So i was flying today after i updated to the newest firmware, everything was fine came back swapped batterys, flying, decided to turn back home so im flying home, my remote controller says it lost signal then immediately says aircraft disconnected. i wasnt really worried because i was expecting it to return to home, but i look up and see the red lights from it and i can see it tumbling from 485 feet, the motors were still spinning but it was falling really fast so it definitely wasnt landing. i checked my find my drone tab to find it saying my Mavic is in china, i live in united states, so that was very helpfull, then i check the flight record and i saw that it stopped recording flight record for a while before it fell so i couldnt use anything to track it, i tried walking around the neighborhood and connecting the rc but no luck, battery definitely flew off on impact. now im just stuck here, gonna go out tomorrow morning knock on a few neighbor houses hopefully i get my Mavic back, im definitely sure this wasnt pilot error. here are my log files from my RC, Happened at 6:33 PM Pacific time zone on 10/24/2017

Logs: https://mega.nz/#F!96wGARCS!Fud48PnUt8JQdDQ4MEvSsA

This kind of reports scares the **** out of me...

It scares me to after hearing these reports it’s in the back of my mind that it could happen anytime

It is just reality. Some day, this WILL happen. Anything can fail. It's mechanical and those drones don't have any failsafe. 1 rotor stops... it's gone.

This is why everyone needs to get "Personal Articles Insurance" State farm offers it in the USA, insured my P4P & Mavic under a single policy for a total of $2,850 replacement cost for $75 p/year, no questions asked replacement. Yes it will happen someday whether from pilot error or mechanical failure but I take solace in that I can replace it within a week with the insurance.

I know it's possible and from months stopped flying over people, houses, busy roads as much as possible (sometimes there single houses I cant see in the woods ).
Because I am not afraid of losing my "recious", but to crash on someone's head

QuadKid Posted at 2017-10-25 01:16
This is why everyone needs to get "Personal Articles Insurance" State farm offers it in the USA, insured my P4P & Mavic under a single policy for a total of $2,850 replacement cost for $75 p/year, no questions asked replacement. Yes it will happen someday whether from pilot error or mechanical failure but I take solace in that I can replace it within a week with the insurance.

Not that simple for "everyone".  You guys in the USA are quite lucky.

HomePoint Posted at 2017-10-25 01:55
Not that simple for "everyone".  You guys in the USA are quite lucky.

I know, I should have clarified USA only. Me & the wife may be moving to the UK ( England ) in June of next year permanently. My only daughter & Son in Law live in Church Gresley, we have been there many times and really enjoy the time spent. Just had my second granddaughter and at our age maybe it's time to be closer to family. Son in Law flies quads (as a hobby) and is a Captain for Ryan Air 737's.  His direction in the rules for CAA will be invaluable.

If in the UK then get FPV membership who provide £5,000,000 of third party liability insurance to fly battery operated model aircraft (drones included) for recreational purposes as part of their annual subscription for £20 a year. As for the drone itself, get DJI care refresh or add it as a specified gadget item on your home insurance policy and ensure accidental damage is covered. Nothing worse than seeing a grand of your hard earned cash drop out the sky not to mention what damage it’s done upon hitting (hopefully) the ground. Another reason to fly away from residential areas and keep the drone in VLOS at all times. Amazing piece of tech but no tech is 100%.  

I know you said that "it stopped recording flight record for a while before it fell" but I still suspect that it probably landed close to the last position reported in the flight log. Retrieve the log (TXT file) from your mobile device using these instructions, then upload the file to PhantomHelp and provide a link to the uploaded log here and someone can tell you specifically where to look for it.

Another option -- and probably a better one, especially if there was a disconnect between your remote control and mobile device -- would be to retrieve the DAT file from the remote control. The instructions for retrieving it are here, and once you've accessed it you'll need to upload it to DropBox and provide a link to it in this thread, or you can send me a Private Message. It's very likely that the remote's DAT file will show where your Mavic came down, so if you upload it there's a good chance of finding out where you should look. Good luck.

P.S. I'm guessing that this and this are also you, correct? It's likely that you'll eventually be asked for the same information there, and of course it's your choice as to whether to provide it, but I should probably warn you that MavicPilots isn't exactly the most forgiving forum on the internet.

I am scared to read this and sorry for your loss.

I am sorry to hear about this situation, have you contacted our support to start the data analysis? Please sync your flight record and contact us, we will help to investigate this case. Here’s the link to contact us: http://www.dji.com/support. Also, hope you can get the drone back finally.

DroneFlying Posted at 2017-10-25 02:33
I know you said that "it stopped recording flight record for a while before it fell" but I still suspect that it probably landed close to the last position reported in the flight log. Retrieve the log (TXT file) from your mobile device using these instructions, then upload the file to PhantomHelp and provide a link to the uploaded log here and someone can tell you specifically where to look for it.

