Dear community,
I would like to hear your opinion about my case:

From my previous drones (spark, Mini 1, Mini 2) I was very very confident to start the drones from my hand in difficult conditions, where it wasn't safe to start from the ground. For example from a moving boat. I did hundrets of safe flights like this. The only challenge is always to catch the drone again when you re moving ;)

First Mini 3 Pro crash
Now with my new Mini 3 Pro I had my first crash, starting from my hand. It startet, hovered for a few seconds stable and then suddenly felt down like a rock. I guess all propellers where turned off the same time.
Without have a dji care insurance, dji replaced me my damaged drone without commenting it. So I guessed it wasn't a pilot mistake here.

Second Mini 3 Pro crash
Same setup again. I did a few very nice flights with the drone safely. But then a gain, from a (moored, fixed boat on the pier) I started a gain from the hand. As always right after the hand start i try to fly away from the boat and any obstacles to avoid a crash. This time the drone was flying a few meters and then again stopped and trash directly into the water.
Of course I was completely shocked as I was trusting this technology so much after around 600 km of flight distance and using the drones for a few years.
I could manage to dive the drone back from the ground (sea water) and cleaned it with Sweetwater.
I opened a fly awayy case, and after they analyzed flight data their reply was:
The reason for the crash was the hand start. DJI doesn't take any responsibility for this and they offered me to buy a new drone with 40% discount.
I had a long discussion with the technical support team in Germany and they told me it was ok to start the drone from the boat when it's standing on deck. But not out of hand.

My big question now
Is this a normal behaviour? Does it mean the mini 3 pro became much more sensitive when starting from a moving ground?
Do I need to step back again to the Mini 2 to be able to fly from everywehre?

And finally - is it a failure that the drone stops the propellors and crashes after a hand start?

Hello, there. We are sorry for the inconvenience. We will check your case first and forward your queries to our designated teams.

You can share the flight logs here to make the more intelligent users have a look

PS, covering your damage says nothing about pilot error.
The care insurance was invented for those cases where there 'is' pilot error in the first place.
Otherwise it would be a matter of warranty.

I live on a mini-yacht and every take off and landing is done by hand on my Mini 3 Pro and Air 2S.  I've never experienced what you have stated happened with your drone.  

Your recorded flight data will help solve your mystery incident.

Go to http://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/
It has instructions to find the .txt file from your phone or tablet which you can upload to that site
Upload it and it gives you a summary of the flight data.
Post a link to that summary.

Or just post the .txt file

Several forum members can look at the file and expertly tell you what happened.  

As I remember there were early threads about problems with hand launching the Mini 3 Pro with similar results to yours i.e. a rapid crash.  I do not remember the resolution to the problem.
Perhaps you will have better luck with a google for those threads than I just have. What I did find was what looks to be at least 9 youtube tutorials concerning hand launching and landing, including some from sensible Youtubers.
I too would suggest that you post the flight logs, PREFERABLY from BOTH crashes.

I would also ask, was the obstacle avoidance switched on?

Hello, there. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Kindly know that the reasons leading to the crash are different in different cases, which we believe we have explained to you in the data analysis result before.
For your questions about the takeoff, you may refer to the picture below or the user manual:
https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/ ... _Manual_v1.4_en.pdf

Please follow the suggestion and be careful about the flight requirements. Thanks.

To hand launch the Mini 3 Pro, you have to use the Auto take off and just let go when it starts to pull away, it will NOT hand launch like the previous Mini's

DowntownRDB Posted at 12-13 03:43
I live on a mini-yacht and every take off and landing is done by hand on my Mini 3 Pro and Air 2S.  I've never experienced what you have stated happened with your drone.  

Your recorded flight data will help solve your mystery incident.

Thanks a lot!!

https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/5HU8GYETFGZXFOYK0DMC

I made it. Unfortunately only for the second crash. I launched by "Manual Start" - pressing both throttles down (right & left).

PS: The satellite data is not up to date. There was a swimming pier where I launched.

Uwi Posted at 12-13 05:25
Thanks a lot!!

https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/5HU8GYETFGZXFOYK0DMC

You're very welcome.  

Hopefully @Labroides or @JJB* will come along soon and take a look at your flight log.  Both are gurus at analyzing flight logs.  

Hi,

As said by others, Mini3pro does not hand take off like the Mini 2 !!

Happend to me the first time as well, but i was aware that this could happen, so my hand was really close to the ground.My first take-off with my newly bought Mini3Pro landed up side down on the ground.  

If you do a hand-take-off with the Mini3pro (i use it a lot); after rotors running, use the stick UP to 100% and keep it there just bit longer that you are used too.
After takeoff and gaining some height the Mini3Pro will stabilize in hover with all sticks at at zero.

No need to see the log  ;-)
cheers
JJB

JJB* Posted at 12-13 06:45
Hi,

As said by others, Mini3pro does not hand take off like the Mini 2 !!

Thanks a lot!

Talking about Manual start or Auto Start function? Another user said only Auto-Start works fine?

Uwi Posted at 12-13 07:51
Thanks a lot!

Talking about Manual start or Auto Start function? Another user said only Auto-Start works fine?

Yeah i use the Auto take off, i do miss the Mini 2 take off though, i used to just throw that

Uwi Posted at 12-13 07:51
Thanks a lot!

Talking about Manual start or Auto Start function? Another user said only Auto-Start works fine?

