So I had my first crash today...but I escaped with just 1 broken proppeller and 1 scuffed.
I flew 2m in Altitude and 6m away. I was about to fly past an container in VERY low speed in GPS mode but then suddenly the Mavic just kept drifting to the side and I couldnt make it fly to the other side. The drone didnt react to any controll inputs! Then it hit the container and the battery flew off.
Everything seems fine except the 2 broken proppellers and some very smal scuffs on the front.
I started it up again, calibrated the compass and the gimbal again and everything seems fine.
I guess I got very lucky after all.. but now im afraid of flying it inside.
I've planned to film some fotage for my company in the factory but now im really worried.

Glad to hear it worked out well.

If worried, best to head out to a very wide space, lay some tape on the ground to mask out a space and practice flying within (as if it's your factory- BUT NO WALLS)

Basically- practice = confidence.

Just stay away from containers u til you have enough practice.

Good luck.

Perhaps buy more blades, can look okay on outside but may have suffered internal damage - best not want a mid air prop fail

Bax Posted at 2017-1-11 04:44
Glad to hear it worked out well.

If worried, best to head out to a very wide space, lay some tape on the ground to mask out a space and practice flying within (as if it's your factory- BUT NO WALLS)

Thanks for the ti!p!
Yes, I did ordered new proppellers right away and Im happy the DJI give some extra props with the Mavic.
But before my crash and some flights before, I notice that it kept drifting to the right a little but stablelize it self again after 3 seconds (The crash was because of the drifting to right side)
A bit silly of me not to think of that before I flew near the container but I've learned my leasson today.
But the question is why my Mavic drifts a little to the right.

I have noticed that sudden changes in light can produce unexpected results. Eg. flying into a more shadowed area by just pressing forward caused the mavic to fly downwards. I guess the vision systems are sometimes trusted too much in the mavic.

CreativeMe Posted at 2017-1-11 04:51
Thanks for the ti!p!
Yes, I did ordered new proppellers right away and Im happy the DJI give some extra props with the Mavic.
But before my crash and some flights before, I notice that it kept drifting to the right a little but stablelize it self again after 3 seconds (The crash was because of the drifting to right side)

Glad your Mavic survived largely unscathed.

I know people mock these things - especially for the Mavic because the initial ones look clumsy - but indoors or flying near objects is the perfect time IMO to use prop guards.  If you impact you probably bounce and continue vs. losing part of a prop and potentially having a much larger incident that you then have no control over.

The most worrying part about your incident is that the Mavic didn't respond to any of your control inputs. I would highly recommend you ask DJI to analyze all your flight and RC data to see if there was indeed some kind of malfunction.

arc Posted at 2017-1-11 05:05
I have noticed that sudden changes in light can produce unexpected results. Eg. flying into a more shadowed area by just pressing forward caused the mavic to fly downwards. I guess the vision systems are sometimes trusted too much in the mavic.

You may actually be right. Cause when im flying outside in the middle of the day the Mavic flys perfectly but as soon as im flying in the factory (The factory is pretty big) the drone tends to drift a little and loose some height but not rapidly.

BuzzCut Posted at 2017-1-11 05:18
Glad your Mavic survived largely unscathed.

I know people mock these things - especially for the Mavic because the initial ones look clumsy - but indoors or flying near objects is the perfect time IMO to use prop guards.  If you impact you probably bounce and continue vs. losing part of a prop and potentially having a much larger incident that you then have no control over.

Yeah I think so to and main thing with mavic is that it is protlable.
But I think propguards is perfect for my situation since im gonna fly in the factory for 1 day.

Jason Lane Posted at 2017-1-11 05:23
The most worrying part about your incident is that the Mavic didn't respond to any of your control inputs. I would highly recommend you ask DJI to analyze all your flight and RC data to see if there was indeed some kind of malfunction.

Yeah that makes me worry to.. but I hate to deal with the support.
Waited 3 months for my Mavic and I don't want to send it in even if it's the best solution.
I've heard to people got the same problem as me before.

If you are flying inside, it is likely that you did not have GPS, or you had intermittent GPS.  Unfortunately, that will cause the Mavic to go in and out of ATTI mode.  When in ATTI mode, YOU must control the position of the Mavic, as it does not have any references to remain stabilized against.  The downward sensors help, but low-light and smooth surfaces make it unusable at times.  This is when you need to have full control of your drone to keep it from drifting.

