Hi all, in short when I was flying my Mavic 3 Cine today with my RC Pro controller, the Fly app crashed, the drone collided with a pole near the dock I was flying at and crashed into the water. The firmware for both the drone and the controller is the most recent version. Ironically, this very afternoon I talked to the DJI support about this problem, to which they advised me to factory reset my remote (see screenshot), and evidently to no effect as the app crashed several hours later after the reset and forced my drone to learn swimming.



Pilot: Me, Part 107 licensed in the US

Conditions: Calm wind with full visual line of sight, when the fly app crashed I immediately looked up to see the location of the drone, however, it was too late as it was on a course towards the pole and when I finally have the control back, Cine Mode's speed was not enough to avoid the collision even at full input in opposite direction. Obstacle Avoidance was unable to detect said pole until the second before the collision (at this point I've already manually maxed out input in the opposite direction, the sensors didn't see the pole until a second later) when it only gave an orange warning instead of a red warning, a sign that it wasn't able to correctly detect said pole's distance.

Drone's condition: After it was fished out of the water (Luckily the kayaker I was filming was nearby and he fished the drone out of the water within seconds) the lights were still on, and the fans are still on. I unplugged the battery immediately and it's gonna be in a box of rice. Visual inspections shows no damage, the battery tray is dry. I see water inside the camera. The battery is operational. Going to talk to DJI support in the morning, I do have DJI Care but I sincerely hope I'm not gonna pay for an accident caused by an $1000 remote crash mid-flight.

So if the Fly app is not running, the controller still does not have command of the drone?

Fly 1.7.4 or 1.7.5 I'm sure. It is a KNOWN problem by DJI! It IS on them!! There are MANY threads and posts on this. Point them to all the threads here. Regardless of what DJI does, revert to 1,7,0 and do not update!!

Mobilehomer Posted at 10-22 17:36
Fly 1.7.4 or 1.7.5 I'm sure. It is a KNOWN problem by DJI! It IS on them!! There are MANY threads and posts on this. Point them to all the threads here. Regardless of what DJI does, revert to 1,7,0 and do not update!!

Thanks for the reply! I noticed on the forums that the new versions are the issue, however, DJI officially asked to reset my controller instead of revert, I am gonna be p1ssed if they try to say this is my fault.

TonyPHX Posted at 10-22 17:36
So if the Fly app is not running, the controller still does not have command of the drone?

When the app crashed I looked up from the screen and spotted the drone, from the viewpoint I stand I can't tell if the drone is responding to my control or not. When the image came back on it only lasted for a second before it collided, and in that second the drone is still moving in the direction of the pole.

So the drone can still be controlled with RC Pro even if the app crashes?  

TonyPHX Posted at 10-22 17:44
So the drone can still be controlled with RC Pro even if the app crashes?

I cannot be certain but I would say no as when the app crashed I started to input in the opposite direction and when the app came back on it was still moving in the same direction it was moving prior to the app crash.

Morotezuki Posted at 10-22 17:38
Thanks for the reply! I noticed on the forums that the new versions are the issue, however, DJI officially asked to reset my controller instead of revert, I am gonna be p1ssed if they try to say this is my fault.

Next time, listen to the forum. WE have real-world experience.

Mobilehomer Posted at 10-22 17:54
Next time, listen to the forum. WE have real-world experience.

Haha, I noticed the posts way too late! The difference is DJI may pay for a replacement if they recognize this is a mistake on their part but the forum won't help pay for a replacement hahaha

Hi, there.
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
May we know if you have case number now?
And we will check the details and reply to you asap.
If there is anything else that we can help with, you can also tell us here anytime.

Morotezuki Posted at 10-22 17:55
Haha, I noticed the posts way too late! The difference is DJI may pay for a replacement if they recognize this is a mistake on their part but the forum won't help pay for a replacement hahaha

No, but the corroboration from the forum might sway DJI.

DJI Natalia Posted at 10-22 18:12
Hi, there.
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.
May we know if you have case number now?

I have not started a case yet as I was planning on talking to live customer support in the morning. Should I create a case and if so where?

Mobilehomer Posted at 10-22 18:22
No, but the corroboration from the forum might sway DJI.

