I pretty much explain it all in the video but I still don't know why the drone flew to the side like it did.

You got very lucky with the pedestrians.....
But to you question, it does look like RTH was activated, and you did not pause it.
It was still trying to return home when you were applying downstick.
And unfortunately, there was "stuff" between the AC and it's homepoint.
Pausing it would have bought you time to assess the situation, and finding the "best path" to home/safety....

Thank you. I assumed pushing the stick down would make it abort the autoreturn and give me time  to fly it in (was only 30 meters from me) but it then returned at the low altitude (auto return was set higher than any structure in the area: 131meters). Return point was on the other side of the bridge.   

I pretty much explain it all in the video but I still don't know why the drone flew to the side like it did.
Sorry but I'm not going to watch 8 minutes of video to find out details of an incident.

A short description of the issue would be a lot more helpful and flight data is necessary to analyse the flight incident.
But if the drone is on any automated flight mode like RTH, unless you cancel the automated flight, the drone will continue to fly as programmed.
Fighting against automated flight isn't going to work.

That is so very dangerous flying it so close over the freeway above that bridge! What if the drone malfunctioned again and fell onto the windscreen of a moving car, what then? People like you give other responsible drone flyers a bad name. Sir, you a reckless idiot with care only for yourslf and your stupid videos. Grow up! You are lucky those walking pedestrians were not hit in the head with the drone. Idiot!

Labroides Posted at 2-5 16:24
I pretty much explain it all in the video but I still don't know why the drone flew to the side like it did.
Sorry but I'm not going to watch 8 minutes of video to find out details of an incident.

No need to watch the video or analyse any logs - it is blatantly clear this guy is a reckless imbecile after seeing the location he flies his drone.

Hi there, for fly safety considerations, it is not recommended to repair the drone by yourself, you may contact our support team via http://www.dji.com/support to open a case and send it in for a thorough diagnosis. Thanks.

BaliSkies Posted at 2-5 16:33
That is so very dangerous flying it so close over the freeway above that bridge! What if the drone malfunctioned again and fell onto the windscreen of a moving car, what then? People like you give other responsible drone flyers a bad name. Sir, you a reckless idiot with care only for yourslf and your stupid videos. Grow up! You are lucky those walking pedestrians were not hit in the head with the drone. Idiot!

I was never over the moving traffic and the shots look a lot closer than they were in reality. If the drone drops straight out of the air it will hit the water or muddy ground. If it goes off to the side nothing is safe within a very large radius. Yes, it almost hit those people and that should never have happened. That is why I never do such shots when there is wind or with high speeds and only in sight range. I was literally right there. Again, the drone did that stupid sideways motion.

MarkusLNZ Posted at 2-5 22:53
I was never over the moving traffic and the shots look a lot closer than they were in reality. If the drone drops straight out of the air it will hit the water or muddy ground. If it goes off to the side nothing is safe within a very large radius. Yes, it almost hit those people and that should never have happened. That is why I never do such shots when there is wind or with high speeds and only in sight range. I was literally right there. Again, the drone did that stupid sideways motion.

Again, the drone did that stupid sideways motion.
Then give a short description of what you observed, add your flight data and describe the spot you launched from.

This is why even Mini owners should pass the CAA tests...because people take the drones in dangerous situations and risk a massive accident.
What do you think will happen if your drone is losing control and crash in a car that drives at 50mph in windshield or close?
Start thinking ...Or we can expect another rules for flying drones...

Labroides Posted at 2-5 23:46
Again, the drone did that stupid sideways motion.
Then give a short description of what you observed, add your flight data and describe the spot you launched from.

1) the Mini started east of the bridge and logged this as return point. Return height 135 meters, higher than any structure in this area.

2) simple, slow flight above fields, on the east side of the bridge. The drone was within visual range. Good signal.

3) I crossed the bridge going underneath (of course I don't fly over the highway). So I flew the drone over to the west side, low to the ground, no gps.

4) simple short range flight on the west side. I did not log a new return point. Battery at 30%, autoreturn triggered. Drone starts to fly straight up, I push the lever down, try to bring it in (it was 30meters away). It stops going up, instead starts going sideways very fast back to the east side. Crashes against the bridge, drops from 7-10meters into the soil.

I have to look for the log files when I am back home and have some time.

FB: GeoDrone4K Posted at 2-6 00:18
This is why even Mini owners should pass the CAA tests...because people take the drones in dangerous situations and risk a massive accident.
What do you think will happen if your drone is losing control and crash in a car that drives at 50mph in windshield or close?
Start thinking ...Or we can expect another rules for flying drones...