As for the loss of control and failure to respond to commands I offer this thought:  The Mavic operates using the same frequencies as WiFi.  In MANY posts, it appears people have noticed (as have I) that local WiFi signals present a strong obstacle to communicating reliably with the Mavic.  In addition, even some phones will interfere because their WiFi signal is turned on.  I have heard many turn their WiFi off when flying the Mavic (although I do not typically do this).  If you are in a factory, there is bound to be MUCH metal around.  Metal will most certainly wreak havoc on your compass and likely confuse any GPS.  Just be aware that this is, perhaps, the worst possible environment you can fly in just because of the interference.  I'm not saying you can't do it, but it might be better to spend some time in a more open area, free of interference concerns and obstacles, before flying around the factory.

I like the opportunity that you have, but I think you need to spend a little more time getting accustomed to the Mavic and gain a little "trust" before filming your factory and equipment.

Gary Mac Posted at 2017-1-11 07:17
If you are flying inside, it is likely that you did not have GPS, or you had intermittent GPS.  Unfortunately, that will cause the Mavic to go in and out of ATTI mode.  When in ATTI mode, YOU must control the position of the Mavic, as it does not have any references to remain stabilized against.  The downward sensors help, but low-light and smooth surfaces make it unusable at times.  This is when you need to have full control of your drone to keep it from drifting.

As for the loss of control and failure to respond to commands I offer this thought:  The Mavic operates using the same frequencies as WiFi.  In MANY posts, it appears people have noticed (as have I) that local WiFi signals present a strong obstacle to communicating reliably with the Mavic.  In addition, even some phones will interfere because their WiFi signal is turned on.  I have heard many turn their WiFi off when flying the Mavic (although I do not typically do this).  If you are in a factory, there is bound to be MUCH metal around.  Metal will most certainly wreak havoc on your compass and likely confuse any GPS.  Just be aware that this is, perhaps, the worst possible environment you can fly in just because of the interference.  I'm not saying you can't do it, but it might be better to spend some time in a more open area, free of interference concerns and obstacles, before flying around the factory.

What he said!

Was your obstacle avoidance turned off? I know i have seen others that state that can't even fly through doorways with it tunred on.

CreativeMe Posted at 2017-1-11 05:42
Yeah I think so to and main thing with mavic is that it is protlable.
But I think propguards is perfect for my situation since im gonna fly in the factory for 1 day.

Exactly.  Use them for the day for your filming and then they never see the light of day until/unless you find yourself in a similar situation.

I had a mild bump against an object and broke a prop mid-air.  Up until that point the control of the aircraft was all me (whether assisted by GPS or not).  Once you lose part of a prop, though, all bets are off.  These things can become missiles and there's no recovering at that point.

I'll probably buy some prop guards to use in tight quarters and they'll only come out on those rare occasions.

I've had my mavic for a month now and in the beginning read through the manual and everything. I'm finding just as important is keeping up on everything through this forum for all the do's and dont's on how and where to fly. Been a number of mishaps reported with indoor flying, I won't do it but good luck.

Socalrob Posted at 2017-1-11 07:54
I've had my mavic for a month now and in the beginning read through the manual and everything. I'm finding just as important is keeping up on everything through this forum for all the do's and dont's on how and where to fly. Been a number of mishaps reported with indoor flying, I won't do it but good luck.

Personal view and not directly related to the OPs situation: the biggest issue with indoor flying is that people rely on features like VPS to keep the aircraft stable.  Then, when it doesn't work (and it can't work in all conditions) and the aircraft drifts, they either:

1) Catch it too late, because they assume the aircraft was just hovering where they left it and so took their eyes off of it for a second; or
2) Overreact when it does move and don't fully account for things like prop wash, or the ability for a quad to suck itself toward the ceiling

Then, when a prop gets lost because of the initial impact the craft becomes unstable and the real damage occurs.

I've flown my Mavic indoors many times.  I approach it like I'm flying a $50 Syma that has zero fail-safes and needs to be watched every second.

The opti mode works great indoors. I have older firmware though. Remember upgrading and it wouldn't even go into modes indoors and drifts a lot. Opti works by looking at the floor. If you need stability indoors and it's dark. First turn off front sensors and get a good flashlight, lay it on the ground behind the mavic. I did this with 2 flashlights at 90 degree angles behind the drone. It should stay in position like a table.

