With the ambient temperature below 104F/40C, I was flying my Mini 3 Pro, and with still over 50% battery left, I received an “Aircraft Overheat” then “Forced Landing” message on the RC controller.

The aircraft then landed on a busy road, and was destroyed after being run over by a vehicle before I could retrieve it.

I received a replacement from DJI rapidly, however, the replacement did the same thing today, flashed “aircraft overheat, forced landing”, and landed without warning, or the ability to control the landing point, fortunately, it landed in a safe and accessible area this time around.

This is not good.

Like a “high wind warning”, if the aircraft is overheating, you should have a warning that allows you to return to home, or at least control to some extent the landing point in order to safely land, and access the aircraft.

This could be done in a firmware update, and should be done as soon as possible, to prevent further losses of aircraft.

Anyone else encountering this?

I suppose that any extra usage on the motors could result in battery shutdown, hence perhaps why we cant choose the landing spot as its decending, although doing that shouldnt overexet the battery, but rule of thumb is 1C rise per 100m climb, therefore its safer to say that the further it decends the warmer the air temp thus exasperating things and itsmuch worse depedning on the surfage material, i.e. grass compared to roadway is cooler at 2m height. Sorry, just thinking allowed....

What overheats? I understand that they removed cooling fans internally. Is there now inadequate cooling for the motor controller???

It's a pretty damn serious problem that they seem to have introduced with the removal of the internal cooling fan.

It's actually so serious, you can't even do a firmware update without blowing air over the body as it will get too hot.

Hello there. I am sorry to read and to know what happened to your DJI Mini 3 Pro and thank you for reaching out. Since this unfortunate event happened to your DJI Mini 3 Pro. I would recommend for you to contact our DJI Support Team at https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav for further assistance with regards to this matter. We will do our best to help you and give out the best resolution for the said issue. Again, I am sorry and thank you.

Hiya,

what a sad story, loosing 2 crafts like this.

If you like post your flightlog for this issie on here.
use this link > https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/
post the uploaded link on here

cheers
JJB

"What you said is also reasonable. It doesn't sound normal to directly force landing without warning, and it is also very easy to cause accidents."


After an exchange with online technical support, I was told that engineers would be made aware of this issue, and try to address it in a firmware update, specifically an opportunity to control where the aircraft lands if an overheat situation develops while in flight.

In the meantime, be aware that at any given moment if the Mini 3 Pro gets into an overheat situation, the firmware and design at the moment causes the aircraft into a forced landing situation where you have no control over when, and where your drone lands.

That could be a problem.

how do you know you couldnt controll the aircraft? How far was it?

fateofangel Posted at 7-22 06:48
how do you know you couldnt controll the aircraft? How far was it?

You know this because the RC controller says “forced landing” which means the aircraft is being forced to land and any joystick input is ignored.

Just as a matter of interest what was the ambient temperature because if it was just below 40°C that is mighty hot! That coupled with the crafts generated heat is quite a temperature for such a little drone to cope with. Just playing devils advocate and I feel your pain man.

fans49c1baf6 Posted at 7-22 06:40
"What you said is also reasonable. It doesn't sound normal to directly force landing without warning, and it is also very easy to cause accidents."

Did you try  slow down ascent and adjust landing position during forced landing with your controller sticks...

PeterIOM Posted at 7-22 07:04
Just as a matter of interest what was the ambient temperature because if it was just below 40°C that is mighty hot! That coupled with the crafts generated heat is quite a temperature for such a little drone to cope with. Just playing devils advocate and I feel your pain man.

No real pain being felt, it was about 96°F warm but obviously below the temperature operational limitations of the drone.

Because I had purchased refresh care I got another drone immediately, but this new drone also exhibits the same issue, and I understand that things can get hot, but you should be told before the aircraft is forced to land arbitrarily without you being able to control it, even if that means limiting the duration of the flight.

What happens is that if the aircraft gets too hot, the firmware immediately forces it to land without any warning or ability to control where it lands.

Something has to be engineered into the firmware to allow you to control the aircraft if it is anticipating an overheat situation. That does not exist at the present time.

That is a problem.   

fans49c1baf6 Posted at 7-22 07:01
You know this because the RC controller says “forced landing” which means the aircraft is being forced to land and any joystick input is ignored.