I only use manual take-off, but others use Auto take-off   so that does the job as well.

JJB* Posted at 12-13 08:10
I only use manual take-off, but others use Auto take-off   so that does the job as well.

Ok but then I am not any further here: I did the hand launch as I wrote - hundred times with mini 2 - in both ways (manual and automatic). For me its not clear yet what I need to do differently to prevent the loss of the drone.
During last crash I pulled up 100 % already. And also a bit forward to not crash into the boat - like I always did it successful with Mini 2.

Bashy Posted at 12-13 08:01
Yeah i use the Auto take off, i do miss the Mini 2 take off though, i used to just throw that

What did you experience for differences between auto and manual launch with the mini 3 pro?

Any chance of posting the log from the other crash as well?

Uwi Posted at 12-13 08:21
Ok but then I am not any further here: I did the hand launch as I wrote - hundred times with mini 2 - in both ways (manual and automatic). For me its not clear yet what I need to do differently to prevent the loss of the drone.
During last crash I pulled up 100 % already. And also a bit forward to not crash into the boat - like I always did it successful with Mini 2.

don`t know what happend the flight from the boat.

Only if you release the UP stick too early it will stop slow down the rotors to low rpm,, drop down to follow.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 12-13 09:23
Any chance of posting the log from the other crash as well?

found it - and i will upload asap.

Uwi Posted at 12-13 05:25
Thanks a lot!!

https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/5HU8GYETFGZXFOYK0DMC

There's very little to see in your flight data.
The important part is that you hardly gave it any throttle (left stick up).
You started the motors and only gave the drone throttle for 0.4 seconds, not enough to lift the drone.

I had a long discussion with the technical support team in Germany and they told me it was ok to start the drone from the boat when it's standing on deck. But not out of hand.
You were talking to someone who doesn't know what they were talking about.

Uwi Posted at 12-13 09:21
What did you experience for differences between auto and manual launch with the mini 3 pro?

I cannot quite remember now, but as it didn't work the same as the Mini 2, i.e. it wouldn't activate take-off with the usual jerk, so I used the auto take-off method that DAFlys had already mentioned on here, I bought mine about 2 months after the launch date as i wanted to wait to see what others said about it on here, glad I did as I might have done what you did or even thrown it lol

FYI, I am fairly certain I haven't tried the manual method as I didnt like the idea of having to hold the stick and grip the controller one-handed, if i tried that it would take-off in a reverse flat spin lol

You can only nudge take off the drone (aka throwing it upwards) if you start the props with the take off button (not the sticks). you then get a few seconds where you can throw it before it will try and auto lift off. This is a change from the Mini2 but brings it inline with the other drones that dont do this like the Mavic 2.

DAFlys Posted at 12-14 02:02
You can only nudge take off the drone (aka throwing it upwards) if you start the props with the take off button (not the sticks). you then get a few seconds where you can throw it before it will try and auto lift off. This is a change from the Mini2 but brings it inline with the other drones that dont do this like the Mavic 2.

Thank you!

To be clear: I never tried to throw any drone for launching! I ve always hold it straight in my hand, die the start function (auto or manual) and pulled up so that it went upwards.

Uwi Posted at 12-14 02:06
Thank you!

To be clear: I never tried to throw any drone for launching! I ve always hold it straight in my hand, die the start function (auto or manual) and pulled up so that it went upwards.

If you use the auto start function you dont need to touch the sticks for it to take off,  it will automatically take off and hover.  

DAFlys Posted at 12-14 02:10
If you use the auto start function you dont need to touch the sticks for it to take off,  it will automatically take off and hover.

Yes I know. I think sometimes its just faster to do it manually - i thought in the past, before my drone chrashed two times.

So the majority thinks its safer to use automatic start when doing hand-launching?

Uwi Posted at 12-14 02:13
Yes I know. I think sometimes its just faster to do it manually - i thought in the past, before my drone chrashed two times.

So the majority thinks its safer to use automatic start when doing hand-launching?

From your log file it looks like you manually started the motors and then pushed the right stick top right,  but you never pushed the left stick up,   with auto start it would have given you the left stick input for free.

DAFlys Posted at 12-14 02:19
From your log file it looks like you manually started the motors and then pushed the right stick top right,  but you never pushed the left stick up,   with auto start it would have given you the left stick input for free.

indeed - i also recognized this. And I am not sure if this record is correct. Normally I always pull up for launching. But hard to say when the record file says something different.
As I said before - these starts are absolutely routine for me, as I did them hundreds of times from a boat or any other difficult position, out of my hand. It was absolutely traumatic to see the drown just falling down like a rock - after it was already hovering.

Uwi Posted at 12-14 02:13
Yes I know. I think sometimes its just faster to do it manually - i thought in the past, before my drone chrashed two times.

So the majority thinks its safer to use automatic start when doing hand-launching?

I've always autostarted during hand launch on my mini 1 and mini 3. No issues.
It does take a little longer to hand catch it with the mini 3 though.

Uwi Posted at 12-14 02:24
indeed - i also recognized this. And I am not sure if this record is correct. Normally I always pull up for launching. But hard to say when the record file says something different.
As I said before - these starts are absolutely routine for me, as I did them hundreds of times from a boat or any other difficult position, out of my hand. It was absolutely traumatic to see the drown just falling down like a rock - after it was already hovering.

did you upload the second log?