DJI what the hell!

Please explain why your drone freaked out on me?

Where you flying with strong winds? Seeing the number of the satellites you should hadn't lost the control

And the home point keeps moving like wtf. If DJI charge for this this is ridiculous not my problem at all.

Hello. Thank you for reaching out and we are regret to hear about the accident involving your drone. Could you please confirm if you've been able to locate your drone? If you have not found your drone, we recommend registering a flyaway request here: [https://repair.dji.com/us/repair/flyaway]. However, if you have found your drone, we would recommend sending your drone back to our repair facility. You can submit online repair request via this link: [https://www.dji.com/uk/support/repair?backup_page=index]. This will allow our certified technicians to fully inspect the aircraft. Please rest assured that this will be taken care of and handled accordingly.

The email and case are already open and I have definitely found it is 100% DJI fault.

"Dear DJI Support Team,
Your generic reply is frustrating and unacceptable—
I’ve already opened a case and submitted footage proving a manufacturing defect in my DJI Neo, yet you’ve ignored it.
New details make this even clearer: the satellite count dropped randomly from over 15 to 7, and the home point was being very erratic and at one point adjusted to a point in the sky, causing the fly-away. This isn’t pilot error—it’s a glaring fault in your drone, and I won’t pay for it.
Here’s the full picture:
I used DJI Goggles 3 and FPV Controller 3, following all requirements.
Wind was 12 mph, well under the Neo’s 18 mph (Level 4) rating, yet it flew off uncontrollably.
Footage I’ve submitted shows the satellite drop (15+ to 7) and the home point shifting mid-flight to an impossible location in the sky—your failsafe failed.
The camera shifted on its own to roughly -30 degrees and irately changed angle same above (similar time) further indicating a manufacturing fault
The drone when in "sport" mode still showed manual further indicating a software manufacturing fault
Under the UK’s Consumer Rights Act 2015, the drone must be fit for purpose and free of defects.
A GPS system losing satellites and setting a mid-air home point isn’t fit—it’s defective, and I’m entitled to a free replacement, not a £76 Care Refresh fee.

Your warranty covers manufacturing faults, and other users report similar Neo GPS issues (e.g., DJI Forum). You’ve had my footage since [insert date if known], but your silence suggests you’re not taking this seriously.

I demand you analyze my submitted flight logs and goggles footage immediately, focusing on the satellite drop and home point error."

FPVAnnouncer Posted at 3-13 03:24
The email and case are already open and I have definitely found it is 100% DJI fault.

"Dear DJI Support Team,

Thank you for providing the details.
Could you provide us the case number for us to check and assist you further?
Looking forward for your response.

CAS-20972264-S5N1X1

The exact same thing happened to me as well, but I did not capture it. I was flying it with the FPV Controller 3 and Goggles N3, turned on Manual mode, started to fly a bit, but then decided to switch back to Normal mode. Suddenly, it rolled violently to the right or left side (I can't remember which) and crashed into a house.
Flying with the latest FW V01.00.0400.

Yeah, I have had similar happen before, and found a couple of other posts with the same issue too. All very recent.

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=335733
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=335938

There does seem to be a pattern emerging here, likely a fault with the Neo when it is switched out of manual mode in flight... Which is exactly what we should be doing when in a panic, not good!

Evidence Supporting a Technical Issue
GPS and Satellite Issues
You mentioned the satellite count dropped from over 15 to 7 during the flight, which could destabilize the drone’s navigation. In the provided log snippet, the OSD.gpsNum starts at 14 (e.g., at 8:49:31.65 AM) and fluctuates slightly, reaching 15 by 8:50:23.35 AM. However, the snippet doesn’t capture the drop to 7 you observed, likely because it occurs later in the full log.

A drop below 10 satellites can make GPS unreliable, potentially causing erratic flight behavior or an incorrect home point update. The log shows the home point shifting from 53.1950746980356, -0.6036040002112 (set at takeoff, e.g., 8:49:32.45 AM) to 53.1950587302128, -0.603604207637 later (e.g., 8:50:22.85 AM). This unexpected change could confuse the drone’s Return to Home (RTH) function, leading it to fly to the wrong location.