Please share your drone videos so I can learn from you. You must have found a way to ensure that a drone starting to fly off at great speed will never hit a windshield or a person. Maybe you fly in the desert? What if it causes a bushfire going down? For my part I know that I should have reset the return point and aborted the autoreturn in app. But I certainly did not fly the drone in a reckless way.

Him

This is not the first accident because of a 'unexpected' RTH....flying in such area (close to bridges, buildings, people, cars ect...) it is wise to start a flight with 100% battery and end your flight way before reaching the low battery RTH value. If not done yet with the recordings you wanna make, well use the next full battery for the wanted shots/video.
And ofcoure do cancel the RTH, hover, think what to do to and how to fly safely back to HP.

But curious about the data in the flightlog, analyse why this mini flew sideways that fast.

Cheers
JJB

Thank you and good advice! In 270 flights this was only my second or third RTH. Once I followed a boat when it got triggered and it saved my drone as by accident I started with a low battery. I typically return on 40-50% battery as I plan my shots, try to fly on sight and don't like to stress the batteries too much. I cycle between three battery packs. This time I was talking to a guy while tired after several night shifts. I perceived it as a very easy flight situation, drone nearby, no obstructions.  This is how crap goes down. The log on my phone is incomplete, the last minute or so is missing or makes no sense.

MarkusLNZ Posted at 2-6 03:31
Thank you and good advice! In 270 flights this was only my second or third RTH. Once I followed a boat when it got triggered and it saved my drone as by accident I started with a low battery. I typically return on 40-50% battery as I plan my shots, try to fly on sight and don't like to stress the batteries too much. I cycle between three battery packs. This time I was talking to a guy while tired after several night shifts. I perceived it as a very easy flight situation, drone nearby, no obstructions.  This is how crap goes down. The log on my phone is incomplete, the last minute or so is missing or makes no sense.

Hi Markus,

mayby a incomplete log can explains what happend, so if you like upload using
this > https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/

cheers
JJB

MarkusLNZ Posted at 2-5 22:53
I was never over the moving traffic and the shots look a lot closer than they were in reality. If the drone drops straight out of the air it will hit the water or muddy ground. If it goes off to the side nothing is safe within a very large radius. Yes, it almost hit those people and that should never have happened. That is why I never do such shots when there is wind or with high speeds and only in sight range. I was literally right there. Again, the drone did that stupid sideways motion.

Dude, you are getting high altitude on a split lane full of cars driving with speed....at 6.58...
CAA says very clear: High of drone = distance from drone to nearest uninvolved participant...Your uninvolved participants were the drivers...so in future try to ensure this minimal distance...is for your own safe, or a penal record if you are catched or the drone decide to take a dive in that cars.
And remember: Mini is not a pure drone, is more like a toy with good video capabilities...cannot compare it with the safety of Mavic 2 Pro, Air 2, Phantom...
Take it as friendly advice, I shoot commercials and have A1, A2 and A3 and also specific clearance...and still I stay very sharp and with another observer when I get close to cars or people, as sh"t can happen anytime.

MarkusLNZ Posted at 2-6 01:48
1) the Mini started east of the bridge and logged this as return point. Return height 135 meters, higher than any structure in this area.

2) simple, slow flight above fields, on the east side of the bridge. The drone was within visual range. Good signal.

(of course I don't fly over the highway)
Clearly not the case at the end of your video
IDIOT      [ /color]

Pleomax Posted at 2-6 06:11
(of course I don't fly over the highway)
Clearly not the case at the end of your video
IDIOT      [ /color]

I was not over the highway. There is a gap where the lanes branch out. Plenty of space, good signal, no wind. I came up from under the bridge. It all looks closer than it is and was intended that way. The crash had nothing to do with a close flight manouver or high speeds. With the drone doing that I could have been a mile away from the bridge and still crash.

MarkusLNZ Posted at 2-6 06:24
I was not over the highway. There is a gap where the lanes branch out. Plenty of space, good signal, no wind. I came up from under the bridge. It all looks closer than it is and was intended that way. The crash had nothing to do with a close flight manouver or high speeds. With the drone doing that I could have been a mile away from the bridge and still crash.

About the crash: it can be seen that the drone at 1:15 is still responding at your commands left and right...the log can say if you panic and forgot to turn off RTH...also will show you the RTH, the commands and also the updated home point and compass orientation that probably was screwed by the massive steel of that bridge, in case that you saved a home point in air close to bridge.

