A short background into what led to this. I was having range issues with this car back in April or May and I contact a DJI. They sent me a few tips which weren't even for my drone so that didn't help. Shortly thereafter the Drone crashed right after launch. After takeoff I went to turn it a 180 degrees and it drove sideways straight into the ground. I contacted customer support and they told me to mail it in. Their analysis indicated that the Drone was operating normally and it was pilot error therefore they weren't going to cover the repairs and wanted me to foot the bill. I immediately contested. Then I started getting bills to pay for the repairs or they were going to send it back. I emailed and called several times. And resolve it got sent back on fixed and worse than when I sent it in. I called again and they told me to send it back in and the same thing happened only this time it's in much worse shape than when I sent it in.

Sorry about the poor grammar and spelling I am using talk to text

After purchasing an expensive drone you think DJI will try a tad bit harder to help their customers.

Yes DJI customer service looks very poor, sometimes that make us reconsider buying DJI products again.

DJI must be loosing a lot of customers over the poor customer service

Wow, not good.

I'm glad I've opted out of the Refresh.

Could you please provide your case number so I can look into it?

Sir, I'm sorry to read your unpleasant experience. I have checked your case, please find the data analysis result below:

FLY271
1. The unit was in P-GPS mode and was responsive to RC input;
2. Shooting propeller 1 under 30s into flight, unit lost propulsion in air and fell;

Conclusion: Propeller shot off under 30s into flight, suggesting improper installation.
According to DJI's policy, we are sorry that it is not a warranty case. Per the system record, it seemed that you didn't agree the invoice, the unit was hold on until expired, then the local team arranged return without repair. We can not ensure the aircraft performance after crashed, please kindly note and understand.

Also, I understand your frustration and have forwarded this to the designated team for further assistance. And they will contact you soon. Hopefully we can figure it out soon.

Lucas775 Posted at 2017-10-20 18:47
After purchasing an expensive drone you think DJI will try a tad bit harder to help their customers.

You would think that would be the case, but it hasn't proven to be so far with me.

DJI-Jamie Posted at 2017-10-20 21:31
Could you please provide your case number so I can look into it?

Which one?  I've sent it in twice now.  I'll provide both just for the fun of it.
CAS-717257-C5V6X6
CAS-920072-D0M7K5

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-10-21 18:49
Sir, I'm sorry to read your unpleasant experience. I have checked your case, please find the data analysis result below:

FLY271

That is exactly what the report I got from DJI said, and is also why I've been trying to contest the analysis since I first heard it.  I can't tell you why the data shows a propeller flying off, but what I CAN tell you is what ACTUALLY happened.  Disregarding the previous issues I'd been unsuccessfully trying to resolve with DJI concerning lost signal, I can assure you that the propellers were in fact IN TACT  and still attached to the drone when it crashed.  I was out in a desert area planning to fly over a canyon.  I turned everything on and unloaded the drone out of the back seat of my king cab pickup and got an error saying there was strong magnetic interference (because it was in the truck when I turned everything on).  I moved everything well away from the truck (20 feet or so) and waited until I had the OK to launch (all green).  I launched the craft about 10 feet in the air and went to turn it 180 degrees to head towards the canyon.  When I hit the left stick to turn the craft around, it pitched hard to the side and shot into the ground like a dart!  It hit the ground so hard that it micro SD card popped out, and I was unable to find it as a result.
As you can see from the picture, all 4 props were still VERY MUCH INTACT after the crash, and I can assure you they did not easily come off when I removed them for shipping.

Here is the condition I got it back after mailing it in a SECOND time.

Spappy Posted at 2017-10-23 15:28
https://youtu.be/BoliBinEZyo
Here is the condition I got it back after mailing it in a SECOND time.

If I'm reading this thread correctly, you didn't pay for the repair so they sent it back to you unrepaired.  Why  do you act so surprised that you received it back still broken?  Or if I'm misunderstanding something, then what was the point of the video?

