So this weekend I was doing some flying above a small river/creek on a friend's property and I clipped an overhanging branch, sending my P3 Advanced into the drink upside down.  I was shooting video, but the crash itself wasn't recorded.  I wasn't in a position to immediately retrieve the AC, but luckily a friend saw the mishap and ran to retrieve it after about 15 - 20 seconds.  I screamed at him to remove the battery and then ran very awkwardly out of the river to check things out while cursing very loudly, scaring children and old folks alike.  He said the top was fully emerged with just the camera and landing gear partially above water.  I ran to the house, grabbed an air dryer and gave it a good going over on low heat/high fan.  Long story short, after letting everything dry overnight, I fired up the next day and everything was in working order.  The only issue I had was the following day when I got a low voltage warning from a battery which initiated a RTH.  Not sure if it was even the battery that went in or if it was a fluke thing.  So anyway, I'd be interested in hearing other stories of submersion and any resulting damage.  I think I was probably lucky to get it pulled out so quickly, but I'm still pretty impressed that it survived the ordeal unscathed.

Just curious...do you have prop guards fitted?

Sorry for your terrifying experience, but happy to hear it is working. I've yet to crash into water (and pray I never do). Only crashed into a large pine tree, and I never had a heart attack. All good though

Three or four dunkings posted yesterday.

Pull the battery IMMEDIATELY, get it opened up and drying.  If it is not fresh water (salt or polluted), I highly recommend washing it out with distilled water.  Do NOT apply power to it until you have taken steps to dry it out lasting DAYS.  Do not get water in the motors if at all possible.  Blow them out.  Many more steps...check other threads for more details.

I would get rid of that battery.  You can look at your flight logs using healthydrones.com to match the serial number and then dispose of it properly.

Mine went swimming, too! In full working order after! http://forum.dji.com/thread-27834-1-1.html

bazza220146.hot Posted at 2015-9-8 10:52
Just curious...do you have prop guards fitted?

I didn't.  Dumb, I know.  Ordered, but hadn't arrived.

bazza220146.hot Posted at 2015-9-8 10:52
Just curious...do you have prop guards fitted?

I didn't.  Dumb, I know.  Ordered, but hadn't arrived.

AlmostTan Posted at 2015-9-8 13:32
I would get rid of that battery.  You can look at your flight logs using healthydrones.com to match  ...

Thanks for the info.  

cant see how prop guards would have changed the outcome ?

pi-inthesky@hot Posted at 2015-9-9 09:06
cant see how prop guards would have changed the outcome ?

Here's why....I had a typical uncontrolled take off recently, where the P3 gets to about five feet high then goes crazy in an anticlockwise circle at great speed. The only way to avoid a crash is up, climb with full power and then try to regain control by switching to atti mode. While this was happening its erratic flight took it into the top branches/foliage of a tree and for sure the props would have dragged the quad into the branches were it not for the prop guards. My video records the branches being thrashed by the airflow, but that's all. Two other reasons...I fitted detachable Bestemusa guards from day one, and there are no cracks after 385 flights. Also no broken props after wind gusts have tipped the quad when landing or taking off. It's only after your quad is damaged you'll say ...yeah should have fitted guards!

not disputing the use of prop guards use them on occasions myself it still finished up in the drink

I was flying my P3P this morning on a small lake in central florida and while flying under a bridge slightly tapped a sidewall and the P3P dropped about 4 feet into 3 feet of fresh water. First time I've crashed and it had to be in water! My P3P was completely submerged in fresh water for maybe the longest 2 minutes of my life! A friend that I was with (who was already in the water) grabbed it pretty quickly and I immediately powered off the battery and pulled it out. I shook out most of the water from the battery and now have my P3P in an empty trash bag with the front of the bag attached to a fan. I'm hoping that the air circulating in the bag will be sufficient enough to dry it all out so that I can get it back up and running.

Will post a follow-up update in a couple days to let everyone know how it turns out! Got my fingers crossed!

Adam Flurk Posted at 2015-9-13 23:09
I was flying my P3P this morning on a small lake in central florida and while flying under a bridge  ...

Just wanted to come back now and say that after letting my P3P dry out everything seems to be working perfectly! Will get some more test-worthy test-flights in this weekend. But as of now - It is working properly and flying as it should.

Adam Flurk Posted at 2015-9-14 11:09
I was flying my P3P this morning on a small lake in central florida and while flying under a bridge  ...

Hi;

I had the same sort of crash as described here with my P3P, but through some fate the battery separated from the copter before it hit the water.  It was fresh water and submerged for about 7 minutes before I found it.

I have it drying at the moment with the top cover off and will take the cover of the Gimbal to remove the condensation from the lens.

However the battery is doing some strange things.  I can switch it on and all the lights come on (Out of the copter), but no lights come on when charging.  Needless to say it only flew for 30 seconds on full charge, so may be full anyway.  What does a good battery do if you power it on outside of the copter and is there any way to fully discharge it and recharge to ensure it is ok?

Same thing happened to me just yesterday. Refer to my "crash landings in water" post.

Fly low, crash hard

Water and electronics is not the problem it is made out to be.  They actually wash circuit boards after the components have been soldered on, as part of the manufacturing process.  http://electronics.stackexchange ... ter-and-electronics

The problem is when there is power applied.  Electrolysis occurs and the circuit is damaged due to short circuits or corrosion.  The cleaner the water, the less of a problem it is.  It is the impurities in the water that creates a path for electricity to flow.  Pure water does not conduct electricity.  Salt water is probably your worst enemy.  Some components can't be saved when wet, e.g. speakers and microphones, but most components are completely sealed and waterproof.

If you drop your aircraft/phone/whatever in water, the first thing to do is remove it as soon as possible, and remove all power completely (including clock battery backup if fitted).  I would give it a bath in the cleanest water you can find (tap water is better than river water in most cases) and then in distilled water to remove any trace of contaminants.  Dry it off as best you can and let it dry thoroughly, ideally with the help of a desiccant.  PATIENCE!  Let it dry.  The intelligent battery is probably toast immediately -- there is no way to disconnect power from the electronics.  The power button is a soft-switch only.  Part of the circuit is always powered.

As others have noted, many aircraft have flown again after getting wet.  There is already varying degrees of humidity/moisture in the air most of the time and your electronics don't spontaneously combust because of it.

Toss the battery as they are known to spontaneously combust after being submerged and could burn your house down very easily.  You should of tossed the P3 in a bag of rice/silica gel for a few days before even attempting to start it up, as moisture could be trapped in places and could short it out.
If you don't throw out that battery you are literally playing with fire and you will ether lose your drone due to battery failure or God forbid your home, it's not worth the risk.

To follow up... shortly later my drone just fell out of the sky and shattered. Sent it in for repair and it was $724! Been staying out of the water since haha