MarkusLNZ Posted at 2-6 06:24
I was not over the highway. There is a gap where the lanes branch out. Plenty of space, good signal, no wind. I came up from under the bridge. It all looks closer than it is and was intended that way. The crash had nothing to do with a close flight manouver or high speeds. With the drone doing that I could have been a mile away from the bridge and still crash.

From 7.46 until end in your video you are over the highway, maybe you forgot to edit that bit out.

You are showing an edited video - not all the footage

and you are still an IDIOT  

No, I was close to the bridge but if it had dropped straight down it would have hit the mud close to the river. No wind, great signal and in visual range. I never flew over the bridge, I was going under. The shots look closer to the structures than the drone really was. Check out the screenshot below. You can keep your profanity to yourself.

I am going to give MarkusLNZ the benefit of the the doubt that the perspective appears to be over the bridge but the drone was not when he was piloting.  

The more I fly the more I notice the video perspective and distance are deceiving.  Especially when the gimble is slight tilted down.  What appears close in the shot frame is often very far away from the actual drone.  

But, I do find it disconcerting that pilot who has flown 1,000km and has the capability of repairing a mini will not provide logs for analysis.  Logs for both the crash incident and the shots of the bridge which have caused considerable concern.  The logs of the bridge flight would be definitive evidence of a well planned and safe flight and alleviate the accusations.  

I gladly upload the logs. But I am not at home right now. I guess the log file is in my phone? How to upload it (I google it later). The flight was easy-cheesy stuff and the collision happened in the most embarassing manner right next to me.

Yes, the perspective is very deceiving and a bit of editing (zoom) can greatly enhance it. I use that to get shots that look cool but are really simple do get. One the other hand precision flying is very difficult because of that. Even with quick response time/good signal/camera feed it is important to have a good/straight line of sight to the drone if you really want to go through a narrow gap or so.

Here are the logs as far as I understand it. I have those files from my phone, I don't know if they are the logs that contain the relevant information. It seems there is no easy way to share a flight log...? I kind of expected a "share"-button somewhere but could not find one. On top of it there is all the footage of the flight, 100% without editing. I also attach a screenshot from the flight the way it shows on my phone - the last minute or so is missing!
One Drive: https://1drv.ms/u/s!ApAhdW72b4sKgs4-PpCLxVMjsvUvMg?e=zQBPpb









Compilation of my first 10 months with the Mavic Mini:

MarkusLNZ Posted at 2-6 09:04
No, I was close to the bridge but if it had dropped straight down it would have hit the mud close to the river. No wind, great signal and in visual range. I never flew over the bridge, I was going under. The shots look closer to the structures than the drone really was. Check out the screenshot below. You can keep your profanity to yourself.

Firstly let me say , I'm sorry if I offended you.

Now a few questions for you to answer.





I await your answer.

Pleomax Posted at 2-6 14:09
Firstly let me say , I'm sorry if I offended you.

Now a few questions for you to answer.

No offense. I was walking with the drone, specifically under the bridge I was right next to it. Can you tell what caused the drone to go off to the side when the RTH was triggered?

Pleomax Posted at 2-6 14:09
Firstly let me say , I'm sorry if I offended you.

Now a few questions for you to answer.

Ok, Airdata UAV provides awesome detail. But the last minute of the flight right before the crash is missing.

MarkusLNZ Posted at 2-6 14:35
Ok, Airdata UAV provides awesome detail. But the last minute of the flight right before the crash is missing.

Yes, don't see RTH triggered before end off data so cannot say why it happened.

A lot of bad GPS (30049) warnings!!!

also noted 135m RTH height, again 120m MAX permitted.

As it turns out Mr. MarkusLNZ was operating his drone safely and in a reasonable manner.  His accumulated flight distance, quality of cinematography and technical abilities combined make it seem unlikely he would so blatantly do something unsafe.  

Thank you for providing the logs, it helped to frame the flying environment.  I am sure you were frustrated with all the negative commentary.  Please don't let the wannabe drone police who have to chime in without the facts discourage you from using this forum.  Your technical skill, flight experience and cinematic inclination would be a valuable contribution.

JohnLietzke Posted at 2-6 17:06
As it turns out Mr. MarkusLNZ was operating his drone safely and in a reasonable manner.  His accumulated flight distance, quality of cinematography and technical abilities combined make it seem unlikely he would so blatantly do something unsafe.  

Thank you for providing the logs, it helped to frame the flying environment.  I am sure you were frustrated with all the negative commentary.  Please don't let the wannabe drone police who have to chime in without the facts discourage you from using this forum.  Your technical skill, flight experience and cinematic inclination would be a valuable contribution.

I could not have said it better mate, Good Job.