Was flying my Mavic Pro from my backyard, which is the only spot I've flown from (176 flights, 35 hrs).  I actually use a Samsung Galaxy View, 19" tablet sitting on my patio table, so I'm not mobile.  

Flying 374' above my home for just over 5 minutes, in Tripod Mode, drone takes off south east ultimately hitting 25.9mph and loosing connectivity 1500' away (it was up hill).  When it lost connection, it said it was going to RTH.  I have it set to return to home at 50m high if connection lost.  Needless to say, it no return to home.

I'd share some screen caps and such, but I don't really wanna share my address.  Had 17 satellites, 70% battery/14 minutes remaining on drone, controller was probably 90% when it took off.

Any thoughts?  It was recording video when it took off and nothing seemed out of the ordinary till it lost connection.  It wasn't taken by a bald eagle or something.  Maybe mechanical failure?

Thanks,
Michael

Was the wind too much for it to overcome? How far uphill was it? It will RTH 50 m above your home point. If you go 50 m uphill it won't work so well.

More than likely it hit an obstacle. At 1500 ft away it was well out of LOS and if you flew up a hill and had RTH set at 50 mts then it is possible that it had to descend to the RTH height. The RTH height of 50 mts is at the point it took off from and normally that would clear obstacles over flat ground.

it won't descend in rth.

You should have put a 3rd party GPS tracker on it to monitor where it had flown off to and retrieve it.

Sorry, but you have to post some logs, for example from controller/phone, or flight record, so it's possible to analyze the flight.

Please post the logs from the phone. Otherwise it is pure speculation and this post is pointless.

As a couple of people have pointed out, we can only help if you post the TXT file from the flight. The directions on how to upload it are here. Upload the file from your mobile device, add a link to the results to this thread, and someone may be able to tell you where to look to find your lost Mavic.

Thanks for the replies all.  I've got the log file, which was a little cumbersome to browse through the tablet and such to find.  An export function via DJI app would be prudent.  Does the log file include personal data?  Location, serial, latitude, longitude, etc?  I'm working with DJI and DJI Care with logs, but thought I'd ask the community as well.

Does the Mavic Pro have the same drag coefficient 360' around the craft?  I was reviewing the log movie via app of the flight, and it's like once the craft panned to a certain direction, it acted like a sail and caught the wind, and went that direction indefinitely, at an ever increasing velocity till it lost connection.

To reiterate, flying directly over head, 375ish feet in the air, in plain sight in TRIPOD mode, 5 minutes into flight craft took off south east at a velocity that was insurmountable.  RTH kicked in right before losing contact with controller, but it never returned, never reconnected with control, just dust in the wind.

Most likely a wind change . The wind can be double what it is at ground level just above the tree tops . At 375' I'd bet the wind picked up big time all of a sudden and the mavic couldn't keep up . Did you try switching into Sport mode so it would have more angle of attack to fight the wind ?

50 metres may not had been sufficient height, it seems that it collided with something that was higher then 50 metres.  Also excessive winds will cause the height to be off. and actually push your craft lower than 50 metres while still recording it as 50 metres.  what did you see on your live feed?

Julia Baker Posted at 2017-5-28 23:33
You should have put a 3rd party GPS tracker on it to monitor where it had flown off to and retrieve it.

I have Trackimo on mine before DJI updated the firmware with "find my drone" however, if the craft has no battery energy left, "find my drone" is useless.  Did you use find my drone immediately while you still had battery energy left?  I would had to pinpoint the craft.  It is free .

Thanks again all, really appreciate the feedback.

RTH height shouldn't have been a problem.  It's a residential area, no sky scrapers or anything, just single family homes.  The elevation change up the hill it transgressed was maybe 50' max, it's really more of a problem of line of sight vs drone be able to adjust height wise.  When it lost contact it was only 1500' away from me/starting point, which isn't very far, but uphill... Homes and such, it diminishes available area to project a signal.

I tried the find my drone deal through DJI App, with no luck.  One HUGE problem i've found is switching display devices and the settings of DJI app.  I use Samsung Galaxy View 19", Samsung Note 9", and Samsung S7 and theres no continuity.  Find my drone shows last coordinates of where the controller lost contact with the drone.

I had 70% battery, was within 5' horizontally, in Tripod mode and was over powered by the wind to the point of loss.  I just don't buy that.  Drone was flying 25+ mph the wrong direction out of no where.  That seems really odd to me...

And I've never tried sport mode.  Might have been advantageous in hindsight, but after minute 5 there was zero user control.  

Also, I had just flown a full battery with no issues.  I bought the Fly More pack with three batteries, and was on battery 2 when drone failed. I always check the wind and forecast via accuweather prior to flight.

I'm honestly trying to figure if it was user error or not.  I raced RC trucks as a kiddo and have been a pro photog for 15+ years, so aerial photography is right up my alley.  

dfrent Posted at 2017-5-29 14:33
Thanks again all, really appreciate the feedback.

RTH height shouldn't have been a problem.  It's a residential area, no sky scrapers or anything, just single family homes.  The elevation change up the hill it transgressed was maybe 50' max, it's really more of a problem of line of sight vs drone be able to adjust height wise.  When it lost contact it was only 1500' away from me/starting point, which isn't very far, but uphill... Homes and such, it diminishes available area to project a signal.

Tripod mode limits the rates (Angle of Attack) that the Mavic can achieve so that it flies very slow and steady . That is its purpose . If you were in Tripod mode and the wind picked up it could very well be the reason it was blown away so fast . It could not output the power or achieve the angle of attack it would need to fight the wind .  Sport mode cancels any flight mode it is currently in and allows the Mavic to fly at full capability . Wind of no more than 30 MPH likely blew your Mavic away and it would seem as if there was no control because it could not counter the wind while in that flight mode .

capabilities of Tripod mode are listed in the manual and warns to use cautiously .
https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/ ... ser+Manual+V1.2.pdf

dfrent Posted at 2017-5-29 13:45
Thanks for the replies all.  I've got the log file, which was a little cumbersome to browse through the tablet and such to find.  An export function via DJI app would be prudent.  Does the log file include personal data?  Location, serial, latitude, longitude, etc?  I'm working with DJI and DJI Care with logs, but thought I'd ask the community as well.

Does the Mavic Pro have the same drag coefficient 360' around the craft?  I was reviewing the log movie via app of the flight, and it's like once the craft panned to a certain direction, it acted like a sail and caught the wind, and went that direction indefinitely, at an ever increasing velocity till it lost connection.

Does the log file include personal data?  Location, serial, latitude, longitude, etc?

I probably wouldn't call that "personal data", but yes it does. In effect, it contains all the same information that's used when you replay your flight in the DJI Go app. It doesn't contain anything that can identify you personally, but it does contain information about where your flight took place.

This is always my worry for flying. I always fly in open area with plenty of space. So hopefully, no localized elements can affect the flight without knowing by operators.