Wise words.

Morotezuki Posted at 10-22 18:38
I have not started a case yet as I was planning on talking to live customer support in the morning. Should I create a case and if so where?

You can start a case with data analysis via this link: https://www.dji.com/support/repair (Please don't choose DJI Care refresh first)
Then we will check the problem of your drone and keep you updated via Email.
And we have also contacted the relevant team to pay attention to your problem as well.
Thank you.

DJI Natalia Posted at 10-22 18:54
You can start a case with data analysis via this link: https://www.dji.com/support/repair (Please don't choose DJI Care refresh first)
Then we will check the problem of your drone and keep you updated via Email.
And we have also contacted the relevant team to pay attention to your problem as well.

Sure but as I mentioned the drone was in the water so I don't know how are we gonna proceed with data processing lol. I don't dare to turn this thing back on without a week in the rice first.

Morotezuki Posted at 10-22 19:07
Sure but as I mentioned the drone was in the water so I don't know how are we gonna proceed with data processing lol. I don't dare to turn this thing back on without a week in the rice first.

Thanks for the soon reply.
Please don't worry, you can try to apply for it.
And if there is anything else that we can help with, please let us know as well.

Morotezuki Posted at 10-22 19:07
Sure but as I mentioned the drone was in the water so I don't know how are we gonna proceed with data processing lol. I don't dare to turn this thing back on without a week in the rice first.

without a week in the rice first
Forget rice.
Use alcohol and warm air if you want to get rid of water.
The idea that rice will dry it out is a myth.

Labroides Posted at 10-22 23:29
without a week in the rice first
Forget rice.
Use alcohol and warm air if you want to get rid of water.

Sure, I doubt anything is still functional in there considering the drone was on when it fell into the water. The circuit is probably fried.

Hi,

Sad story....but.

When the fly app crashed the first reaction should be : all sticks to zero, drone will hover!
FlyApp crash / black screen : RC in full control of the drone.
Next action is to fly drone into safe position if in LOS.
If the the drone still moves in the same direction with sticks zero or stick the opposite direction...that is a serious fault.
Mayby your flightlog will explain more  use this > https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/
upload both part of the log, the one before the app crash and when the app was on again.

Small objects like branches, wires or poles are most of the time not detactable...



cheers
JJB

It strikes me as quite an oversight in programming if the drone doesn't hover if the app crashes and the controller sticks are returned to zero.

I'd like to see the flight log, because I don't believe that it's possible for the drone to go off on its own journey as has been described. My worry would be if the logs can actually be recovered if the app crashed and the drone can't be booted.

On a separate note, I'd like to know why the app crashed. Usually there are system stability issues when there is limited free memory on devices. I've yet to have the fly app crash on my devices, but I do take extra care to not let the caches and memory take up too much space. My point is that this could be something you experience again in the future and it's worth trying to find the source of the issue.

JJB* Posted at 10-22 23:47
Hi,

Sad story....but.

HI JJB, thanks for the advice. When the Fly App crashed it took me a second to react since I subconsciously believed the RC would've been fixed after talking to DJI that afternoon and having my remote control reset. After my reaction time, I immediately moved the sticks in the full opposite direction.

The drone can't be booted, how should I find the logs?

CloudVisual Posted at 10-23 03:22
It strikes me as quite an oversight in programming if the drone doesn't hover if the app crashes and the controller sticks are returned to zero.

I'd like to see the flight log, because I don't believe that it's possible for the drone to go off on its own journey as has been described. My worry would be if the logs can actually be recovered if the app crashed and the drone can't be booted.

Hi Cloud, the app crashed because this is a known issue by the community and DJI. I had my firmware on the most recent version for both the RC and the drone, which I guess is known to be crashing constantly (1.7.5). The afternoon prior to this flight I talked to DJI support regarding this specific issue, they advised me to factory reset the RC and to contact them if the issue persists. Obviously, the factory reset didn't fix anything lol.

As far as flight logs go, I don't know how to extract them now that the drone can't be booted at all. I'll try to export the log from my RC but I don't know if they are separate logs for each app crash or not.