You want to stay in opti mode, soon as it drops to atti you have a very unstable drone. Mine drifts backward in atti, and there's no option to adjust for the drift. If you could adjust the drift and set atti manually, this would let you fly anywhere without the sensors.

But I think the opti mode works great indoors. Can even set modes indoors on old app and firmware, just dark areas make sure you have the floor lit from behind with flashlights. Turn off the unstable ground check too, where it stops before it lands. That's kind of worthless option imo if your within visual of the drone.

BuzzCut Posted at 2017-1-11 08:24
Personal view and not directly related to the OPs situation: the biggest issue with indoor flying is that people rely on features like VPS to keep the aircraft stable.  Then, when it doesn't work (and it can't work in all conditions) and the aircraft drifts, they either:

1) Catch it too late, because they assume the aircraft was just hovering where they left it and so took their eyes off of it for a second; or

I have a Syma as well.  I flew it indoors and out for the 8'ish weeks I was waiting for the Mavic.  The lessons learned are invaluable.  You MUST know how to handle the Mavic when all the autopilot features are disabled... because they WILL turn off when you want them most.

I rode motorcycle for years and had a lot of people ask me "What's the best way to start out if i want to ride and have never done it before?"  My response was always the same:  "Beg or borrow a buddy's dirt bike and learn how to ride on unstable surfaces.  Crash... because you WILL crash.  You will also learn from those crashes.  THEN, go buy your new street bike and ride it carefully and progressively from the parking lot to the freeway and you'll be fine.

Same for the Mavic... learn to fly a $50 bird first, THEN go fly your $1K+ bird... slowly and progressively.

CreativeMe Posted at 2017-1-11 04:51
Thanks for the ti!p!
Yes, I did ordered new proppellers right away and Im happy the DJI give some extra props with the Mavic.
But before my crash and some flights before, I notice that it kept drifting to the right a little but stablelize it self again after 3 seconds (The crash was because of the drifting to right side)

Sorry for your crash, usually a drift in GPS mode means a proper compass calibration was not done.
You said the drone didn't reach to any control inputs. Was the container metal? was the obstacle avoidance sensors going off?
If you sync your flight records and provide your DJI account email, I will look at your flight to see if I seen anything out of the ordinary.

Gary Mac Posted at 2017-1-11 07:17
If you are flying inside, it is likely that you did not have GPS, or you had intermittent GPS.  Unfortunately, that will cause the Mavic to go in and out of ATTI mode.  When in ATTI mode, YOU must control the position of the Mavic, as it does not have any references to remain stabilized against.  The downward sensors help, but low-light and smooth surfaces make it unusable at times.  This is when you need to have full control of your drone to keep it from drifting.

As for the loss of control and failure to respond to commands I offer this thought:  The Mavic operates using the same frequencies as WiFi.  In MANY posts, it appears people have noticed (as have I) that local WiFi signals present a strong obstacle to communicating reliably with the Mavic.  In addition, even some phones will interfere because their WiFi signal is turned on.  I have heard many turn their WiFi off when flying the Mavic (although I do not typically do this).  If you are in a factory, there is bound to be MUCH metal around.  Metal will most certainly wreak havoc on your compass and likely confuse any GPS.  Just be aware that this is, perhaps, the worst possible environment you can fly in just because of the interference.  I'm not saying you can't do it, but it might be better to spend some time in a more open area, free of interference concerns and obstacles, before flying around the factory.

I think most of you guy missunderstood the situation.
First of all, it was in Opti Mode NOT ATTI.
I calibrated the compass before the flight.
Think of a straight line, I flew along the side of the container with a distance of about 2m from the container. I flew in very very low speed, almost the same speed when you activate the tripod mode.
Yes the obstacle avoidence was on but since it crashed on the right side that wouldn't make any big difference.
No, I didn't take my eye of the Mavic during the flight. I had my eyes on all the time. Im not saying that im the best pilot but not worst either. At that low speed and line of sight anyone would react and try to avoid the crash by turning left. But since the Mavic didn't respond to any controller inputs I couldn't do anything.