That is pathetic. I am usually supportive of DJI, but the condition of that aircraft is appalling. I also notice one of the rubber dampers is missing. Seriously DJI, what are you doing here, do you use complete idiots to work on these aircraft. Returning the aircraft with the shell open, a bag full of screws, missing damper and camera gimbal lock not fitted? You really deserve the ridicule you get for your product support and repair service. Even if the customer dids not elect to have it repaired, that is no excuse to return it disassembled.

Where is the pic of drone after crash?  I can't see it

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-10-21 18:49
Sir, I'm sorry to read your unpleasant experience. I have checked your case, please find the data analysis result below:

FLY271

Susan, see my post #13 above, do you have any sort of explanation for this pathetic work?

This ongoing unsatisfactory CS is getting pretty sad...

My only hope is that Frank gets an earful... Of what you might ask? Haha



RedHotPoker

http://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/PPFKMIN5K19AL87W6XWO/#

I keep hearing stories like this.

Spappy Posted at 2017-10-23 15:26
That is exactly what the report I got from DJI said, and is also why I've been trying to contest the analysis since I first heard it.  I can't tell you why the data shows a propeller flying off, but what I CAN tell you is what ACTUALLY happened.  Disregarding the previous issues I'd been unsuccessfully trying to resolve with DJI concerning lost signal, I can assure you that the propellers were in fact IN TACT  and still attached to the drone when it crashed.  I was out in a desert area planning to fly over a canyon.  I turned everything on and unloaded the drone out of the back seat of my king cab pickup and got an error saying there was strong magnetic interference (because it was in the truck when I turned everything on).  I moved everything well away from the truck (20 feet or so) and waited until I had the OK to launch (all green).  I launched the craft about 10 feet in the air and went to turn it 180 degrees to head towards the canyon.  When I hit the left stick to turn the craft around, it pitched hard to the side and shot into the ground like a dart!  It hit the ground so hard that it micro SD card popped out, and I was unable to find it as a result.[view_image]
As you can see from the picture, all 4 props were still VERY MUCH INTACT after the crash, and I can assure you they did not easily come off when I removed them for shipping.

'I was out in a desert area planning to fly over a canyon.  I turned everything on and unloaded the drone out of the back seat of my king cab pickup and got an error saying there was strong magnetic interference (because it was in the truck when I turned everything on).  I moved everything well away from the truck (20 feet or so) and waited until I had the OK to launch (all green).'

The explanation gives a clue to what happened. If you turned it on in the back of the truck, that would have caused a compass error during initialisation. Picking it up and moving out of the truck would mean it retained that error during launch, which would have caused it to fly sideways as you described. The correct procedure would have been to switch the aircraft off when you moved it out of the car. Then placing it on the ground and switching it on again would have caused a fresh initialisation without the influence of the metal car around it and it should have flown perfectly then.

Geebax Posted at 2017-10-23 15:40
That is pathetic. I am usually supportive of DJI, but the condition of that aircraft is appalling. I also notice one of the rubber dampers is missing. Seriously DJI, what are you doing here, do you use complete idiots to work on these aircraft. Returning the aircraft with the shell open, a bag full of screws, missing damper and camera gimbal lock not fitted? You really deserve the ridicule you get for your product support and repair service. Even if the customer dids not elect to have it repaired, that is no excuse to return it disassembled.

WoW!

Geebax Posted at 2017-10-23 18:37
'I was out in a desert area planning to fly over a canyon.  I turned everything on and unloaded the drone out of the back seat of my king cab pickup and got an error saying there was strong magnetic interference (because it was in the truck when I turned everything on).  I moved everything well away from the truck (20 feet or so) and waited until I had the OK to launch (all green).'

The explanation gives a clue to what happened. If you turned it on in the back of the truck, that would have caused a compass error during initialisation. Picking it up and moving out of the truck would mean it retained that error during launch, which would have caused it to fly sideways as you described. The correct procedure would have been to switch the aircraft off when you moved it out of the car. Then placing it on the ground and switching it on again would have caused a fresh initialisation without the influence of the metal car around it and it should have flown perfectly then.