Another option -- and probably a better one, especially if there was a disconnect between your remote control and mobile device -- would be to retrieve the DAT file from the remote control. The instructions for retrieving it are here, and once you've accessed it you'll need to upload it to DropBox and provide a link to it in this thread, or you can send me a Private Message. It's very likely that the remote's DAT file will show where your Mavic came down, so if you upload it there's a good chance of finding out where you should look. Good luck.

I found the Mavic, arm is semi ripped off and gimble ripped off, exporting the black box right now

fans00b0413d Posted at 2017-10-25 08:13
I found the Mavic, arm is semi ripped off and gimble ripped off, exporting the black box right now

Hope You have care refresh.

fans00b0413d Posted at 2017-10-25 08:13
I found the Mavic, arm is semi ripped off and gimble ripped off, exporting the black box right now

I'm glad to hear that. The DAT file from the Mavic itself will have the most information about what occurred. The instructions for retrieving it are here, and once you've accessed it you'll need to upload it to DropBox and provide a link in this thread. The correct file will have a timestamp that corresponds to when the flight occurred and should be tens or hundreds of megabytes in size.

DroneFlying Posted at 2017-10-25 08:33
I'm glad to hear that. The DAT file from the Mavic itself will have the most information about what occurred. The instructions for retrieving it are here, and once you've accessed it you'll need to upload it to DropBox and provide a link in this thread. The correct file will have a timestamp that corresponds to when the flight occurred and should be tens or hundreds of megabytes in size.

https://mega.nz/#F!4nYCgYiY!vvuzqMn8iF33gKxqd1LA6A

here is a txt file from the Mavic

fans00b0413d Posted at 2017-10-25 08:36
https://mega.nz/#F!4nYCgYiY!vvuzqMn8iF33gKxqd1LA6A

here is a txt file from the Mavic

Ok, I'll take a look at those. If your Mavic can safely be powered on then you should try to get the DAT file from off it, because that will provide the most information about what happened.

DroneFlying Posted at 2017-10-25 08:38
Ok, I'll take a look at those. If your Mavic can safely be powered on then you should try to get the DAT file from off it, because that will provide the most information about what happened.

yea i included that in the folder also

fans00b0413d Posted at 2017-10-25 08:41
yea i included that in the folder also

Unfortunately I'm not seeing that. FLY045 doesn't appear to be a valid Flight Controller (FC) DAT file, and FLY046 appears to have come from the remote control rather than the Mavic itself. Some people have been trouble accessing DAT files on the Mavic and you want to try powering it off and back on again if some entries don't appear. Also, if you're not certain which is the correct file then just retrieve all the ones available and I'll figure out which is the correct one. Again, the correct one will be tens or (more likely) hundreds of megabytes in size and will come off the Mavic itself rather than the remote control. FLY045.DAT is just 49K in size and FLY046.DAT is just 2.3M.

Just today flew and had that dreadful 'aircraft disconnected' alert in red for a couple seconds. Heart dropped then quickly ascended to 50 feet then regained connection. Wow that was scary. so I can imagine what you went through. Glad you found the Mavic.

fans00b0413d Posted at 2017-10-25 08:41
yea i included that in the folder also

As I expected, the TXT file (the second / later one appears to correspond to the flight you described) doesn't really show anything helpful and unfortunately the valid DAT file (FLY046.DAT) appears to be from a different flight, as it shows a normal descent and landing at the end. The DAT file from the Mavic for the last flight will definitely be the best chance I have of figuring out what happened.

Sounds like somebody jammed the signal between the AC and RC.  

DroneFlying Posted at 2017-10-25 09:15
As I expected, the TXT file (the second / later one appears to correspond to the flight you described) doesn't really show anything helpful and unfortunately the valid DAT file (FLY046.DAT) appears to be from a different flight, as it shows a normal descent and landing at the end. The DAT file from the Mavic for the last flight will definitely be the best chance I have of figuring out what happened.

Yea I thought it was the wrong DAT file, when I get home I'll upload the right one sorry

Lucas775 Posted at 2017-10-25 10:09
Sounds like somebody jammed the signal between the AC and RC.

You really think so? I thought that right away also but I mean my neighborhood is just full of retired elderly people, don't think they're they type to be able to jam a signal.

DroneFlying Posted at 2017-10-25 09:15
As I expected, the TXT file (the second / later one appears to correspond to the flight you described) doesn't really show anything helpful and unfortunately the valid DAT file (FLY046.DAT) appears to be from a different flight, as it shows a normal descent and landing at the end. The DAT file from the Mavic for the last flight will definitely be the best chance I have of figuring out what happened.

i took files from the blackbox of the mavic but there are no DAT files

QuadKid Posted at 2017-10-25 01:16
This is why everyone needs to get "Personal Articles Insurance" State farm offers it in the USA, insured my P4P & Mavic under a single policy for a total of $2,850 replacement cost for $75 p/year, no questions asked replacement. Yes it will happen someday whether from pilot error or mechanical failure but I take solace in that I can replace it within a week with the insurance.

I know this has nothing to do with OP, but personal article insurance might not be a great idea since filing a claim will most certaintly go into the insurance underwriter database, meaning the next time you get home or auto insurance, you might get a rate increase (even though some agents say it won't. Even then, most people get dropped after one claim.

Alex.ter Posted at 2017-10-25 11:09
You really think so? I thought that right away also but I mean my neighborhood is just full of retired elderly people, don't think they're they type to be able to jam a signal.

There is always that one retired military guy that have the right equipment.  lol

I'm sorry to hear, have you tried  Thor's advice in post #12 and contacted Support to evaluate the logs that are available on the Go app?

Alex.ter Posted at 2017-10-25 13:19
i took files from the blackbox of the mavic but there are no DAT files

The DAT file I'm looking for wouldn't be under "Black Box" but either "Flight Record" or "Data Upload" (depending upon which version of the Assistant software is in use). The instructions on how to retrieve it are on this page.

DroneFlying Posted at 2017-10-25 14:29
The DAT file I'm looking for wouldn't be under "Black Box" but either "Flight Record" or "Data Upload" (depending upon which version of the Assistant software is in use). The instructions on how to retrieve it are on this page.

Yep all ready got it, it's on the original link

picture of a map  Blue is the last location on the flight record, and Red is where it fell

https://mega.nz/#!t35BhJgK!WKRLlkYfTL0YtQ7m60BnHNxIUCJlP3DfkjdX8tsysLg

Alex.ter Posted at 2017-10-25 15:51
Yep all ready got it, it's on the original link

Thank you. FLY047.DAT appears to be the correct file, but I'm not seeing anything in it that would explain why this happened. I've looked at a few other cases where Mavics fell from the sky and usually there are a small number of entries from the last few milliseconds of the flight that show an abrupt loss of power, but that's not the case here. In fact, other than ending abruptly the log doesn't show anything unusual or even interesting at all towards the end of the flight, so I'm at a loss to explain it and I certainly don't see anything to suggest that this was caused by pilot error.

I did notice that your Mavic has a manufacture date of March 30, and earlier this year there was a cluster of cases somewhat similar to this and most of them occurred on Mavics manufactured in that month, though no definitive explanation or connection was ever established that I know of. And frankly I was hesitant to even mention that because it's a pretty thin basis on which to base a warranty claim, but I think the fact that the log just stops so abruptly probably indicates some sort of internal problem and that you're likely to wind up getting a free replacement from DJI.

In the meantime, I've asked BudWalker to also take a look at this because he's seen more of these spontaneous-falling-from-the-sky cases than I have, and he said that he will but that it's going to be another day or two before he can get to it.

I had an issue today and yesterday after updating to latest firmware and latest GO4 app for android cause i wanted to use the new props and try the new features all my maps are gone and where after taking off yesterday  all seemed fine then i noticed laginess in the controls after i flew forwards bout 80m then when i got to bout 100m i lost connection(i have mine set to RTH) and the Mavic started decending then regained connection but the app was realy lagy and almost unresponsive so i turned around and landed.Today i tried again all seemed fine for a while but noticed forward speed was quite slower than normal in P-mode but side flight controls were normal, swiching to S-mode seemed normal i swiched back to P-mode untill i got to about 150m away and it sudenly said on the controller LANDING but nothing mentioned in the app and the Mavic slowly started to decend even tho i wasnt touching the controls.So i tried to nurse the Mavic back which i could but it was still decending slowly on its own till i got a lot closer then i had full control again so i landed.What is going on?This is freaking me out.I never had this issue with .900 and Go app .14  it seems from me monitoring the forums that since the new firmware update its becoming more common issue to lose control of the Mavic from RC disconection or the Mavic behaving in abnormal ways,the app crashing or laging or becoming unresponsive ect..

Can i go back to .900 by Factory reset or any ideas?Thanks for any input

DroneFlying Posted at 2017-10-26 02:43
Thank you. FLY047.DAT appears to be the correct file, but I'm not seeing anything in it that would explain why this happened. I've looked at a few other cases where Mavics fell from the sky and usually there are a small number of entries from the last few milliseconds of the flight that show an abrupt loss of power, but that's not the case here. In fact, other than ending abruptly the log doesn't show anything unusual or even interesting at all towards the end of the flight, so I'm at a loss to explain it and I certainly don't see anything to suggest that this was caused by pilot error.

