So yesterday after flying my Mavic 2 Pro with no issues (wind speed less than 10 mph), I connected my Mini, waited for GPS signal and hone location update, then took off. Got to roughly 115 feet and the aircraft flew off at maximum speed and would not let me control it.  Saw a “max power error” when review the flight. Thankfully, either my selecting RTH or the fails are RTH worked and the Mini returned.

Any ideas why this might have happened? I’ve flow the Mini a few times and never had an issue

Same thing just happened to me.  I didn’t see max power error.  I just did update.  Brought it up.   Just took off to a crash.  Broke arm.  I hope I’m not SOL

Hi, thank you for reaching out and we do apologize for the inconvenience. There are two situations that it is easy to happen prone "aircraft power insignificantly". One is that fly with full power under the sport mode and encounters the headwind, the other one is that fly with full power with installing the propeller guard. This message is normal and our DJI R&D Team knows about it, we will optimize the message soon. Thank you for your continued support!

DJI Gamora Posted at 12-26 09:31
Hi, thank you for reaching out and we do apologize for the inconvenience. There are two situations that it is easy to happen prone "aircraft power insignificantly". One is that fly with full power under the sport mode and encounters the headwind, the other one is that fly with full power with installing the propeller guard. This message is normal and our DJI R&D Team knows about it, we will optimize the message soon. Thank you for your continued support!

So that explains the message, but why would the aircraft just start moving on its own? What would cause the aircraft to jump to full power without any human intervention?

Im new owner of CE version, signal is poor...

This is similarly (similar to OP) what happened to me. See my thread:
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... D712%26typeid%3D712

In an unfortunate way, I am glad that we experience the same issue. I have time and time again stated that this was a flyaway and DJi need to address this.  “Pilot error” was however (and expectedly) blamed in my case I took off in a “ magnectically  dirty area”.  See thread : https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... typeid%3D712&page=2

But that does not explain the Mini flew on its own (backwards!) and unresponsive control of the Mini.

Like yours (OP), my Mini landed safely when I hit the RTH button.
Like yours too, “max power overload caution” popped up when reviewing flight.

DJI really need to address this issue.

fans17de0bd1 Posted at 12-26 19:18
This is similarly (similar to OP) what happened to me. See my thread:
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... D712%26typeid%3D712

Edit: I am not attempting to “piggyback” this thread. Just sharing my concerns.

Any ideas why this might have happened?
You need to post your flight data for anyone to be able to tell.
But from your description, it sounds a lot like what can happen when you launch from too close to something iron or steel which causes a potentially serious yaw error problem.
The most common cause is launching from reinforced concrete surfaces.

fans17de0bd1 Posted at 12-26 19:18
This is similarly (similar to OP) what happened to me. See my thread:
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... D712%26typeid%3D712

This is similarly (similar to OP) what happened to me. See my thread:

In an unfortunate way, I am glad that we experience the same issue. I have time and time again stated that this was a flyaway and DJi need to address this.  “Pilot error” was however (and expectedly) blamed in my case I took off in a “ magnectically  dirty area”.  

But that does not explain the Mini flew on its own (backwards!) and unresponsive control of the Mini.
It does explain why your drone did what it did.
I've investigated a hundred similar cases, they pop up every week.

Search for Yaw Error to learn more.

DJI really need to address this issue.
Users need to stop launching from steel or reinforced concrete surfaces.

so sorry the reads many fly away cases.  hopefully dji has solutions to solve it.

We need fly logs to understand what happened.

MartinPHanley Posted at 12-26 13:27
So that explains the message, but why would the aircraft just start moving on its own? What would cause the aircraft to jump to full power without any human intervention?

This is happening a lot with Minis; it's at full power because it's trying to fight the wind, but is still drifting away.  So it shows Max Power even with no stick input as it's trying to stay still but beoing blown,
Winds are way stronger once you're 50-100ft high and the Mini is terrific at many things but not strong wind.  

Ian

Here's an air data link to the flight record :https://app.airdata.com/share/vcTSXB

I didn't take off until I had a GPS lock and a home update.  I get that reinforced concrete and high winds can cause issues, but Im 99.9% confident that we weren't on reinforced concrete (could be wrong but I don't think my father put concrete under the flagstone patio he built.. not something he typically does). I'm not trying to point fingers, just trying to figure out honestly if I did something wrong to cause an issue.
  I've added a picture taken with the Mavic 2 Pro so that you can see the area.

