Took my Phantom 4 out today for a quick fly around my house.  I was sitting on the steps of my front porch and flew it over the house with plenty of clearance.  Hit the RTH and it descended and crashed into the roof.  No real damage other than to my pride.

So to better understand and pilot, I'm curious as to what I did wrong.  The first ime I flew, I did numerous take offs and RTH and non-RTH landings.  They all were without issue.  I did not touch any controls once RTH was hit.  I did not have an SD card loaded, so there is no evidence of my stupidity.

Thoughts?

I appreciate any feedback.

RTH works after 20 meters radius from the take off point. Insidie that circle it lands! Maybe is that the problem?

Exactly what Leo said. RTH should only be used and depended on in an emergency.

Yes,  it is almost a sure bet you were within 20 meters of the home point when you hit the rth button.  There are tutorials on here about how rth works that are somewhat more informative  than the manual.

Thanks for the feedback. I must admit that most all of my landings have been using RTH during my practice runs that were within a short distance.

Live and learn!

dfargnoli Posted at 2016-4-23 21:07
Thanks for the feedback. I must admit that most all of my landings have been using RTH during my pra ...

i have around 80 flights and i have honestly never used rth.   one of these days i gotta give it a shot

dfargnoli Posted at 2016-4-23 18:07
Thanks for the feedback. I must admit that most all of my landings have been using RTH during my pra ...

I have used the auto landing of my 1st 2-3 flights but now all is use to a gentle pull down of the left stick and then once on the ground pull the left stick to the lower right and and it kills the props. Also for take off if you pull both sticks down and to the center you can spin up the props and take off.

mikesly5@gmail. Posted at 2016-4-24 04:50
I have used the auto landing of my 1st 2-3 flights but now all is use to a gentle pull down of the ...

The best option for stopping the motors is 'option 2' as described on page 53 in the manual. As this is throttle down only it avoids situations where aircraft can tip over (unless really windy). I always hand catch (with caution of course) using right hand, and shut down motors using left throttle. This saves the craft from harsh surfaces/ tipping over / dust and debris getting blown up into the working bits.