Home Point Errors
You noted the home point was “messed up,” and the log supports this. Initially, the home point is consistent at 53.1950746980356, -0.6036040002112 with a height of 290.3 ft. However, it later updates to 53.1950587302128, -0.603604207637, which you described as being set “in the sky.” This shift, combined with a potential GPS glitch, could explain the drone’s random flight path, especially if RTH was activated or if navigation relied on the faulty coordinates.

Motor Blockage
A critical clue is at 8:50:23.85 AM, where the log shows OSD.isMotorBlocked as True with OSD.motorFailReason listed as "Other (74)" and a message “Motor is blocked.” This indicates a propulsion failure, which would render the drone uncontrollable, contributing to the fly-away. The altitude drops from 90.8 ft at 8:50:23.75 AM to 49.8 ft by 8:50:24.85 AM, and speed spikes to 64.573604 MPH, suggesting a rapid, uncontrolled descent.

Wind Conditions
You reported the wind speed as 12 mph, below the DJI Neo’s rated wind resistance of 18 mph. However, the log later shows WEATHER.windSpeed [MPH] at 22.81 mph (e.g., 8:50:22.85 AM), exceeding the limit. This discrepancy might reflect real-time wind gusts not accounted for in your initial observation. While wind could have exacerbated the issue, the motor blockage and GPS problems appear as primary causes, especially since earlier flight conditions were within specs.

Flight Mode and Control
The drone was in “Sport” mode (OSD.flycState) throughout the snippet, with OSD.flightAction as “Other,” indicating manual control via your FPV Controller 3 and DJI Goggles. No autonomous RTH is logged in this portion, but the motor failure and GPS issues could have overridden your inputs, leading to the erratic behavior you described.

Analysis
The combination of a motor blockage, a potential GPS satellite drop (based on your observation), and an erroneous home point update likely caused the fly-away. The motor failure alone could explain the loss of control, while GPS issues might have misdirected the drone beforehand. Wind exceeding 18 mph later in the flight may have worsened the situation, but the technical failures occurred independently of environmental factors within the drone’s rated limits initially. Since the drone is new (flight date 3/13/2025) and you operated it correctly, this points to a possible manufacturing defect rather than pilot error.
Advice for Contacting DJI Support
To secure a free replacement under warranty or UK consumer law (e.g., Consumer Rights Act 2015, which states goods must be “fit for purpose”), follow these steps:
Compile Evidence
Highlight these specific log entries:
Satellite Drop: Note your observation of OSD.gpsNum dropping to 7 (not in the snippet but critical if in the full log).

Home Point Shift: From 53.1950746980356, -0.6036040002112 to 53.1950587302128, -0.603604207637 (e.g., 8:50:22.85 AM).

Motor Blockage: At 8:50:23.85 AM, OSD.isMotorBlocked = True, with “Motor is blocked” and OSD.motorFailReason = "Other (74)".

https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogV ... JBEL7E85Y58741NEC02

OP, your video noted gimbal motor overload.  Assumed it was due to your Neo pitch or roll or both beyond the movement limits of the gimbal sending resulting  confusing the stabilization system of the Neo.  Shaky video and when flying in S mode and at times rolled to a side.  Assuming wind?  But no high wind warning OSD.  Personally flying the Neo in any wind where the high wind warning OSD flashes is a pain.  After I figured out how the Neo handles wind in M mode found out it is  best to fly M mode.   Neo is such a lightweight and a bit underpowered that even in M mode hard forward pitch into a headwind tends to push it downward.  Reverse with a tailwind.  Gusts can make life real interesting.

I have a difficult time landing on the landing pad in M mode.  So I wimp out and just either hit the mode rocker switch or brake/pause switch.  Learned to come to a hover before switching from M to N mode.  No out of control or radical movement.  Some shake and rattle when the Neo transitions from M to N mode.   Launch in M mode to avoid less, but similar issue of a "stutter" during transition from N to M mode.

The DJI stabilization system in the Neo has pros can cons.  Pros it allows almost anyone to fly in a controlled manner.  Cons are people become dependent upon it to fly and when things go wonky with it you can experience an uncontrollable event.   Would be nice if the only stabilized mode would be N.  S mode just pure angle mode with user adjustable max angles.  Would make for a more versatile quad having 3 distinct flight modes. Never have had a crash in M mode due to Neo issues.  Just user issues.  Guessing if S mode is not linked to the stabilization system there will be no issues. N mode a couple "fly aways" due to flying into too dark areas.  Low quality downward sensors and/or camera sensor feedback to stabilization system.  Cannot handle very low lighted or highly reflected surface conditions.  Just a known limit of the Neo.