Omg there should be any warning before force landing and exceeding the temprature limit..

Goggles Pisano Posted at 7-22 07:09
Did you try  slow down ascent and adjust landing position during forced landing with your controller sticks...

Yes, but operational input from the controller is negated by the forced landing firmware, the aircraft is just going to land no matter what you do for input on the controller if you encounter an overheat situation in flight.

And, it is going to land directly over whatever point it is when it encounters the overheating situation.

fans49c1baf6 Posted at 7-22 07:16
Yes, but operational input from the controller is negated by the forced landing firmware, the aircraft is just going to land no matter what you do for input on the controller if you encounter an overheat situation in flight.

And, it is going to land directly over whatever point it is when it encounters the overheating situation.

When I encountered forced landings I did have minimal control of craft. ( but i never had forced landing due to heat though). so it may be different...

If the ambient operational limit is +40 deg. C then I would expect NORMAL OPERATION at this temperature!

This is supposed to be designed to be operated outside in bright sunshine, so the design should consider the fact direct sunlight is ALSO shining on it at +40 deg. ambient temperatures (internal case temperature will necessarily be quite a bit higher).

Are components running so close to spec that they could fail in flight?

Goggles Pisano Posted at 7-22 07:44
When I encountered forced landings I did have minimal control of craft. ( but i never had forced landing due to heat though). so it may be different...

The first thing that happens is you get aircraft overheating on the controller, then immediately you get forced landing, then if you are recording the recording stops, and then the aircraft lands at whatever spot it started the forced landing at, and no input from the controller is accepted by the drone.

It lands wherever it is at when it tells you it is overheated.

I think anyone who owns a mini 3 pro can duplicate this by going to a safe spot and climbing the drone to a certain point, and either let it hover or minimally maneuver it and at a certain point the aircraft will probably overheat and then you can experience what I hope you never have to if you are flying in an area where your drone cannot be easily recovered.  

fans49c1baf6 Posted at 7-22 07:56
The first thing that happens is you get aircraft overheating on the controller, then immediately you get forced landing, then if you are recording the recording stops, and then the aircraft lands at whatever spot it started the forced landing at, and no input from the controller is accepted by the drone.

It lands wherever it is at when it tells you it is overheated.

Hi,

With all other forced landings the RC stick can still operate the drone.
Would be really strange if DJI did blocked this on a overheat forced landing.

As you had 2 landings like this, would be nice to see the logs for this issue.

So if you like post your logs, use > https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/
Mayby logs shows more information about this overheating issue

cheers
JJB

JJB* Posted at 7-22 08:09
Hi,

With all other forced landings the RC stick can still operate the drone.

DJI already knows that this is a problem, and after chatting with their technical support they were supposed to be addressing it via firmware update.

The overheat disables recording and control from the remote controller and the aircraft will land at whatever point it is over when it encounters the situation.

As I stated in my previous post anyone who owns a mini 3 pro can duplicate this issue in a safe and controlled environment where the aircraft can be recovered easily and land safely after an overheat.

JJB* Posted at 7-22 08:09
Hi,

With all other forced landings the RC stick can still operate the drone.

Agreed it would be good to analyze flight logs...

May be the y should display in the Fly APP the Internal temperature of the Mini 3 and warm about the max allowed …. This will us time to react.

Yeah some kind of warning would be nice, so we can bring it back before it happens.

fans49c1baf6 Posted at 7-22 08:15
DJI already knows that this is a problem, and after chatting with their technical support they were supposed to be addressing it via firmware update.

The overheat disables recording and control from the remote controller and the aircraft will land at whatever point it is over when it encounters the situation.

oke, but still curious about the warnings etc in the logs.

But if you do not want to share them, no probs.

many happy landings,
cheers
JJB

JJB* Posted at 7-22 09:05
oke, but still curious about the warnings etc in the logs.

But if you do not want to share them, no probs.

I’m new to droning, so let me acquaint myself with the process, I appreciate the link, and will extract them when I’m able to do so.