I know manuals can't spell every little thing out but considering most people transport their birds via auto it would be best if there was a specific warning to this effect...of course then they'd actually have to read it

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-10-21 18:49
Sir, I'm sorry to read your unpleasant experience. I have checked your case, please find the data analysis result below:

FLY271

I looked at this .DAT. Contrary to DJI's findings the most that can be said is that there was a loss of propulsion on the rightFront. It can't be concluded that the cause was a missing or broken prop. Since this is a P3 Standard there is no motorSpeed or motorCurrent which would be required to determine if the rightFront prop was missing or broken. My analysis was based on the same data. All that can really be seen is that the rightFront motor was commanded 100% which would happen if either the prop broke, was missing, or there was an ESC failure.

Here is another P3 Standard incident similar to this one.
https://phantompilots.com/threads/my-first-drone-failure-today-help.72054/page-2#post-725794
In that thread there is movie in the first post demonstrating that there was an ESC failure. http://bit.ly/1Rtl9K4

Geebax Posted at 2017-10-23 18:37
'I was out in a desert area planning to fly over a canyon.  I turned everything on and unloaded the drone out of the back seat of my king cab pickup and got an error saying there was strong magnetic interference (because it was in the truck when I turned everything on).  I moved everything well away from the truck (20 feet or so) and waited until I had the OK to launch (all green).'

The explanation gives a clue to what happened. If you turned it on in the back of the truck, that would have caused a compass error during initialisation. Picking it up and moving out of the truck would mean it retained that error during launch, which would have caused it to fly sideways as you described. The correct procedure would have been to switch the aircraft off when you moved it out of the car. Then placing it on the ground and switching it on again would have caused a fresh initialisation without the influence of the metal car around it and it should have flown perfectly then.

I also suspected this. But, there was no evidence that the compass (and then Yaw) was compromised.

BudWalker Posted at 2017-10-24 05:36
I also suspected this. But, there was no evidence that the compass (and then Yaw) was compromised.

OK, I did not see any data on this, but your analysis looks spot on.

In this case there is a post incident movie demonstrating there was an ESC failure.
http://bit.ly/1Rtl9K4

Interested as to where you found this? It is pretty damning.

Sorry if you read this as the movie was for this incident. The movie was for the other inccident that I referred to. It is buried in the first post of that other thread and I just pulled it out.


Again the movie is for the other incident.

BudWalker Posted at 2017-10-24 15:44
Sorry if you read this as the movie was for this incident. The movie was for the other inccident that I referred to. It is buried in the first post of that other thread and I just pulled it out.

OK, got that.

Geebax Posted at 2017-10-23 18:37
'I was out in a desert area planning to fly over a canyon.  I turned everything on and unloaded the drone out of the back seat of my king cab pickup and got an error saying there was strong magnetic interference (because it was in the truck when I turned everything on).  I moved everything well away from the truck (20 feet or so) and waited until I had the OK to launch (all green).'

The explanation gives a clue to what happened. If you turned it on in the back of the truck, that would have caused a compass error during initialisation. Picking it up and moving out of the truck would mean it retained that error during launch, which would have caused it to fly sideways as you described. The correct procedure would have been to switch the aircraft off when you moved it out of the car. Then placing it on the ground and switching it on again would have caused a fresh initialisation without the influence of the metal car around it and it should have flown perfectly then.

I understand your point of view, but this isn't the 1st time I have done this, even though it might not be the BEST  procedure, but this is definitely the 1st time anything like this has happened.  If you'll notice, I stated that I WAITED for all the errors to clear and the green "OK for takeoff" message.  Whether or not this is proper protocol is beside the point.  I was aware of magnetic interference the 1st time I attempted to launch the drone in my driveway and was too close to my Datsun pickup.  That's why I waited until I got the green "OK for takeoff" message.  If that truly was the cause of the crash, no one has yet to identify it, only saying that a propeller flew off after takeoff, which is preposterous.

Irate Retro Posted at 2017-10-23 15:38
If I'm reading this thread correctly, you didn't pay for the repair so they sent it back to you unrepaired.  Why  do you act so surprised that you received it back still broken?  Or if I'm misunderstanding something, then what was the point of the video?

The reason I'm refusing to pay for the repairs is because when I sent it in the FIRST time, their "analysis" concluded that one of the propellers flew off shortly after takeoff, which I immediately contested.  DJI said they would re-evaluate the craft, I kept getting reminders to pay for the repairs, I would call and email asking what is going on,  DJI CSR's would tell me they are looking into it,  I would ask about the reminders, they would tell me not to worry about it, and BAM!!! my drone shows up at my front door one day unrepaired.  I call again, irate, they tell me to send it back in, they will "escalate" the case, aaaaaaaaannnnnd the whole process starts all over.  What would you have done?

Genghis9 Posted at 2017-10-23 20:01
I know manuals can't spell every little thing out but considering most people transport their birds via auto it would be best if there was a specific warning to this effect...of course then they'd actually have to read it

Trust me, I was well aware of magnetic interference upon startup if you are too close to your automobile, which is why I waited an extra amount of time until I got the green light to launch.  As I told someone else, it might not be the best way, or even the right way to launch the drone, but it wasn't the 1st time, and I was well aware of the magnetic interference warning given when the craft is started up too close to an automobile.

Spappy Posted at 2017-10-24 17:19
Trust me, I was well aware of magnetic interference upon startup if you are too close to your automobile, which is why I waited an extra amount of time until I got the green light to launch.  As I told someone else, it might not be the best way, or even the right way to launch the drone, but it wasn't the 1st time, and I was well aware of the magnetic interference warning given when the craft is started up too close to an automobile.

Yeah...as they say crap happens
It's unfortunate what happened
Wish you the best

ALABAMA Posted at 2017-10-23 15:41
Where is the pic of drone after crash?  I can't see it

As you can plainly see, all 4 props are still attached and still intact, albeit a little dirty.  This is the original condition of the craft when I sent it in the 1st time.  Ultimately it was sent back to me in the same condition only the gimbal lock was not installed, and one of the camera shock mounts which was knocked loose at the time of the crash was almost falling off when I received it back - but still in far better shape than this last go-around for sure!

Genghis9 Posted at 2017-10-24 17:28
Yeah...as they say crap happens
It's unfortunate what happened
Wish you the best

Thanks!!!  It just gets ridiculous that it's been drug out this long.

ALABAMA Posted at 2017-10-23 15:41
Where is the pic of drone after crash?  I can't see it

Also worthy of note (not sure if I included this in the original explanation of the incident) when the drone crashed, it hit so hard that the micro SD card was ejected!  I spent about a half hour looking for it to no avail!  

Spappy Posted at 2017-10-24 17:06
I understand your point of view, but this isn't the 1st time I have done this, even though it might not be the BEST  procedure, but this is definitely the 1st time anything like this has happened.  If you'll notice, I stated that I WAITED for all the errors to clear and the green "OK for takeoff" message.  Whether or not this is proper protocol is beside the point.  I was aware of magnetic interference the 1st time I attempted to launch the drone in my driveway and was too close to my Datsun pickup.  That's why I waited until I got the green "OK for takeoff" message.  If that truly was the cause of the crash, no one has yet to identify it, only saying that a propeller flew off after takeoff, which is preposterous.

There is a subtle difference in the procedure. If you started it up in the car, then moved it out of the car, placed it on the ground, then waited for the errors to clear, then that is not the correct procedure. But, to be fair, there is nothing in the manual to tell you this. The green 'Ready For Take-off' message is not a guarantee that all is well in every respect.

The problem is, when the aircraft is first switched on, it initialises the compass unit (in the presence of all that metal) and then move it out of the car while switched on, you will retain a bad compass initialisation.

The correct prcedure would have been to switch it off again, move it out of the car, place it on the ground in an area free from any metal influence, and switch it on again. Then it will initialise the compass correctly, free from any metal. Please note that initialisation is nothing to do with compass calibration.

