Went to remove my battery today and heard a funny squeak. So I thought, what the hell! As of now I already had all the standard DJI stress cracks. The ones one the side by side screw holes on all four arms and the motor mount screw hole to screw hole line. The latter required pouring crazy glue into the screw holes to provide extra strength where inherent strength is lacking. But this last one which has nothing to do with screws is the icing on the cake. I still have not had one crash and hand carch every landing.

Wow! How long ago did you buy it?

June. 120 flights. No crashes. In fact I have never crashed a phantom of any kind. While I've experienced all the other cracks, this one blows my mind. This stress cracking thing is getting out of hand. But this is the nature of being a DJI consumer. The best electronics bar none. But the shell is one royal piece of crap with sub standard plastic and thickness that is barely up to the task.

After seeing these cracks that people are having I'm starting to wonder if they are caused by the active braking.

timmer Posted at 2015-9-5 07:32
After seeing these cracks that people are having I'm starting to wonder if they are caused by the ac ...

It's not.  P2's do it too.

Fulgerite Posted at 2015-9-5 16:55
It's not.  P2's do it too.

P2s will get much thinner cracks around the motor screw holes, only the black hubbed motors. I owned p1s and p2s and the p3 ger larger and more serious cracks.

It's strange that the crack went though both top and bottom shells. Since they are 2 pieces I would think the crack would stop at the seem between the two. Something is funny about this one.  Can you post a bigger picture.  

Spankybear Posted at 2015-9-5 12:37
It's strange that the crack went though both top and bottom shells. Since they are 2 pieces I would  ...

I was going to say the same, it is two different pieces of plastic and for the crack to "jump" the seam makes one go Hmmmmm...

Agree, looks very odd that "crack". Looks as though its photoshopped on.. If it is real, how it managed to crack so very close to an existing seam is a mystery.

Man! That is a crack!! Did the battery swell at all? Looks like it took a lick on something.

sploodge Posted at 2015-9-5 13:45
Agree, looks very odd that "crack". Looks as though its photoshopped on.. If it is real, how it mana ...

From the material closer to the battery it appears that it was an attempt the fix it and then it grew larger.

Your photo and experiences are very unsettling to say the least!

Spankybear Posted at 2015-9-5 12:37
It's strange that the crack went though both top and bottom shells. Since they are 2 pieces I would  ...

True, it would make one wonder if it were a very hard landing on a hard surface. Although he states that he always does a hand catch instead of landing. Strange!

I wish DJI would offer a carbon fiber reinforced shell to help with these cracking issues.

Fulgerite Posted at 2015-9-6 23:19
I wish DJI would offer a carbon fiber reinforced shell to help with these cracking issues.

The would have to move the GPS antenna outside if they has a carbon fiber shell... Plus the added cost.

I don't think it'sphotochopped.

But I would say it was caused from an impact.  Crossing that seam perfectly seems nearly impossible from a stress crack.

After zooming in, this definitely seems photoshoped. Unless the OP posts a high resolution photo or video of the crack, I'm calling out a troll.
The crack is extremely close and parallel to an existing seam, which would be damn near impossible. That seam handles a lot of stresses and fatigue in the plastic.
The crack extends perfectly to two entirely different peices of plastic, and black area which looks like a perfect photoshop line completely ignores the fact that these are two different peices of plastic.

Xeos Posted at 2015-9-7 03:51
After zooming in, this definitely seems photoshoped. Unless the OP posts a high resolution photo or  ...

I zoomed in also but didn't see any evidence of photochopping.

May I ask what you saw that convinces you it was?

I'm not doubting you....just not able to see it myself.

I thought that maybe someone took a pen and drew the "crack"... At least that was my first thought.

Looks like a fake to me.  I can't believe it cracked that close to a seam and parallel to it.

I recently saw a video clip of a guy removing the battery by grabbing it with both hands and "prying" it out by twisting his wrists against the arms of the P3.  This would definitely cause this type of crack.

Quadifier Posted at 2015-9-7 12:58
I recently saw a video clip of a guy removing the battery by grabbing it with both hands and "prying ...

Do you have a link to the video?

Who the hell hand catches EVERYTIME??? Never once landed on a flat surface? That seems odd in itself.

Spankybear Posted at 2015-9-7 00:27
Do you have a link to the video?

I was looking for it but haven't came across it yet.  I will post it if I can find it.

The guy was gripping the battery with both hands and using the arms of the P3 to pry against while pulling the battery out.  He was saying how easy it is to remove the battery this way.  When I saw it I thought to myself...that's a good way to break your P3.

Here it is...post # 2

http://forum.dji.com/thread-29532-1-1.html

Quadifier Posted at 2015-9-7 08:51
Here it is...post # 2

http://forum.dji.com/thread-29532-1-1.html

Well Carbon fiber is not that expensive anymore, old hat now, But for my money, I would have been happy to have paid another 50$ for the whole thing to have been constructed of carbon fiber, and it would have looked real cool as well, My 2 cents worth, tell that to the BIG bosses!

The moulding surrounding the battery is a separate item held in place by screws, being visible when the shell is separated into two halves. This shows as a seam when the shell is closed up. But why this seam or crack continues up into the top half of the shell I cannot say, my guess is it may have been caused by trying to remove the battery before squeezing the locking tabs to release the battery. Edit: after a closer look it does not look like a crack, more like a marker pen has caused it.

I've been away from this thread for a while. Anyway, no, it's not Photoshop. I've got better things to do with my life than starting threads based on bullshit. Anyway, I sorted that crack with super glue. After six flights post crack repair it is thankfully still holding strong. Hopefully it stays that way. How I pull my battery out is the same way I did on all the phantom 2 units I've owned. Palm holding the top center of the quad and pulling the battery out with my other hand. As for hand catching, I prefer it and never felt a need to land on any surface. It works since not once had I ever had a single mishap on anything from DJI. Phantom 1, 2 and now 3. Someone else suggested a crash of some sort. Again, never had one. In fact I find it nearly impossible to crash a phantom coming from an rc helicopter background. What do I do that's different? I can't say. But one thing I don't do is what I often see people doing in my neck of the woods. That is max 500 meter distance flights at treetop altitude. I fly at 100-120 meters altitude unless transitioning to preferred altitude or coming in to land. As for distances I am usually between 1.5 to 2.5. Winds, never more than 10 mph. Unless it's gusting a bit higher and I didn't notice due to distance. Anyway, these things crack period. While I truly feel it is the best product out there by far, DJI could certainly build a better shell. Form factor is fine but the plastic used leaves a lot to be desired at that price.

What causes the stress cracks? I'm a fairly new owner and want to know how I can avoid the cracks if possible