Hi Guys,

Was flying my M2P off the coast of north west Ireland today and I lost it in the sea.
The drone was working fine until half way through the flight the gimbal went a bit crazy and started locking up, lost stability and moved to the top right position and then started moving up and down itself. Trying to reset the camera using the camera down button didnt work.
When the low battery warning came on I tried to fly it back to the home position but the throttle/reverse stick didnt make any difference to the drone. The left/right worked as normal, as did the altitude up/down. I hit the RTH button and the drone did nothing.

At this point I couldnt see forward as the camera had locked up looking at the propeller so I put it into sport mode and was going to fly back using the green line on the map to the home positon. Again, the drone would barely move forward even though I had the stick pushed fully forward. At this point I knew the drone was going to run out of batter and it was directly over the ocean - I was trying to manuveur it to the top of the cliff but sadly the drone went into auto landing and it ditched in the ocean.
After replaying the flight record afterwards and zooming in on the map it looks like the drone is actually going in reverse (albeit very slowly) instead of forward.

I'm not sure if this was my fauly, but I'd be keen on those more knowledgeable to provide guidance. I've attached the flight logs and the videos below.

In my own head I have the following questions:
1) Why did the RTH not work? (it looks like it was trying to go to a position in the opposite direction of the Home position?)
2) Why did the gimbal lockup and act all weird beforehand.
3) When I cancelled RTH and put into Sport mode why could I not get it to go more than 2/5mph.
4) Why does the compass show the drone was facing towards the home position, but it looks like it was actually going in reverse (only noticed by looking at the distance meter increasing).

Video of flight record


Video clip when the gimbal locks up and acts weird


Video just before I lost it


Naturally I'm gutted. The drone was only a few months old and to top it all off I had a brand new 512GB card in it.

Hello and good day Sudo911. I am sorry to read and to know that you have lost your DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Since this unfortunate issue happened. Kindly please contact out DJI Support Team for further assistance at https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav. We would do their best to find out the reason of the incident and then the corresponding resolution would be provided. Again I am sorry for the incident and thank you for your understanding.

Not to hot at reading the flight data but from the videos . I couldn't really see the gimbal acting wired , Or looking upwards.

Your flight video... was you really flying at 900 plus feet (Over 1200 at some points)? What was the wind like up there? At 34 seconds it looks like your craft is near 45 degrees trying to battle the wind to return home.  there were also several warning regarding the high wind velocity    Mavic 2 is only  rated at 24 MPH. High wind may also explain the quick battery depletion.

And at nearly a mile away boy you got great eyes to see that thing...

Wow that experience must have caused urgent desire to do a #2.

Curious, was the MP2 on the latest FW?

I saw the first video, honestly at 70% battery juice left and nearly 8000 miles out, I would've been definitely trying to work my way back to at least a bit closer to home base for sure.  Looks like the craft kept going further and further away.

From what you'd described you hit the RTH button and nothing happened? Did you try using the radar button on the left bottom screening to work your way back home since the cam wasn't working. I had a similar experience with the older P4P when a certain SW made the cam become crazy and started inverting. Hot the RYH and landed safely.

If you post your flight data, someone might be able to see what the issue was.
Not the verbose CSV.
Post your .txt file or the Phantomhelp link
The mystery is usually hidden in there somewhere.

You had a 512GB card in it?
Why?
How many months would it take to fill the card?
Sounds like you didn't value your images/videos to keep that much on the drone.

While I wait for you to come back with the flight data, I see a few clues in what you've put up.
I'll start with a question of my own.
What was the wind speed and direction on the ground where you flew?
I'm sure it was a lot less than whatever was blowing 1120 feet up where your drone was.

1) Why did the RTH not work? (it looks like it was trying to go to a position in the opposite direction of the Home position?)
3) When I cancelled RTH and put into Sport mode why could I not get it to go more than 2/5mph.

4) Why does the compass show the drone was facing towards the home  position, but it looks like it was actually going in reverse (only  noticed by looking at the distance meter increasing).
Umm ... I wonder if perhaps the answers might be wind related ??

Here's another question:
When I dive into a fast flowing river and swim upstream, why do I end up further downstream .. even when I swim really fast ?

2) Why did the gimbal lockup and act all weird beforehand.
It wouldn't have had anything to do with a strong wind, would it?

Labroides Posted at 1-5 18:16
What was the wind speed and direction on the ground where you flew?

It looks like it was around 60 kmh

https://windy.app/forecast2/spot/557/Malin+Head%2C+Donegal/map

I suspect the M2P can only handle about 40kmh

Doesn't the M2P only support up to 128gb SD cards ?

That looks like some very serious wind up there and you didn't try to lower its altitude first then try to fly back or fly directly to the nearby cliff with the wind on the back of your drone.

I am by far no expert when it comes to logfiles, but flying DJI stuff since the release of their F450 frames and the Naza v1.

I somehow cannot believe you are asking what went wrong here. I mean... really?
By looking at your footage alone, is enough evidence for me what might have happened here.

Just take a look at the clouds you filmed @0:17 and how fast they are moving. Now take that wind information and overlay this in your head with the flightpath you provided.
Any conclusions? ... Imho you have flown her at very high windspeeds, which you should have noticed right from the start.
You even got a high wind alert which you didn`t seem to care and taken her out anyways. By taken her out, i mean around 350m high and waaay out of LOS on the open ocean.
A desaster waiting to happen.

Maybe this also helps you understand why your gimbal reacted the way shown.
100% pilot error for not taken the conditions for safe flying into consideration or maybe even worse... ignoring them.
Sorry for the loss.

Sky Donkey Posted at 1-5 16:35
Not to hot at reading the flight data but from the videos . I couldn't really see the gimbal acting wired , Or looking upwards.

Your flight video... was you really flying at 900 plus feet (Over 1200 at some points)? What was the wind like up there? At 34 seconds it looks like your craft is near 45 degrees trying to battle the wind to return home.  there were also several warning regarding the high wind velocity    Mavic 2 is only  rated at 24 MPH. High wind may also explain the quick battery depletion.

Just updated the 2nd youtube clip there so you can see the behaviour.

Hard to say how windy it was at that height, but it didnt feel that bad (compared to previous exposed flights) on the day. Of course I took a risk flying in the wind, but hey you take the risks to get the good shots!  I was only thinking of the battery depletion afterwards, and yes it prob makes sense that it was too much for the M2P. Interestingly, there was another guy using a drone in the same area and had no problems at all with his flight.

SD_Pilot Posted at 1-5 17:04
Wow that experience must have caused urgent desire to do a #2.

Curious, was the MP2 on the latest FW?

Ha! Well yes, of course a bit of panic sets in! I guess I wanted to be sure that the M2P was in fact facing the  right direction and it was battling the wind as opposed to it facing the wrong direction and I was actually sending it further away from me without it being obvious. Without proper visuals I was using the radar to retrace the direct line back to the home position, just sadly couldnt get the pace....

Labroides Posted at 1-5 17:22
If you post your flight data, someone might be able to see what the issue was.
Not the verbose CSV.
Post your .txt file or the Phantomhelp link

Tried to post last night but too big for an attachment. Put it here on my Dropbox instead.
I use the same cards in multiple devices (GoPro, smaller drone, DSLR etc). It only had the footage from the day as I take it off after every flight so as to not lose it.

Sudo911 Posted at 1-6 09:54
Ha! Well yes, of course a bit of panic sets in! I guess I wanted to be sure that the M2P was in fact facing the  right direction and it was battling the wind as opposed to it facing the wrong direction and I was actually sending it further away from me without it being obvious. Without proper visuals I was using the radar to retrace the direct line back to the home position, just sadly couldnt get the pace....

Did the Mavic have the most current firmware?

