I just had a horribly scary experiance.  I took my spark to an abandoned golf course for some flying..  

I did a littlel sport mode fun, practiced some quick shots all was good.
I had a bit over 40 percent battery left so I decided to do a quick out and back in sport mode then land.

I was out a little over 600 feet (not far) and from my point of view I thought I was high enough to be over the trees.

I lost sight of spark and the screen went black.  I tried pressing RTH nothing.

I walked to the location I last thought that it was and started panic looking around.
IT was bright sun and HOT... at one point my phone became unrespnsive because I had sweat all over the touchscreen.

Find my drone was still in contact with it and I looked all around where it said that it was to no avail.
I had never played with find my drone and was unfamiliar with it, I had to go under a tree to even see the screen.
I finally tuned on the ESC beeping while I was standing in the exact spot find my drone said that it was.. nothing.

I went back to the home poing hoping that it had returned to home.. nope..
I started to become resolved that I had lost my spark and went back to the car to get some air conditioning.

In the car I played back the flight and found that while I thought I was high enough over the trees, I was in fact only 23 feet high and I had flown it directly into a tree.
My fault.. but now I knew what tree to go back and look in.
By now the spark battery had died and find my drone said that my spark was in China.
I spent some time looking in the tree and around on the ground (waist high weeds)... and just as I was about to give up.. I found him on the ground.
One broken prop..but all looks OK.

Once back home I pu t on another battery and turned on the drone.. Find my drone still said that it was in China..
I took it outside and once GPS locked find my drone located it in my yard.  I turned on ESC beeping and had to hold the thing up to my ear to hear the beeps!

So ESC beeping is next to useless.

Takeaways:  
No more sport mode flying for me at any distance.  Flying in mid day sun is fine.. but finding a lost drone in the bright sun is not fun at all!
Had it been dusk, I might have seen the LEDs on the drone.
Find my drone works to some extent, but it would be much better to play back the flight first so that you have a better idea where to look.
ESC beeping is useless as hell.
Had it been dusk, I might have seen the LEDs on the drone.

I had a terrific scare, but it was all my fault.. Live and learn.. Now to put on a replacement prop and test my poor spark.

I am glad to hear that you found your Spark and that it appears to not be severely damaged. I too have tried sport mode and quickly realized that things can get out of control very fast.

Thank you for sharing.

Tom

Why does the Find my Drone default to saying your drone is in China if the drone is turned off? I also saw this the other day when playing with the function.

Wouldn't it make more sense to show you its last known location before power cutoff?

daveddo Posted at 2017-9-30 15:22
Why does the Find my Drone default to saying your drone is in China if the drone is turned off? I also saw this the other day when playing with the function.

Wouldn't it make more sense to show you its last known location before power cutoff?

THat is what I had assumed it would do to.  But, I had never even played with find my drone. Good advice is to play around with the function BEFORE  you needed .... so unlike me you are not out in the hot bright sun trying to read the screen because you don't know how it works.

P.S.  I flew it again at home to test it.... drone is fine, but even now when I go to find my drone, it says it is in China.