MartinPHanley Posted at 12-30 13:21
Here's an air data link to the flight record :https://app.airdata.com/share/vcTSXB

I didn't take off until I had a GPS lock and a home update.  I get that reinforced concrete and high winds can cause issues, but Im 99.9% confident that we weren't on reinforced concrete (could be wrong but I don't think my father put concrete under the flagstone patio he built.. not something he typically does). I'm not trying to point fingers, just trying to figure out honestly if I did something wrong to cause an issue.

The flight you included a link to was one where you flew out over 1000 feet and successfully flew back to home.
You can see that in the plot of the flight.
It's not going to help solve the mystery of the flight you are concerned about

Labroides Posted at 12-30 16:46
The flight you included a link to was one where you flew out over 1000 feet and successfully flew back to home.
You can see that in the plot of the flight.
It's not going to help solve the mystery of the flight you are concerned about

Except.... that none of that flight was controlled by me except the take off and when it finally decided to return and land it self, I was able to move the aircraft to avoid hitting the tree limbs.

Here's again what happened... I took off and got to 115 feet. Then I had no control over the aircraft. It flew by itself 1000 feet away at a pretty fast pace.. I tried the RTH. I am not convinced that my RTH is what actually brought the aircraft back.


I've copied the logs directly
00m 00s        0.0 ft        0 ft        Mode        Mode changed to Motors_Started
00m 00s        0.0 ft        0 ft        Tip        Setting new Return-To-Home altitude to 30m (98 ft). Data Recorder File Index is 14. Setting new Maximum Flight Altitude to 30m (98 ft)
00m 01s        0.0 ft        0 ft        Mode        Mode changed to Assisted_Takeoff
00m 07s        0.0 ft        0 ft        Mode        Mode changed to P-GPS
00m 09s        2.6 ft        0 ft        Tip        Setting new Maximum Flight Altitude to 120m (394 ft)
A        00m 09s        3.3 ft        0 ft        Mode        Mode changed to P-GPS



From this point on... No control until 1 min 59 seconds when it was back overhead.
B        00m 45s        114.5 ft        464 ft        Warning        Not Enough Force/ESC Error
C        00m 45s        114.5 ft        469 ft        Mode        Mode changed to Go_Home
D        00m 45s        114.5 ft        469 ft        Warning        Not Enough Force/ESC Error (repeated 13 times)
        01m 05s        109.9 ft        1,316 ft       

93% Battery at maximum distance
        01m 38s        116.8 ft        380 ft       

90% Battery
E        01m 59s        115.8 ft        67 ft        Mode        Mode changed to AutoLanding

At this point, it was back overhead and while it was in AutoLanding mode, I was able to guide it around the tree limbs.
F        02m 39s        0.0 ft        80 ft        Mode        Mode changed to P-GPS
G        02m 39s        0.0 ft        80 ft        Warning        Compass Error

MartinPHanley Posted at 12-30 17:59
Except.... that none of that flight was controlled by me except the take off and when it finally decided to return and land it self, I was able to move the aircraft to avoid hitting the tree limbs.

Here's again what happened... I took off and got to 115 feet. Then I had no control over the aircraft. It flew by itself 1000 feet away at a pretty fast pace.. I tried the RTH. I am not convinced that my RTH is what actually brought the aircraft back.

OK .. this is an interesting flight.
I just noticed that it was an out and back flight and didn't check the fine details, since almost no-one complains about their drone flying away when it's come back.

Airdata only gives a very brief summary and isn't very good for data analysis.
Here's what your data really looks like:  https://www.phantomhelp.com/logviewer/K3ILGWQ6FECAFMBX0BZP/

When you got the drone to 115 ft, you gave a little right and left stick input for a couple of seconds and went hands-off from 0:37.5.
It slowed until 0:36.3 when the drone started picking up speed without any corresponding stick input.

This is a classic sign of a Yaw Error, usually caused by launching from a magnetically affected area.
The drone initialises with a false indication of north.
When the drone moves or changes direction, it attempts to correct but moves in the wrong direction, corrects more etc, etc, getting faster as it goes.
Usually it veers off on a strongly curved course, the drone is not controllable and ends up crashing.
The size of the yaw error varies and in your case it was small which meant it did not go off on a strongly divergent course and the drone was able to be recovered quite easily.

RTH was initiated at 0:45.8 and even though the drone was flying at 38 mph away from you, RTH turned the drone around and brought it back.

Thanks for the explanation!  I figured most people wouldn't complain about the drone coming back... I wanted to make sure that I knew what happened so that, if user error, I could prevent it from happening again.

I'm guessing that the Mini had an issue and the Mavic 2 Pro didn't just because of capabilities differences between the two?

So in the future... double check the north on the drone is really pointing towards north and double check take off location.  This take off location... I'm not sure what would have caused the magnetic interference unless it was the power lines by the road. Who knows.