Hello, had the same issue today, but flying with the RC N3. Started to behave erratic and completelly uncontrollable, there was a moment I could control it. I have the logs and the footage.

I've seen so much issues lately...

FPVAnnouncer Posted at 3-13 06:11
https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/202503135ZX43F1T0AQUWJBEL7E85Y58741NEC02

From the video and the .txt log it is apparent that the compass was compromised at launch. The video shows a heading of roughly 80° and the .txt shows a heading of 162.7°. It’s not possible for the Neo to determine that there was a mismatch. Instead, the only way to catch this type of error is for the pilot to confirm that before launch the heading shown on the display map is consistent with the actual heading. I suspect the steel buildings had a lot to do with the incorrect compass values.

I suspect that the effects of the compromised compass weren’t evident initially because the Neo entered M mode soon after launch at about 12 secs. At about 35 secs the Flight Controller decided it didn’t have confidence in the location solution and lowered that confidence from 4/5 to 2/5. The Neo continued in M mode until about 43 secs when it switched to S mode. At this point the effects of the compromised compass became evident. E.g. CW roll 30° started without control stick input.

As noted above IMHO most likely the root cause was the compromised compass most likely due to the steel buildings.

Regarding the motor blocked indicators. As seen in the video this doesn’t happen until the very end when the Neo gets tangled up bushes/trees on the ground. Additionally, there is no tumbling that normally accompanies propulsion loss on one of the motor/props.

The change in HP occurs at the very beginning when an update to the HP normally occurs. It only moved by 1.77 meters.

The drone hit the tree at 60mph and looks like it now is in the lake.

FPVAnnouncer Posted at 3-13 11:13
The drone hit the tree at 60mph and looks like it now is in the lake.

Did you look here?


That's the location indicated by the .txt log. It's also consistent with the video.

BudWalker Posted at 3-13 10:29
From the video and the .txt log it is apparent that the compass was compromised at launch. The video shows a heading of roughly 80° and the .txt shows a heading of 162.7°. It’s not possible for the Neo to determine that there was a mismatch. Instead, the only way to catch this type of error is for the pilot to confirm that before launch the heading shown on the display map is consistent with the actual heading. I suspect the steel buildings had a lot to do with the incorrect compass values.

I suspect that the effects of the compromised compass weren’t evident initially because the Neo entered M mode soon after launch at about 12 secs. At about 35 secs the Flight Controller decided it didn’t have confidence in the location solution and lowered that confidence from 4/5 to 2/5. The Neo continued in M mode until about 43 secs when it switched to S mode. At this point the effects of the compromised compass became evident. E.g. CW roll 30° started without control stick input.

I had the same problem with the compass in Sport mode.
I used Goggles N3 with RC Motion 3 and in this configuration the map with the compass is not visible on the goggles screen. I could not see anything abnormal with the compass.https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=redirect&goto=findpost&ptid=333389&pid=3547433

BudWalker Posted at 3-13 12:52
Did you look here?

[view_image]

yeah under the tree is a little river that runs along the side. It was ridden with algae and could see disturbance marks in the water. Checked pretty much all the surrounding area for about an hour or so. Also got other eyes to check the area and also scout the roofs with another neo ( we were scared)

FPVAnnouncer Posted at 3-13 04:57
CAS-20972264-S5N1X1

Hi there. We apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. We would like to inform you that your case has been escalated for further review. Thank you for your patience, and we will keep you updated as soon as we have more information.

überragende technik!  warum fällt sie nicht ? und schwebt dan nach ein paar tiefer meter ?

A bit of an update. DJI have confirmed it is a manufacture fault and sending a replacement FoC

FPVAnnouncer Posted at 3-14 12:15
A bit of an update. DJI have confirmed it is a manufacture fault and sending a replacement FoC

Good news

Drogy Posted at 3-14 12:13
überragende technik!  warum fällt sie nicht ? und schwebt dan nach ein paar tiefer meter ?

Hi there, thank you for bringing this to our attention. Pertaining to your issue, would you please let us know more details about the issue you encountered so that we can help ? Looking forward to your reply ! If you would like to contact our online service, you could also visit : https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav.