC.