Hello,


My Mavic 2 Pro fell to its death just over a week ago and DJI can’t explain why.

Their data “analysis” team responded so;


1.    The aircraft worked under GPS mode and it responded well to the pilot’s commands;

2.    Flight Time T=15:22, Relative Height H=127.1 m, Distance to Home Point D=1328.6 m, the pilot pushed the pitch stick forward, and the flight record ended when the aircraft was flying forward at 4.6 m/s;

3.    Take-off point: -26.2022811 28.0604287, and the last point: -26.2014663 28.0471426.

Conclusion: Unable to figure out the cause of the accident due to the interrupted APP record.


While the report is true, there seems to be no indication of pilot error. (Of which I am certain this is not) If DJI is unable to figure out the cause of the accident and the aircraft is well within the warranty period, why am I fitting the bill??? According to DJI, the whole point of the data analysis process is to determine which party is to blame, end user or DJI. Their hardware failed to communicate the data they need.



My account is as follows; (Please excuse the long post)

The weather conditions were sunny and visibility was clear, there was no strong wind and no rain. Nearing the end of a normal condition flight, I begin recording, turn 180 degrees, hover for a moment before slowly approaching a nearby building. I descend to an an altitude of approximately 120 meters, complete a remaining battery, obstacle sensor and GPS check, when check is complete and good, I began a horizontal movement to the right keeping a safe distance from the nearby building at an approximate speed of 19km\hr. 

There was no interference or loss of signal and once completely clear of the building, I proceed with 16km/hr forward movement into an open space, while tilting the gimbal slowly downward.

After a few moments into the forward movement, a loss of video and connection to my remote controller begins, I immediately release the sticks. The remote displayed no aircraft or information and no warnings as well as the controls being unresponsive. I wait for the connection to re-establish and after 15-20 seconds of waiting and still no connection, I initiate RTH but still no response or confirmation from the aircraft. I wait a few more minutes before engaging Find my Drone and proceeding to the aircrafts last known location. 

After searching, I find the destroyed aircraft approximately 10-12 meters from the last known location. It had fallen through a small nearby tree before smashing into the concrete. The aircraft was on its belly with its parts scattered closely around. The camera gimbal was detached and severely damaged. The front legs were cracked and bottom sensor plate had broken clean off, propellors thrown aside, motor housings destroyed and top sensor coverings blown out. The battery was still attached but unresponsive. Later, I attempted placing a fully charged battery into the aircraft and turning it on but the aircraft was not operational and not switching on, therefore, I am unable to retrieve logs from the aircraft via Dji assistant 2.



My cached video and Flight Log verifies everything before the complete loss of signal. The gps location illustrates the craft being safely away from any structures. However, upon later inspection the last known gps point depicts the nose of the drone pointing in the opposite direction to where DJI stated the the pitch stick was being directed.

I suspect multiple hardware errors and failures, compass error, signal loss, zero warnings, video feed loss, unresponsive RC, no critical battery landing and no RTH. The aircraft is so badly damaged, it presumably fell from the last known height.

Having said all of this, pilot error HAS NOT been proven. I am a loyal DJI customer, from gimbals to drones. It would be highly appreciated for my case to be escalated and for DJI to make some attempt to honor its warranty, because if nobody is to blame according to records, it’s unacceptable to simply blame the end-user.


Thank you.

We are terribly sorry for the crash accident and the cause of the accident was unable to be figured out. Please understand we would like to find out what happened as much as you do, but unfortunately, the flight records were interrupted and logs from the aircraft cannot be retrieved either. Your frustration will be escalated to the higher-level team for further follow-up, we will have someone to contact you soon, please wait patiently, thank you.

DJI Mindy Posted at 4-15 05:33
We are terribly sorry for the crash accident and the cause of the accident was unable to be figured out. Please understand we would like to find out what happened as much as you do, but unfortunately, the flight records were interrupted and logs from the aircraft cannot be retrieved either. Your frustration will be escalated to the higher-level team for further follow-up, we will have someone to contact you soon, please wait patiently, thank you.

Firstly, thank you so much for getting back to me and for your understanding!

This is an unfortunate situation. I am understanding to the fact that Dji cannot simply honor every single request as hardware failure.

But where there has been no proven pilot error, no logged interference warnings, no warnings of adverse weather conditions, no further APP records following an interruption and in addition, no retrievable data from a destroyed, unresponsive aircraft, which simply fell from the sky, makes me believe there are loop holes in your warranty and customers need to know about it.

PLEASE, I’m looking to DJI to honor my warranty as, through no proven fault of my own, the end result is my completely destroyed aircraft

For information purposes, my case number is:
CAS-4173620-R4S0P5



Thank you again, your reply is much appreciated and I look forward to hearing from your high-level team soon.

djiuser_k9Hzo0Sh3iT5 Posted at 4-15 06:53
Firstly, thank you so much for getting back to me and for your understanding!