MartinPHanley Posted at 12-30 13:21
Here's an air data link to the flight record :https://app.airdata.com/share/vcTSXB

I didn't take off until I had a GPS lock and a home update.  I get that reinforced concrete and high winds can cause issues, but Im 99.9% confident that we weren't on reinforced concrete (could be wrong but I don't think my father put concrete under the flagstone patio he built.. not something he typically does). I'm not trying to point fingers, just trying to figure out honestly if I did something wrong to cause an issue.

Hi Martin,

Had a look at your flightlog too, happy to read that the Mini is back home after this "interesting" flight.

Seen many more 'fly-aways' on this forum for the mini, some things in common. Often when a MINI starts with no good GPS lock, and after a lock in flight things goes wrong.
First i see that at takeoff you did not had a GPS lock. 6 Satellites and no reception, so after takeoff your mini used the bottom sensor to keep position ; not by GPS.
After 13.3 seconds HomePoint was recorders (8 sats + 4 for reception). flightmode now P-GPS.Climb to 35 meters and suddenly craft moved away, this after some input just before that.
Trying to correct by forward input (after 100% back first), but craft moved away.
Question is why ?

Could be due to yaw/compass/imu error or due to somthing else.
While craft drifing away heading 270 the nose of the craft towards HP approx.

At 45s into RTH (by you)...drone hdg 45, to home is hdg 91.
6 seconds alter craft aligned heading towards home, but drifting backwards with 15m/s, pitch down 25 degrees!
At 1m5 seconds (after still flying backwards but craft pointing home) suddenly it started to fly in the good direction!!
But still with nose pitch down (about same angles).
Only explanation for this is less wind. With the same power now it can fly towards home.  see my charts.

So i think your drone had a 2 errors ; one small yaw and lots of wind too.

chart1 is outbound in RTH, chart2 is inbound in RTH. (blue line coloured like this when no user RC input is given)
In chart 2 you see the purple line change heading, this aligning to homeheading in RTH.

I think because of the RTH you craft made it, with a yaw error and no RC input normally craft would fly a toilet bowl move line, depending on the amount of yaw error a smaller of bigger 'circle'

cheers
JJB

Thank you for all of the input!!!  I appreciate it!

I will pay closer attention to my GPS signals as well.  I was assuming that since the home point was updated, that there was enough GPS signal. Learned something new today!

MartinPHanley Posted at 12-31 08:40
Thanks for the explanation!  I figured most people wouldn't complain about the drone coming back... I wanted to make sure that I knew what happened so that, if user error, I could prevent it from happening again.

I'm guessing that the Mini had an issue and the Mavic 2 Pro didn't just because of capabilities differences between the two?

I'm guessing that the Mini had an issue and the Mavic 2 Pro didn't just because of capabilities differences between the two?
More likely is a small difference between landing spot.

So in the future... double check the north on the drone is really pointing towards north and double check take off location.  
That's a good idea.

I'm not sure what would have caused the magnetic interference unless it was the power lines by the road. Who knows.
The power lines wouldn't have had any effect.
It's probably something small and within inches of the drone's compass.

I was assuming that since the home point was updated, that there was enough GPS signal.
You launched without any satellites and went straight up.
It wasn't tilll 0:13.3, with the drone 13.8 feet up that it was able to record a home point.
This will have made no difference to the flight.
You had good GPS for the rest of the flight.

It seems odd that DJI would give us a landing pad with a steel ring if the drone was vulnerable to ferrous influences.

GaryDoug Posted at 12-31 20:08
It seems odd that DJI would give us a landing pad with a steel ring if the drone was vulnerable to ferrous influences.

DJI gave you a landing pad with your Mavic Mini?

BobWinNV Posted at 12-31 20:37
DJI gave you a landing pad with your Mavic Mini?

That's a good question. I did not buy from DJI direct but it did come with this one:
https://store.dji.com/product/pgytech-drones-landing-pad?set_country=US&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgKzwBRCjARIsABBbFuhrbGyzeZKzqhLZhZtrE8TfgXhAmb2DGmh0Z74_Qb9e5jj4dtevyjoaAl8VEALw_wcB&vid=22741

Is it not meant to be used with a Mini?

It's the 75 cm size. I see they recommend the 55 cm for the Mini. Seems like bigger would be better?

GaryDoug Posted at 2019-12-31 20:59
It's the 75 cm size. I see they recommend the 55 cm for the Mini. Seems like bigger would be better?

Any of the landing mats should work well with the Mavic Mini.  I was just surprised that you got one with your package as it is not part of the Fly More package.    I use one myself to help keep dust out of the MM during takeoff and landing.