Yes WIFI may cause some interferrence since i'm recently installed 9 computers in that area I flew.
Yes there is metal around, got 7 plastic moulders and 5 metalpress.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2017-1-11 14:27
Sorry for your crash, usually a drift in GPS mode means a proper compass calibration was not done.
You said the drone didn't reach to any control inputs. Was the container metal? was the obstacle avoidance sensors going off?
If you sync your flight records and provide your DJI account email, I will look at your flight to see if I seen anything out of the ordinary.

I calibrated the compass before the flight since I got the warning that I needed to do that and I did.
No errors after that. Yes the container was metal and the obstacle avoidence was on.
Okey, will do that when im home.

My rule.... never fly indoors.

CreativeMe Posted at 2017-1-11 22:02
I calibrated the compass before the flight since I got the warning that I needed to do that and I did.
No errors after that. Yes the container was metal and the obstacle avoidence was on.
Okey, will do that when im home.

If you calibrate indoors wifi and metal things can screw things up.   So never calibrate inside your home. Ever

stratosHD Posted at 2017-1-11 22:23
If you calibrate indoors wifi and metal things can screw things up.   So never calibrate inside your home. Ever

Sometimes I get a warning in the controller that says something like ' Mag interference, check app'
And usually I calibrate the compass after that warning. Is it because of signal interference from the enviroment? Because I can't use me wireless headset near my Mavic. As soon as I turn on my Mavic the headset makes some strange whitenoise and then turns off

My Mavic crashed against a building after giving a go home command.
Can you guys help me up understanding what i've done wrong?!

fans6cac4120 Posted at 2017-1-12 04:52
My Mavic crashed against a building after giving a go home command.
Can you guys help me up understanding what i've done wrong?!

Was the RTH height configured in the Mavic menu lower than the height of the building?

My Mavic crashed against a building.
After a go home command, ir turned against that building ando crashed!
Maybe I've done something wrong.
Can you help me understanding?! I thought that it would avoid that.

CreativeMe Posted at 2017-1-11 21:50
I think most of you guy missunderstood the situation.
First of all, it was in Opti Mode NOT ATTI.
I calibrated the compass before the flight.

Was the obstacle avoidance warning you of anything as it started drifting?
Sounds like a VPS issue to me.

Danny-B- Posted at 2017-1-12 05:57
Was the obstacle avoidance warning you of anything as it started drifting?
Sounds like a VPS issue to me.

No since the obstacle wasn't in the field of view for the obstacle avoidence.
I dont blame DJI or anything, Sh*t happens sometimes and in this case im just happy that the Mavic got away with minor damage

CreativeMe Posted at 2017-1-11 21:50
I think most of you guy missunderstood the situation.
First of all, it was in Opti Mode NOT ATTI.
I calibrated the compass before the flight.

First, I didn't mean to indicate that you couldn't fly.  The first part of my response was just my opinion about flying indoors/ATTI vs GPS and the need to be able to fly without automated systems.

Second, I've been a little confused personally about ATTI vs OPTI mode, but my understanding is that ATTI gives you NO stabilization (maybe elevation) and OPTI uses the downward sensors to help hold position  in all directions, as long as it is low enough to "see" the ground.  If I am incorrect, I'll gladly accept a better definition of the difference between ATTI and OPTI.

Third, I'm not sure why a compass calibration is relevant.  Being indoors, around much metal and electronics like you describe, would make any calibration of the compass invalid after you moved 2 feet in any direction.  Personally, I would never calibrate the compass indoors.  The ONLY time I would calibrate the compass is outdoors, in an open area, with no metal on my person or controller in my hand, and only AFTER I moved the drone to ensure it wasn't a localized issue causing the compass to "need" calibration.

Finally, as I stated in my response, I'm guessing the lack of control which was PARAMOUNT in your crash, was probably caused by the electronic interference in the environment you were flying.  It's sad that you had a crash, but the Mavic is limited to a single band for it's control and video signal, so there are not many options when it comes to getting around the interference.  A dual-band setup (like other DJI drones) would allow you to switch bands and look for a less cluttered frequency range.  If you/your boss really wants some video of the building, I would recommend coming in before/after hours, shutting down the computers and WiFi and giving it another shot with plenty of light.  If nighttime is an issue, do it on the weekend, during the day.  Just a few ideas to help you achieve your goal.

First and foremost... go recalibrate your compass in an open area with no metal on/around you.  Get that back to where it needs to be before you go flying again and have issues where the compass could have helped.

