I had an avata accident while flying over fast moving water. I setup the avata and don't know if I had adequate GPS coverage (is there a way to check flight history and GPS coverage). Possible no GPS coverage mixed with the moving water and the wind off the water cause the drone to fly out of control into trees. I initially thought this was because of wind. Now I think it is a problem with the vision system. I flew the other day over moving water with great GPS coverage. When the drone was over White water it handled quite differently.

You answered it yourself i think, the Avata needs some sort of contrast in the "floor" for GPS positioning.

Shot By Steem Posted at 10-15 09:42
You answered it yourself i think, the Avata needs some sort of contrast in the "floor" for GPS positioning.

that doesn't make sense to me. GPS can work independently of the vision system but the two can also work together

YagitAgit Posted at 10-15 11:26
that doesn't make sense to me. GPS can work independently of the vision system but the two can also work together

I agree with you. However, perhaps by analyzing the logs you will be able to understand the reason for the accident. I hope it hasn't been ruined.

Hello there YagitAgit. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused  and thank you for reaching out. Just a reminder that when flying above water, the vision positioning function will turn off automatically and only the GPS and barometer are used for positioning, if affected by the accuracy range, and an accident might happen. In addition if the incident affected your DJI Avata, I would recommend for you to contact our DJI Support Team at https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav for further assistance. Thank you and fly safe always.

DJI stephan, thank you for the reply. I understand that the camera is SUPPOSED to shut off. How would you explain the drone not flying correctly over White water

Moving water and low flight w Avata is a bad idea.....almost cost me mine this morning

fans015ba378 Posted at 1-11 15:04
Moving water and low flight w Avata is a bad idea.....almost cost me mine this morning https://youtu.be/z-hvIY8G1aI

That video is very telling. The moment the drone flew over the bubbling rapids, the drone immediately lost its positioning probably because the rapids looked like the drone was turning around and the drone compensated for it. I wouldnt go lower than 1m off the ground/water to allow it more view to work with.

All the discussion is for Normal/Sport Mode right ? I only fly Manual Mode and about 75% of the time above water and never had just a single issue.

this brings up a question for me as i often wondered if it was a good idea. i assume the avata doesn't float if things go south, but would it be a good idea to attach a very light object to the drone, just enough to make it float? I guess it doesn't make the drone survive the water, but at least you might be able to retrieve it.

DJI Stephen Posted at 2022-10-16 20:07
Hello there YagitAgit. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused  and thank you for reaching out. Just a reminder that when flying above water, the vision positioning function will turn off automatically and only the GPS and barometer are used for positioning, if affected by the accuracy range, and an accident might happen. In addition if the incident affected your DJI Avata, I would recommend for you to contact our DJI Support Team at https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav for further assistance. Thank you and fly safe always.

Is this true - that the downward vision positioning system turns off over water?  It doesn't say that in the manual.

I often fly low over water (not in Manual mode) and occasionally experience erratic flight behaviour.  The water can be moving or still - there doesn't seem to be consistency in the conditions where this occurs.

I'm guessing that beyond a certain tilt angle, the downward positioning system effectively disables.  It would be nice to know what that 'safe' speed is, if indeed there is one.  It would also be good to have the option of turning off those sensors.  This should be an easy firmware update - c'mon DJI!