This is an unfortunate situation. I am understanding to the fact that Dji cannot simply honor every single request as hardware failure.

Thank you for providing your case number (CAS). We believe this is now being handled by the higher-level team. You will surely be notified of the updates.

Also, we'll seek the attention of the higher level team in contacting you the soonest time possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

DJI Diana Posted at 4-15 14:32
Thank you for providing your case number (CAS). We believe this is now being handled by the higher-level team. You will surely be notified of the updates.

Also, we'll seek the attention of the higher level team in contacting you the soonest time possible.

Thanks so much for your feedback Dji Diana. Much appreciated.

Please note, I have been contacted by a customer care agent this morning, which is great. However, the agent has simply re-affirmed what has already been communicated. I will update the thread with the outcomes of this contact as needed.

In the meantime, this link contains a similar case which was resolved and honored, even without a recovered aircraft.

https://forum.dji.com/thread-200617-1-1.html

If Dji could please explain how exactly it evaluates a warranty based refurb/replacement/repair that would be great as it now appears there no consistency.

Thank you again.

djiuser_k9Hzo0Sh3iT5 Posted at 4-16 01:29
Thanks so much for your feedback Dji Diana. Much appreciated.

Please note, I have been contacted by a customer care agent this morning, which is great. However, the agent has simply re-affirmed what has already been communicated. I will update the thread with the outcomes of this contact as needed.

No worries. We're at one here in knowing the issues had with the time of its incident. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Feel free to reach us, we're here to help. Thank you.

DJI Diana Posted at 4-16 14:50
No worries. We're at one here in knowing the issues had with the time of its incident. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Feel free to reach us, we're here to help. Thank you.

Thanks Dji Diana,

However, Instead of attempting to honor my warranty as pleaded, a “higher level” customer support agent advised that an “approved” repair center in my country will deal with my after-sales query. Problems being, my aircraft is destroyed beyond repair and “it will be a paid service”. In addition, if I do use them, my current valid warranty which I paid for with the purchase of my drone will not be recognized by DJI in the future. How is this a good solution to provide???

I live chatted with a customer support agent who CLEARLY states in the images below that the incident that occurred with my M2P was not normal behavior and that my location and flight environment might of effected the connection, DJIs “technical analysis team” confirmed was not the case in their “inconclusive” results above. This incident is clearly hardware failure.

djiuser_k9Hzo0Sh3iT5 Posted at 4-20 05:48
Thanks Dji Diana,

However, Instead of attempting to honor my warranty as pleaded, a “higher level” customer support agent advised that an “approved” repair center in my country will deal with my after-sales query. Problems being, my aircraft is destroyed beyond repair and “it will be a paid service”. In addition, if I do use them, my current valid warranty which I paid for with the purchase of my drone will not be recognized by DJI in the future. How is this a good solution to provide???
[Image]

I am fast becoming frustrated by DJIs lack of accountability, besides the global pandemic currently going on, my business is now being further inconvenienced by the lack of tools to do my job.

I am pleading yet again to be connected to a more senior manager who can acknowledge liability for the incident.

djiuser_k9Hzo0Sh3iT5 Posted at 4-20 06:45
I am fast becoming frustrated by DJIs lack of accountability, besides the global pandemic currently going on, my business is now being further inconvenienced by the lack of tools to do my job.

I am pleading yet again to be connected to a more senior manager who can acknowledge liability for the incident.

We understand your frustration and will verify with the higher-level team again and come back to you soon. Please wait a moment, thanks.

DJI Diana Posted at 4-21 06:09
We understand your frustration and will verify with the higher-level team again and come back to you soon. Please wait a moment, thanks.

Hi Dji Diana,
Please also take note of my reply with attachments above as well.
Thank you.

djiuser_k9Hzo0Sh3iT5 Posted at 4-21 06:17
Hi Dji Diana,
Please also take note of my reply with attachments above as well.
Thank you.

We've checked the picture above, our support has explained several times the signal could be related to the flight environment, such as if there is any interference or obstruction between the drone and the RC, the signal could be blocked, it doesn't mean there is a product issue.
We are eager to know the reason, but without the product, it is difficult to make further analysis. Thanks for your understanding.

DJI Diana Posted at 4-22 05:33
We've checked the picture above, our support has explained several times the signal could be related to the flight environment, such as if there is any interference or obstruction between the drone and the RC, the signal could be blocked, it doesn't mean there is a product issue.
We are eager to know the reason, but without the product, it is difficult to make further analysis. Thanks for your understanding.

Thank you for your reply Dji Diana, your points are understood.

The customer service agent that’s been contacting me has left my questions unanswered. He has advised that I take my drone to my local “approved” service center to assist with internal flight data retrieval.

My question is, as the aircraft is badly damaged (mainboard, wires and circuits exposed) what is Djis next solution if the data cannot be recovered?

Thank you in advance.