CloudVisual Posted at 10-23 03:22
It strikes me as quite an oversight in programming if the drone doesn't hover if the app crashes and the controller sticks are returned to zero.

I'd like to see the flight log, because I don't believe that it's possible for the drone to go off on its own journey as has been described. My worry would be if the logs can actually be recovered if the app crashed and the drone can't be booted.

It strikes me as quite an oversight in programming if the drone doesn't hover if the app crashes and the controller sticks are returned to zero.
But it does.
The app isn't necessary to control the drone.
If the app crashes, the drone is still fully controllable.

Labroides Posted at 10-23 04:20
It strikes me as quite an oversight in programming if the drone doesn't hover if the app crashes and the controller sticks are returned to zero.
But it does.
The app isn't necessary to control the drone.

This may have been true. When the app crashed it took me a second to react before I could turn the control the other way. At the position of where I'm standing it's hard to tell which direction the drone is moving towards so I couldn't tell if I still had control when the app crashed.

Morotezuki Posted at 10-23 04:16
HI JJB, thanks for the advice. When the Fly App crashed it took me a second to react since I subconsciously believed the RC would've been fixed after talking to DJI that afternoon and having my remote control reset. After my reaction time, I immediately moved the sticks in the full opposite direction.

The drone can't be booted, how should I find the logs?

Hi,

Flightlogs are on the RC.

cheers
JJB

DJI Natalia Posted at 10-22 22:39
Thanks for the soon reply.
Please don't worry, you can try to apply for it.
And if there is anything else that we can help with, please let us know as well.

I tried to talk to DJI support and all they can do is just copy and paste (I tried asking them if I use DJI care to have a replacement faster and once they analyzed my old drone they can refund me for the replacement but the guy said "Purchases can be made within 48 hours of drone's activation")

I don't mind sending the drone back for analysis but I do need a working drone. I proposed to multiple DJI supports that I can pay for a DJI care replacement up front and after they are done with the analysis process they can just refund me or keep the money determined by the test results, but all they can do is just copy and paste trying to explain to me how the repair process works...

Do you have any answer to this? Once again a $1000 remote shouldn't have a crashing software in the first place but here we are, and now DJI can't even offer to send a replacement my way while they work on the drone even if I pay? Not mentioning this is a well-known software issue by now..

Morotezuki Posted at 10-23 10:50
I tried to talk to DJI support and all they can do is just copy and paste (I tried asking them if I use DJI care to have a replacement faster and once they analyzed my old drone they can refund me for the replacement but the guy said "Purchases can be made within 48 hours of drone's activation")

I don't mind sending the drone back for analysis but I do need a working drone. I proposed to multiple DJI supports that I can pay for a DJI care replacement up front and after they are done with the analysis process they can just refund me or keep the money determined by the test results, but all they can do is just copy and paste trying to explain to me how the repair process works...

Log will explain more....so best to get help/advice is to upload your flightlog

What do you mean with your "...well-known software issue..."

JJB* Posted at 10-23 10:59
Log will explain more....so best to get help/advice is to upload your flightlog

What do you mean with your "...well-known software issue..."

Hey JB, the RC is not with me but when I get to it I'll try to extract the log, only the drone is with me right now.

I was made aware that this crashing issue of the DJI Fly App is a well-known software glitch in the community on any version above 1.7.0, see #4 on this post and a couple of other posts here on this forum.

Morotezuki Posted at 10-23 11:05
Hey JB, the RC is not with me but when I get to it I'll try to extract the log, only the drone is with me right now.

I was made aware that this crashing issue of the DJI Fly App is a well-known software glitch in the community on any version above 1.7.0, see #4 on this post and a couple of other posts here on this forum.

a oke

but if you have synced the RC with the DJI server....and if you have a mobile device with a fly app.

if yes, start the fly app, sync, go to the flight summary, video play the flight. This will download the flightlog back on the phone.

I use 1.7.5 and 1.7.4 for my flights (many flights) , not having any issue.

cheers
JJB

JJB* Posted at 10-23 11:08
a oke

but if you have synced the RC with the DJI server....and if you have a mobile device with a fly app.