Best of luck and let us know if/when you get a video posted!

Danny-B- Posted at 2017-1-12 05:57
Was the obstacle avoidance warning you of anything as it started drifting?
Sounds like a VPS issue to me.

As the OP stated, he was moving alongside the container (the container was off to one side), so the AO would not have helped.  The Mavic ONLY has OA toward the front, there are no side or rearward facing cameras/sensors.

CreativeMe Posted at 2017-1-11 23:29
Sometimes I get a warning in the controller that says something like ' Mag interference, check app'
And usually I calibrate the compass after that warning. Is it because of signal interference from the enviroment? Because I can't use me wireless headset near my Mavic. As soon as I turn on my Mavic the headset makes some strange whitenoise and then turns off

That warning you will get when the arms are closed, or if the Mavic is sitting on your kitchen table next to some metal.
Calibrate the compass only once and in an area with no metal around.
Then you know it's a good calibration. If you happen to fly from a pier with tons of metal under it you will get the magnetic interference but DO NOT re-calibrate. As soon as you take off and get away from the pier the warning will go away.
If you calibrate on the pier with all that metal around then the aircraft takes all that metal into account and when you fly away from the pier then you'll have problems.

Gary Mac Posted at 2017-1-12 06:37
As the OP stated, he was moving alongside the container (the container was off to one side), so the AO would not have helped.  The Mavic ONLY has OA toward the front, there are no side or rearward facing cameras/sensors.

I'm aware of where the sensors are ... i was asking if the app displayed any warnings as this might point to why it drifted. as in ...Obstacle avoidance perhaps falsely detects something and moves out of its way .. hitting the container. however, upon reading the sensor and obstacle avoidance notes, it doesn't appear to be able to shift sideways to avoid obstacles anyway ... only upwards on RTH

Danny-B- Posted at 2017-1-12 10:08
I'm aware of where the sensors are ... i was asking if the app displayed any warnings as this might point to why it drifted. as in ...Obstacle avoidance perhaps falsely detects something and moves out of its way .. hitting the container. however, upon reading the sensor and obstacle avoidance notes, it doesn't appear to be able to shift sideways to avoid obstacles anyway ... only upwards on RTH

Ahh, gotcha!

I hate to ask what sounds like a dumb question, but what kind of "container" are we talking about?  When I hear that term, I think of a shipping container, a large ALL STEEL box used  for shipping cargo via ship, train, and truck.

No
It Just crashed
Turned tô the building and crashed

Gary Mac Posted at 2017-1-11 07:17
If you are flying inside, it is likely that you did not have GPS, or you had intermittent GPS.  Unfortunately, that will cause the Mavic to go in and out of ATTI mode.  When in ATTI mode, YOU must control the position of the Mavic, as it does not have any references to remain stabilized against.  The downward sensors help, but low-light and smooth surfaces make it unusable at times.  This is when you need to have full control of your drone to keep it from drifting.

As for the loss of control and failure to respond to commands I offer this thought:  The Mavic operates using the same frequencies as WiFi.  In MANY posts, it appears people have noticed (as have I) that local WiFi signals present a strong obstacle to communicating reliably with the Mavic.  In addition, even some phones will interfere because their WiFi signal is turned on.  I have heard many turn their WiFi off when flying the Mavic (although I do not typically do this).  If you are in a factory, there is bound to be MUCH metal around.  Metal will most certainly wreak havoc on your compass and likely confuse any GPS.  Just be aware that this is, perhaps, the worst possible environment you can fly in just because of the interference.  I'm not saying you can't do it, but it might be better to spend some time in a more open area, free of interference concerns and obstacles, before flying around the factory.

Thanks for this. Really helpful

It seems like you had compass interference if you really want to make you aircraft turn in circles then fly it close directly over a metal roof.

When I fly mavic indoor I go to Tripod mode right away...

http://forum.dji.com/thread-82184-1-1.html

That is nearly same problem that i faced, have a look my thread. At least you have chance as you were about 2 m altitude while mine was at 92!

Could you share your flight log, so i can share it with support team that i am not the only one?

I think the biggest issue with flying indoors is that you cannot manually force ATTI mode. It's an issue because some times you can get partial GPS signals that can confuse the drone by giving out a position that is not precise. I believe most of the inside losts of control are related to this.