I did notice that your Mavic has a manufacture date of March 30, and earlier this year there was a cluster of cases somewhat similar to this and most of them occurred on Mavics manufactured in that month, though no definitive explanation or connection was ever established that I know of. And frankly I was hesitant to even mention that because it's a pretty thin basis on which to base a warranty claim, but I think the fact that the log just stops so abruptly probably indicates some sort of internal problem and that you're likely to wind up getting a free replacement from DJI.

Thank you so much! I emailed Dji sent them those files, should get a reply today I'll report back here, hopefully I won't have to pay for a new Mavic!

Sorry to hear! Im scared of this happening!!! I just bought a Mavic and took it out for my first flght today. The app crashed twice and 8 of 10 files were corrupt. This forum wont let me post a thread so maybe one of you guy can help? Any one else experiencing this?

MavicManiac Posted at 2017-10-26 19:58
Sorry to hear! Im scared of this happening!!! I just bought a Mavic and took it out for my first flght today. The app crashed twice and 8 of 10 files were corrupt. This forum wont let me post a thread so maybe one of you guy can help? Any one else experiencing this?

Try updating dji go 4 it self solved the issue for my friend, other than that dji forums can only be used fully on a computer, or download google chrome on your phone and go to desktop mode, then it'll let you do everything

MavicManiac Posted at 2017-10-26 19:58
Sorry to hear! Im scared of this happening!!! I just bought a Mavic and took it out for my first flght today. The app crashed twice and 8 of 10 files were corrupt. This forum wont let me post a thread so maybe one of you guy can help? Any one else experiencing this?

What mobile device are you using? Is the APP up to date? Please try to reinstall the APP.

Went as far as doing a factory reset on my phone.. lost everything, all contact, #'s.. everything.
This is one of the worst purchases I've made in a while. Video is still choppy.

My Mavic Pro was RTH'ing, and as I was watching it come home (it was only 50 meters away), it fell from the sky like a rock (a horrible experience)! It is stuck on top a very tall tree and there is no way to climb the tree and retrieve it.

I have sync'ed up my flight records, and sent videoCache to DJI, and have a case number.

Was wondering what the next steps are, and and what has been the general experience with DJI support. I called them, and they said once they have all the info (I assume they do), it will take them 8-10 business days to make a determination. Is this a common experience? Any help/info/advice appreciated.

Mavic_Pilot100 Posted at 2017-11-3 13:49
My Mavic Pro was RTH'ing, and as I was watching it come home (it was only 50 meters away), it fell from the sky like a rock (a horrible experience)! It is stuck on top a very tall tree and there is no way to climb the tree and retrieve it.

I have sync'ed up my flight records, and sent videoCache to DJI, and have a case number.

Was wondering what the next steps are

If you'd like an independent (i.e., non-DJI) analysis then upload the flight log (TXT file from your mobile device) to PhantomHelp using these instructions, start a new thread of your own, and post a link to the log and your video there. Frankly I doubt the TXT log will show anything useful, but at least we'll be able to see the same information that DJI has access to.

what has been the general experience with DJI support

From what I've seen I'd say they're somewhat inconsistent and I wouldn't be inclined to guess what the initial response to your case will be: they might offer you a free warranty replacement after the initial assessment and they might not. If I had to guess I'd say they probably won't, at least initially (more on that in a minute), but they've certainly been known to surprise me both ways. My guess is that their initial offer will be a coupon for 30% off a new Mavic, which seems to be pretty standard in cases like this.

I called them, and they said once they have all the info (I assume they do), it will take them 8-10 business days to make a determination. Is this a common experience?

You mean is it common for them to take 8-10 days to make a determination? Yes, that sounds about right from what I've seen, though it's probably a conservative estimate and you may hear back from them sooner.

The good news is that they seem to genuinely try to do the right thing, but the bad news is that some of the people who investigate these things for them seem to be better at analyzing logs than others. Fortunately, DJI does allow appealing an initial decision, though just saying, "please look again" is far less likely to result in a change than saying that and producing additional evidence that the loss was caused by a product defect.

Speaking of producing evidence, I know you said it ended up in a "very tall tree", but I've seen a handful of cases like this where a Mavic was eventually rescued from such a location, though it usually involves paying someone -- normally a professional tree climber -- to retrieve it. You'd obviously be out of pocket for whatever that costs, but it may still be worthwhile if DJI initially refuses to provide a warranty replacement and you're convinced that it was a product defect. Because once you retrieve it from the tree you'll probably be able to access the flight log (DAT file) from the Mavic itself, and if that log demonstrates you weren't to blame for the loss then the probability that DJI will provide you with a free replacement becomes very high.

Good luck and let us know how things turn out.