Did you notice the distance numbers growing larger on the mobile screen? that 's how you'll know if the Mavic is going further away from you hence know you're heading into the wrong direction.

lannes Posted at 1-5 18:29
It looks like it was around 60 kmh

https://windy.app/forecast2/spot/557/Malin+Head%2C+Donegal/map

Wind picked up that evening, but wasnt that bad during that time at 1pm.... there is no denying it was windy, just didnt think it was beyond the capability of the M2P based on previous flights. For clarity, in no way insinuating that this wasnt entirely pilot error, just looking for feedback from the logs (as I had lost proper video feed) to see what was at play. It's highly probable the wind speed at that height at that point in time was just too much for the M2P.

second8 Posted at 1-6 02:28
I am by far no expert when it comes to logfiles, but flying DJI stuff since the release of their F450 frames and the Naza v1.

I somehow cannot believe you are asking what went wrong here. I mean... really?

hmm...  well yes I was actually asking for honest feedback here, isn't that the whole point of this forum? If I wanted a smart answer well then I would have refrained.

As I mentioned earlier, I am not insinuating that this wasnt pilot error, I knew the risks before the flight! I'm looking for some feedback on the flight logs as to what the M2P instrumentation was saying. Yes, I unfortunately lost the drone, but for someone who doesnt possess your level of experience flying drones I put this down to knowledge and education so as to know what to avoid in future to repeat the same mistakes with a replacement (although at this stage I might wait to see if there is a pending M3P).

SD_Pilot Posted at 1-6 10:02
Did the Mavic have the most current firmware?

Did you notice the distance numbers growing larger on the mobile screen? that 's how you'll know if the Mavic is going further away from you hence know you're heading into the wrong direction.

Yes, latest firmware - but for whatever reason when I switch between the Smart Controller and normal controller (I have both - depending on scenario) each of them displays a "firmware inconsistency" notice and requires an update before I could fly the drone. The Smart Controller is at a higher level than the normal controller (but when you check for updates using both they are at the latest version).

TBH at that point making no traction on thrust and with diminishing power my focus was trying everything to get it to a safe landing position before the power went out. I only noticed the distance growing numbers when I was replaying the flight log

Sudo911 Posted at 1-6 10:15
Yes, latest firmware - but for whatever reason when I switch between the Smart Controller and normal controller (I have both - depending on scenario) each of them displays a "firmware inconsistency" notice and requires an update before I could fly the drone. The Smart Controller is at a higher level than the normal controller (but when you check for updates using both they are at the latest version).

TBH at that point making no traction on thrust and with diminishing power my focus was trying everything to get it to a safe landing position before the power went out. I only noticed the distance growing numbers when I was replaying the flight log

Hate to break the news but I think we've probably solved the issue here.

"Firmware Inconsistency"  


Your batteries weren't updated.  If you didn't update when required this likely led to the crazed behavior. Happened to one of my drones but luckily I was able to bring it home.

Did you ever update the battery when that "firmware inconsistency" displayed on the screen?

Here is the flight log for anybody interested in having a look:  https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/EWYMBP68A8SCAFRZV4FQ

I think this picture pretty sums up what happened!  It was fighting the wind with everything it had and still losing.

Sudo911 Posted at 1-6 09:52
Just updated the 2nd youtube clip there so you can see the behaviour.

Hard to say how windy it was at that height, but it didnt feel that bad (compared to previous exposed flights) on the day. Of course I took a risk flying in the wind, but hey you take the risks to get the good shots!  I was only thinking of the battery depletion afterwards, and yes it prob makes sense that it was too much for the M2P. Interestingly, there was another guy using a drone in the same area and had no problems at all with his flight.

Unfortunately, in this instance, I think the risk far outweighed the reward.  It was a pretty tough situation to put any drone up into.

It may not have been overwhelmingly windy where you were standing, but you very well could have been sheltered by the hills and terrain above you.  1000ft up, even on calm days, the wind is likely 3 times as fast as it is at ground level even when not sheltered.

When the wind is blowing hard and you are losing ground, the first thing I always recommend is to put it in Sports mode, point it towards home, and lose altitude as quickly as possible while full stick forward.