In the meantime, it would appear you have a mini 3 pro, maybe you could hover and/or maneuver minimally in a safe area where recovery would be easy for you to do, to see if you can duplicate the overheating/forced landing issue yourself. Thanks for your responses.

fans49c1baf6 Posted at 7-22 09:10
I’m new to droning, so let me acquaint myself with the process, I appreciate the link, and will extract them when I’m able to do so.

In the meantime, it would appear you have a mini 3 pro, maybe you could hover and/or maneuver minimally in a safe area where recovery would be easy for you to do, to see if you can duplicate the overheating/forced landing issue yourself. Thanks for your responses.

I don't think JJB is going to want to try that re-creation. As for me I live in mountains. [not hot enough]

Goggles Pisano Posted at 7-22 09:21
I don't think JJB is going to want to try that re-creation. As for me I live in mountains. [not hot enough]

Have you experienced a shutdown of the drone when you have done a firmware update?

Same principle applies, I believe.

If you just hover or minimally maneuver in an wide open area where you can safely recover the drone, you should be able to duplicate it, I mean, if you’re curious.

I’m able to with the temperature at about 80F.

I’m kind of scared about flying it in any other way, until there’s some sort of fix.

fans49c1baf6 Posted at 7-22 09:26
Have you experienced a shutdown of the drone when you have done a firmware update?

Same principle applies, I believe.

here's where there is some confusion and maybe it's just me but would love to clarify one point you've made:

you said "The overheat disables recording and control from the remote controller and the aircraft will land at whatever point it is over when it encounters the situation."

does this mean?

1.  the aircraft landed at whatever point it is over because i tried my best to keep the aircraft from landing by using the sticks to either slow the descent, move it side to side, rotate the drone, etc and i was locked out and the controller wouldn't let me do anything with the drone.  if the drone is atop it, it's gonna land straight down upon it; nothing i can do.  this is completely different from when my battery runs completely dry and the drone is forced landing but i can actually manuever it so that it doesn't land in the swimming pool or on top of a roof.  the drone has a bug in the software because a "hot" forced landing is different from a "battery depleted" forced landing when they both should be the same.

or

2.something else

The Saint Posted at 7-22 09:45
here's where there is some confusion and maybe it's just me but would love to clarify one point you've made:

you said "The overheat disables recording and control from the remote controller and the aircraft will land at whatever point it is over when it encounters the situation."

Number one.

Once you get the overheat warning it immediately gives you forced landing warning, and you have absolutely no control with the joysticks, and the aircraft lands at whatever point it is over.

I don’t believe this is a good thing.

fans49c1baf6 Posted at 7-22 09:26
Have you experienced a shutdown of the drone when you have done a firmware update?

Same principle applies, I believe.

If my drone is in the air it won't overheat. Battery never even went passed 100 degrees with 40+ flights. ( I must have good drone) But like I said I live in mountain area in NY

fans49c1baf6 Posted at 7-22 07:01
You know this because the RC controller says “forced landing” which means the aircraft is being forced to land and any joystick input is ignored.

I lost a craft a while back when they would force land if a TFZ went into effect and you were still in the sky. Not even a chance to return home. This thread is very CONCERNING to me and probably means the RETURN OF my Mini 3. When I received it the other day I was doing firmware updates in a 70 degree ac room and it did auto shut off for heat.  I do a lot of flying over water. If this thing force lands the drone is gone and nothing I can retrieve to send DJI. That to me is UNRELIABLE and makes this drone USELESS to me. I doubt firmware can fix since it seems to be a design issue. Is this issue worse with the 45 minute battery?

Goggles Pisano Posted at 7-22 09:51
If my drone is in the air it won't overheat. Battery never even went passed 100 degrees with 40+ flights. ( I must have good drone) But like I said I live in mountain area in NY

My first and only flight my battery hit 126 degrees. Ambient temp was 89. I did not get any overheat warning.

What happens if your hovering doing a timelapse or filming stationary?????

BrianKushner Posted at 7-22 10:10
My first and only flight my battery hit 126 degrees. Ambient temp was 89. I did not get any overheat warning.

Personally I hope it can be fixed, because the compact size and terrific video, 4K/60P is great.

I believe that the 4K/60P might be contributing to the overheat, because that kind of resolution and frame rate is demanding on any circuit board as far as heat is concerned, and I don’t film at any other setting.