Yes I've tried this method, unfortunately, the operations were out in the forest and the RC Pro did not have any internet connectivity and it did not sync. I checked the fly app on my phone today and it was not there. Thanks for the suggestion as always. Cheers!

Morotezuki Posted at 10-23 11:10
Yes I've tried this method, unfortunately, the operations were out in the forest and the RC Pro did not have any internet connectivity and it did not sync. I checked the fly app on my phone today and it was not there. Thanks for the suggestion as always. Cheers!

too bad

I always download the logs to the PC after each flying day....mayby good habbit to do so also next time  ;-)

cheers
JJB

JJB* Posted at 10-23 11:12
too bad

I always download the logs to the PC after each flying day....mayby good habbit to do so also next time  ;-)

You are right haha! Gonna keep a database of flight logs from now on. I think if they can't offer me a satisfying solution to this problem I might just return the whole package and move on to Mavic Enterprise or something else...

Once you get the RC, connect to wifi and sync the logs. No big deal.

Sorry to hear this, hope DJI sort this for you,

I have not noticed any issues with the 1.7.5 fly app which I am on now with the RC Pro/M3,
after reading this post I have been out and tested with the full screen maps and air sense on, all seems to be Ok on mine.
What I did notice though, if I turn off the RC whilst in the air, about 10 meters up, the M3 is none reactive and just slowly lands, which I did not like....
I don't think this is the norm, on my M2Z when the the app crashes or if I turn it off the drone will still react to stick input, I can bring it back and land without problem, but that is the Go4 app...
I did not swap remotes today, but I seem to remember the standard M3 remote did still respond to stick input without the Fly app...
I think DJI need to be looking into this asap.

Regards.

Mobilehomer Posted at 10-23 11:41
Once you get the RC, connect to wifi and sync the logs. No big deal.

Thanks man, my concern is DJI might try to put this on me due to I took a second to react when my RC's screen went black and say it's pilot error and refuse to cover this one. They pulled this with me last time when the battery RTH of my FPV was triggered without warning (it was supposed to warn you for 10s before activating) and caused the FPV to hit the roof of a tunnel. The tech I spoke to recognized the fault and gave me a free set of props while the data analysis team gave me a report full of errors trying to say it was pilot error.

Grimtheviking Posted at 10-23 11:43
Sorry to hear this, hope DJI sort this for you,

I have not noticed any issues with the 1.7.5 fly app which I am on now with the RC Pro/M3,

Hi Grim, thanks for the input. I have a hunch with the built-in map function, could you try it on your RC pro?
Use the built-in map function, perhaps displaying all the info including warning zones. Fly for a while and let us know if you encountered any faults would be helpful.

Cheers mate!

Morotezuki Posted at 10-23 11:47
Hi Grim, thanks for the input. I have a hunch with the built-in map function, could you try it on your RC pro?
Use the built-in map function, perhaps displaying all the info including warning zones. Fly for a while and let us know if you encountered any faults would be helpful.

No probs, but a long test will have to be in the morning now, we are in the dark hours now in the UK, its almost 2100Hrs, but give me 10-15mins and I'll try a short flight and I'll come back to you.

Ok.

Grimtheviking Posted at 10-23 11:57
No probs, but a long test will have to be in the morning now, we are in the dark hours now in the UK, its almost 2100Hrs, but give me 10-15mins and I'll try a short flight and I'll come back to you.

Ok.

Oh no worries brother I would appreciate it much if you do, but no worries if you can't man. I just had a hunch because so far the drone only crashed when I had the small display on the lower left set to map, when it's on radar it only crashed once.

Grimtheviking Posted at 10-23 11:57
No probs......, we are in the dark hours now in the UK, its almost 2100Hrs, but give me 10-15mins and I'll try a short flight and I'll come back to you.

Ok.

Be careful, you will likely have no OA and possibly no VPS, if so the position holding would be GPS only and probably not as accurate as you are used to

App crash and loss of signal(turning the controller off) are two different things. With the app crash, you still have control. With loss of signal, the drone goes into default mode, which could be "hover", "land" or "rth", depending upon the user's choice. And also depends upon distance from Hone Point. Less than 20 yards, it will land. More and it will execute the chosen default action.