Sports mode allows it to have a greater angle of attack which allows it to get more horizontal thrust as compared to other modes (including RTH).

SD_Pilot Posted at 1-6 10:40
Hate to break the news but I think we've probably solved the issue here.

"Firmware Inconsistency"  

Not sure what you mean by updating the battery? The firmware update notification was to do with the Remote Controller Firmware Level, not the actual drone firmware. The Smart Controller had a higher version @ v01.00.0530 but the standard controller (I Think) was at v01.00.0520 but that was the latest available.

KlooGee Posted at 1-6 11:22
When the wind is blowing hard and you are losing ground, the first thing I always recommend is to put it in Sports mode, point it towards home, and lose altitude as quickly as possible while full stick forward.

Sports mode allows it to have a greater angle of attack which allows it to get more horizontal thrust as compared to other modes (including RTH).

KlooGee - thanks for your input, that is very good feedback. Never considered winds at that height could be at that multiplier. Yes, tried switching into Sport mode to achieve that but I should have followed your suggestion and combined that with a full descent to get the best forward velocity. I guess lesson (expensive one at that) learnt, but very much taken onboard. I put it down to making me a better drone pilot!

I understand the wind issue with not being able to bring it back in, but would that explain the gimbal going crazy? Or did it just look that angle due to the angle of the Mavic and the fact the gimbal only has so much movement?

MavicRich Posted at 1-6 12:25
I understand the wind issue with not being able to bring it back in, but would that explain the gimbal going crazy? Or did it just look that angle due to the angle of the Mavic and the fact the gimbal only has so much movement?

The gimbal went crazy and shortly afterwards I ran into the problem of not being able to bring it back in due to lack of velocity.

Just for transparency, in similiar windy weather I've never had that issue with the gimbal before. Is there anything in the raw logs showing what could have cause this? i.e. was it excessive wind or something else?

SD_Pilot Posted at 1-6 10:40
Hate to break the news but I think we've probably solved the issue here.

"Firmware Inconsistency"  

I hate to break it to you but this incident (like probably any flight incident) had nothing to do with the firmware.
There were very real and obvious real issues.
Firmware inconsistencies made no difference.
Read post #28 to see what was really going on.

Sudo911 Posted at 1-6 12:29
The gimbal went crazy and shortly afterwards I ran into the problem of not being able to bring it back in due to lack of velocity.

Just for transparency, in similiar windy weather I've never had that issue with the gimbal before. Is there anything in the raw logs showing what could have cause this? i.e. was it excessive wind or something else?

Ah I see. I’ve been out in windy conditions but nothing to make my gimbal do that.

Desperate to get to Ireland at some point, how is the wind in general?

Sudo911 Posted at 1-6 11:42
KlooGee - thanks for your input, that is very good feedback. Never considered winds at that height could be at that multiplier. Yes, tried switching into Sport mode to achieve that but I should have followed your suggestion and combined that with a full descent to get the best forward velocity. I guess lesson (expensive one at that) learnt, but very much taken onboard. I put it down to making me a better drone pilot!

After going through your flight data for an hour, there are two things that are glaringly obvious.

Wind is the big one.  The wind up there was very strong and there were a couple of furious gusts on top of a steady strong wind.
These gusts are probably what you noticed with the gimbal issue.
Wind up high is always stronger than at ground level.
In a situation where you had 1000 ft cliffs/mountains right beside the coast, you are going to experience very strong and gusty winds.
Four minutes into the flight at 277 ft your drone could only just hold position.
It had a slight drift and was leaning into the wind with pitch and roll angles of about 7°.
Later in the flight up over 1000 ft it was leaning into the wind at a steady 30°+ and in the big gusts the pitch and/or roll angles went over 50°.

The second obvious point is that the flyer had no awareness of what was going on and what was necessary to get the drone back.
The telemetry clearly showed that the drone was unable to make headway.
Leaving the drone up over 1000 feet and being blown backwards was a fatal error.
You doodled around with Sport Mode, RTH and P-GPS mode but never brought the drone down below 1000 ft.
In that situation Sport Mode was only burning battery faster and not solving the real problem.