Spappy Posted at 2017-10-23 15:26
That is exactly what the report I got from DJI said, and is also why I've been trying to contest the analysis since I first heard it.  I can't tell you why the data shows a propeller flying off, but what I CAN tell you is what ACTUALLY happened.  Disregarding the previous issues I'd been unsuccessfully trying to resolve with DJI concerning lost signal, I can assure you that the propellers were in fact IN TACT  and still attached to the drone when it crashed.  I was out in a desert area planning to fly over a canyon.  I turned everything on and unloaded the drone out of the back seat of my king cab pickup and got an error saying there was strong magnetic interference (because it was in the truck when I turned everything on).  I moved everything well away from the truck (20 feet or so) and waited until I had the OK to launch (all green).  I launched the craft about 10 feet in the air and went to turn it 180 degrees to head towards the canyon.  When I hit the left stick to turn the craft around, it pitched hard to the side and shot into the ground like a dart!  It hit the ground so hard that it micro SD card popped out, and I was unable to find it as a result.[view_image]
As you can see from the picture, all 4 props were still VERY MUCH INTACT after the crash, and I can assure you they did not easily come off when I removed them for shipping.

Thanks for getting back to us. I can feel your pain. While per the case log, both cases have been returned without repair. For the issue you mentioned, the designated team will investigate and offer further assistance. Again, I apologize for all inconvenience we caused.

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-10-25 00:42
Thanks for getting back to us. I can feel your pain. While per the case log, both cases have been returned without repair. For the issue you mentioned, the designated team will investigate and offer further assistance. Again, I apologize for all inconvenience we caused.

Honestly, at this point I'm growing a little tired of nothing but apologies from everyone at DJI.  You see, apologies aren't doing anything to get my AC from the state it's (still sitting in pieces in the box) back to a working, usable state.  THAT'S what I would love to hear from someone at DJI: REAL answers and REAL solutions of how we are going to move forward and FIX this mess ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!

Geebax, as usual, is spot on.  Even if you didn't lose the prop ,the flight was doomed from the start.  Sometimes you just have to chalk it up to experience and move on.

ALABAMA Posted at 2017-10-25 04:46
Geebax, as usual, is spot on.  Even if you didn't lose the prop ,the flight was doomed from the start.  Sometimes you just have to chalk it up to experience and move on.

Actually, that's not correct. The .DAT shows the compass, and Yaw were not compromised. Were it not for the propulsion issue the flight would have continued without incident.

GeeBax and ALABAMA the .DAT file (FLY271.DAT) can be obtained by going here
DropBox - FLY271.DAT

Geebax Posted at 2017-10-24 22:45
There is a subtle difference in the procedure. If you started it up in the car, then moved it out of the car, placed it on the ground, then waited for the errors to clear, then that is not the correct procedure. But, to be fair, there is nothing in the manual to tell you this. The green 'Ready For Take-off' message is not a guarantee that all is well in every respect.

The problem is, when the aircraft is first switched on, it initialises the compass unit (in the presence of all that metal) and then move it out of the car while switched on, you will retain a bad compass initialisation.

I'll just add one thing to this. As you said the Yaw value gets initialized at batteryOn with the magYaw value. MagYaw is a heading value determined by the magnetometers and then corrected by pitch and roll. After that, Yaw is determined mostly from the IMU sensors(gyros, acelerometers). MagYaw is used only at low gain to correct the Yaw value - any difference is reduced over time by continually adjusting the Yaw value.
There are a couple of scenarios:

The first is the usual launch-from-geomagnetically-distorted-site scenario. Here the Yaw value is set from the incorrect magYaw value. Immediately, after launch magYaw becomes correct but Yaw is still incorrect because not enough time has elapsed for Yaw to have been corrected by magYaw.

The second scenario is where the AC was powered on in a geomagnetically distorted site causing Yaw to be initialized incorrectly from an incorrect magYaw. But, then moved to an OK location where magYaw is correct. If allowed to sit long enough the Yaw value will eventually be adjusted to the now correct magYaw value. BTW, as far as I can tell this didn't happen in this incident - there is no evidence that magYaw (or yaw was ever incorrect). Maybe this happened to Spappy in a different flight. I know I often can't exactly remember what happened in particular flights. Take a look at the attached.


The single most effective way to know if there is a compass issue prior to launch is to look at the heading indicator in the map display (see attached). Almost by definition this is what the AC thinks the Yaw value is. If it's not consistent with what you can see by looking at the AC then Yaw is incorrect and erratic flight, possibly a fly away, is almost guaranteed.