So, if you’re curious, you can probably replicate the issue by going somewhere wide open where you can hover or minimally maneuver the aircraft for awhile at 4K/60P recording, and if you do get the aircraft overheat/forced landing warnings and the aircraft lands without controller input or effect, you can safely recover it.

I’m rooting for some sort of temperature gauge, or warning that gives you an ample amount of time to maneuver to land safely.

I hope it’s possible.

fans49c1baf6 Posted at 7-22 09:49
Number one.

Once you get the overheat warning it immediately gives you forced landing warning, and you have absolutely no control with the joysticks, and the aircraft lands at whatever point it is over.

i agree that is not a good thing. at a minimum, the forced landing should be the identical sequence to the forced landing when a battery is completely empty.

BrianKushner Posted at 7-22 10:10
My first and only flight my battery hit 126 degrees. Ambient temp was 89. I did not get any overheat warning.

I'm noticing  that my "plus batteries" run cooler than the original...

I think we need a new poll to see how many people have had forced landings due to aircraft overheating.  Does someone want to make one?

I had this happen to me today. The temp was 101F (38C). The drone immediately went into landing mode and locked out my stick inputs. Fortunately it was in my yard, so it wasn't a huge deal. But it makes me extremely nervous to think about flying when it's hot outside now. I don't want to lose my drone because of the forced landing function. Like you said many times, it makes sense to warn us prior to the drone overheating. I hope they implement some sort of temp monitoring/warning system that would allow us to be aware of the internal temp of the drone at all times, and also to land before it goes into overheat mode.

BrianKushner Posted at 7-22 10:10
My first and only flight my battery hit 126 degrees. Ambient temp was 89. I did not get any overheat warning.

What app is this? How do you get your flight data into it?

Benjamin Stone Posted at 7-23 20:50
I had this happen to me today. The temp was 101F (38C). The drone immediately went into landing mode and locked out my stick inputs. Fortunately it was in my yard, so it wasn't a huge deal. But it makes me extremely nervous to think about flying when it's hot outside now. I don't want to lose my drone because of the forced landing function. Like you said many times, it makes sense to warn us prior to the drone overheating. I hope they implement some sort of temp monitoring/warning system that would allow us to be aware of the internal temp of the drone at all times, and also to land before it goes into overheat mode.

I hate to know that this happened to you, but I’m glad someone else can confirm what I was experiencing.

What I am doing now when I fly, no matter what the outside ambient temperature is, is monitor the battery temperature by going into the menu while in flight. The battery is good and flying is still I believe safe as long as the temperature of the battery remains 50 C or below.

I also believe that filming in 4K 60P adds to the battery temperature and the overall aircraft overheat situation, but that is why I bought this drone in the first place , and it’s the only way I film. So far with ambient temperatures ranging from 88 Fahrenheit to about 102 Fahrenheit I’m getting about 12 to 14 minutes before I reach the 50 C mark on the battery, and I have to hover the drone while I check it , which adds to the heat buildup.

Good luck and let’s hope that DJI gives us a way to override a forced landing situation via a firmware update.

fans49c1baf6 Posted at 7-23 21:01
I hate to know that this happened to you, but I’m glad someone else can confirm what I was experiencing.

What I am doing now when I fly, no matter what the outside ambient temperature is, is monitor the battery temperature by going into the menu while in flight. The battery is good and flying is still I believe safe as long as the temperature of the battery remains 50 C or below.

That’s good to know, thanks for the info. I’ll have to also do some testing myself, now that I know this is even a thing lol. In my situation, I was on my second battery of the day and had just completed my second 16-minute hyperlapse. So I had been hovering for basically at least 35 minutes straight. It overheated right as the second hyperlapse finished. It was 101F and the drone was hovering in the direct sun the entire time. It was also windy, so the drone was constantly fighting the wind.

Where is the battery temp indication at? Also I’ve seen screen shots of people’s detailed flight data, but when I go into the flight data section it only gives like 4 things. Do you know how to get the more detailed info?

Mini 3 is a fluke. I usually fly over water in a hot environment, so it is just a matter of time when I loose my drone. Luckily, I had less time to fly lately. I wish DJI had put a fan instead of sensors on this drone.