If you had to go to 1000 feet, you would have had to make it a brief trip up and immediately brought the drone back to around 100 ft to bring it back.

There are other minor points like leaving obstacle avoidance and RTH OA enabled which reduced your speed in P-GPS and RTH modes.
OA was the last thing you needed >1000 ft up in a strong wind situation but with a wind this strong and poor piloting, disabling it wouldn't have made any difference.

that wind was more than 60kph (but it's probably enought to drift even at that speed), imo, specially at that height.  add low temperatures (wind just make things worse) and you got combination of drone with fast draining battery, water/ice, locked up gimbal and too high speed wind for drone to fight with. i hope i'm wrong, but this is how it looks to me.
but i agree, it must be devastating to see your precious toy gone like that. i really hope so it doesn't happen to me, bet with this things, you never can be 100%, i guess.

Sudo911 Posted at 1-6 11:39
Not sure what you mean by updating the battery? The firmware update notification was to do with the Remote Controller Firmware Level, not the actual drone firmware. The Smart Controller had a higher version @ v01.00.0530 but the standard controller (I Think) was at v01.00.0520 but that was the latest available.

Meant battery FW update; I've had the experience of the craft not responding or behaving erratically when batteries haven't been updated. If they were then the wind/altitude were the culprits.

Take the loss as a valuable lesson and good luck with the next drone.

MavicRich Posted at 1-6 14:13
Ah I see. I’ve been out in windy conditions but nothing to make my gimbal do that.

Desperate to get to Ireland at some point, how is the wind in general?

In general its windy and if its not windy its raining. Wait for the summer, sometimes the sun comes out too.

Check met Eireann for weekly forecasts. May to September generally are good.

OP bad luck fella, wind is your answer. We've all flown in wind, most have got away with it, so don't beat yourself up over it. Get another drone and if you're ever down this way give me a shout.

Sorry for your loss there mate

Sudo911 Posted at 1-6 11:42
KlooGee - thanks for your input, that is very good feedback. Never considered winds at that height could be at that multiplier. Yes, tried switching into Sport mode to achieve that but I should have followed your suggestion and combined that with a full descent to get the best forward velocity. I guess lesson (expensive one at that) learnt, but very much taken onboard. I put it down to making me a better drone pilot!

Glad to hear your perspective.  Learn from it and move on.  I hope you have many fun and safe flights ahead!  Cheers!

Flying in clouds/fog when it's cold out, and your AC and onboard equipment are warm........condensation happens......water + electronics = bad combo.

Randy

MavicRich Posted at 1-6 14:13
Ah I see. I’ve been out in windy conditions but nothing to make my gimbal do that.

Desperate to get to Ireland at some point, how is the wind in general?

Wouldnt risk it.... too windy here

Only joking... its a fab place to capture footage... see below one I did last year over at Achill Island... stunning place...

M2Wair Posted at 1-6 16:17
OP bad luck fella, wind is your answer. We've all flown in wind, most have got away with it, so don't beat yourself up over it. Get another drone and if you're ever down this way give me a shout.

We win some, we lose some! Sometimes if you want dramatic footage you have to take some risks.... not really a "risk adverse" kinda guy

Where you based John?

Hi, what do you say about it Gimbal goes crazy?

AEROKAMERA Posted at 1-7 09:07
Hi, what do you say about it Gimbal goes crazy?

Look at the 2nd video 20 seconds in.....

DJI Stephen Posted at 1-5 16:21
Hello and good day Sudo911. I am sorry to read and to know that you have lost your DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Since this unfortunate issue happened. Kindly please contact out DJI Support Team for further assistance at https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav. We would do their best to find out the reason of the incident and then the corresponding resolution would be provided. Again I am sorry for the incident and thank you for your understanding.

It looks like gimbal wants to do self calibrating. Bug?
Gimbal goes crazy again