It was only Maybe 8 feet up

ADDvanced Posted at 2018-1-3 08:40
I just got off with them, my case number is CAS-1371673-Z5K6W7

Thank you for the update, our support has sent you an email, please refer to the email to provide us more data for analysis at you most convenience, appreciate your cooperation.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2018-1-5 00:05
Thank you for the update, our support has sent you an email, please refer to the email to provide us more data for analysis at you most convenience, appreciate your cooperation.

Hi.  I have an email asking for the following:

First and Last Name:

- Shipping Address:

- Phone number:

- Model of your aircraft:

- Serial Number of the remote controller:

- Email address associated with your DJI Account you used for your last flight:

- Date and time of the incident：

- Description what you did to try and regain control:

- Video Cached (Applicable if you are recording during the accident, please refer to the attachment and export it from your mobile device and upload to Google drive/Dropbox.)

- Proof of Purchase:

I provided all this during the online chat support.  Are you seriously saying I have to retype all this out?   Again?   What was the point of typing it out to the online support specialist?!?!?!?!

ADDvanced Posted at 2018-1-5 06:44
Hi.  I have an email asking for the following:

First and Last Name:

It would have not taken you much longer than writing this post ;-)

so what is the count of the fly aways?

DJI Mindy Posted at 2018-1-5 00:05
Thank you for the update, our support has sent you an email, please refer to the email to provide us more data for analysis at you most convenience, appreciate your cooperation.

These spark flyaway issues are becoming epidemic! ... why don't you fix this issue and replace the drones that have encountered flyaways.

Jos A Posted at 2018-1-5 08:20
so what is the count of the fly aways?

Far too bloody many!!!

ADDvanced Posted at 2018-1-5 06:44
Hi.  I have an email asking for the following:

First and Last Name:

just a gentle note: don't send them your video footage, as they'll blame the operator.

It's getting difficult for Dji not face a big lawsuit soon, given the amount of spark flyaways and more important the lack of communication and transparency. In most countries consumer laws condemn this attitude.

I'm getting scared to fly my Spark at all!  Way too many fly away reports! I just got it and really don't want to lose it - should I keep it grounded until DJI issues a patch that at least lowers the chance of it flying away?

Illuminations Posted at 2018-1-5 14:11
I'm getting scared to fly my Spark at all!  Way too many fly away reports! I just got it and really don't want to lose it - should I keep it grounded until DJI issues a patch that at least lowers the chance of it flying away?

I would say fly it, but keep it with in limits.  Don't try to set any distance records and avoid water flights if you can.

My Spark flew away last monday.
DJI told me it was a warranty case, and replaced my drone.

There are indeed a lot of fly away topics here on the forum.
There must be a glitch somewhere in the firmware i think..

PilotWoevie Posted at 2018-1-5 14:24
My Spark flew away last monday.
DJI told me it was a warranty case, and replaced my drone.

When did you buy your SPARK ?  Did DJI gave you a reason for the Fly away ?

S.J Posted at 2018-1-5 14:29
When did you buy your SPARK ?  Did DJI gave you a reason for the Fly away ?

My Spark was just 2 weeks old.
They didn't give me any reason.

I hope I get the same luck.

Illuminations Posted at 2018-1-5 14:11
I'm getting scared to fly my Spark at all!  Way too many fly away reports! I just got it and really don't want to lose it - should I keep it grounded until DJI issues a patch that at least lowers the chance of it flying away?

Keep in mind that not everyone that has a successful and uneventful flight comes on and posts about it. So mostly all you are reading about is the negative stuff. It probably seems on the increase, because as time passes more and more drones are being sold and put in the air.
But overall its most likely possible that the drones having issues are well in the very low single digits percentage wise. And some of those cases have been resolved with replacements if it is shown to be product fault.
I think one of the popular threads here has had something like 13000 views. I'm not sure how many individual members are on the forum or certainly no idea how many Spark owners worldwide, but while the reports are alarming and worrying to read, and we'd hate to be in that position, - are there even 100 individual reports? You have to think a very high percentage of flyaway victims would post about it.
So its an unfair bias - the majority of successful flights - perhaps 1000's everyday - we hear nothing about, but the majority of Flyaways we probably will hear about.
I hope it doesn't happen to me, but I didn't buy it to be a paper weight. As soon as the weather improves here I'm out :-) And for sure if I have a flyaway I will pursue it as others have rightly done, but I won't let it discourage me from taking it out.

Illuminations Posted at 2018-1-5 14:11
I'm getting scared to fly my Spark at all!  Way too many fly away reports! I just got it and really don't want to lose it - should I keep it grounded until DJI issues a patch that at least lowers the chance of it flying away?

There is nothing to be scared.

I just used the SPARK yesterday  for PANO Sphere photograph using the latest android App V4.1.22 and SPARK Fw V0.9000.  
Apart from initial RC Mobile link issues, once connected, the SPARK flies without any fuss and lands precisely during RTH.     Wifi is the best option instead of the older OTG connection. Video is stable at least up to 1.5 kilometer distance

But ensure that you are not connected to the internet while the SPARK flies.

I think the flaw in the software is when SPARK checks for NFZ and tries to correct something in the flight . This can only be done through internet while connected to DJI server.  

AlanIRL Posted at 2018-1-5 14:36
Keep in mind that not everyone that has a successful and uneventful flight comes on and posts about it. So mostly all you are reading about is the negative stuff. It probably seems on the increase, because as time passes more and more drones are being sold and put in the air.
But overall its most likely possible that the drones having issues are well in the very low single digits percentage wise. And some of those cases have been resolved with replacements if it is shown to be product fault.
I think one of the popular threads here has had something like 13000 views. I'm not sure how many individual members are on the forum or certainly no idea how many Spark owners worldwide, but while the reports are alarming and worrying to read, and we'd hate to be in that position, - are there even 100 individual reports? You have to think a very high percentage of flyaway victims would post about it.

After my initial panic this was what I thought of too - a huge number of people got the Spark for Christmas, and of course there is going to be proportional spike in reported issues, and those whose drones fly away are of course going to reach out online immediately. I think there are definitely problems with the Spark's software that need to be fixed ASAP (I've definitely encountered my share of bugs!), but I've decided not to let internet horror stories keep me from flying.

Tviscomi Posted at 2018-1-5 14:12
I would say fly it, but keep it with in limits.  Don't try to set any distance records and avoid water flights if you can.

I haven't flown it over yet (well, unless you count a small marshy pond), but I'll have to fly it on the coast next week, as I've been commissioned to get that footage for a music video!

And yes, I know the spark has a rep for not being a professional tool, but the footage I've got so far has convinced me it's good enough for some projects depending on the requirements of the shoot.

AlanIRL Posted at 2018-1-5 14:36
Keep in mind that not everyone that has a successful and uneventful flight comes on and posts about it. So mostly all you are reading about is the negative stuff. It probably seems on the increase, because as time passes more and more drones are being sold and put in the air.
But overall its most likely possible that the drones having issues are well in the very low single digits percentage wise. And some of those cases have been resolved with replacements if it is shown to be product fault.
I think one of the popular threads here has had something like 13000 views. I'm not sure how many individual members are on the forum or certainly no idea how many Spark owners worldwide, but while the reports are alarming and worrying to read, and we'd hate to be in that position, - are there even 100 individual reports? You have to think a very high percentage of flyaway victims would post about it.

Thank you for this post, you have taken the words out of my mouth! And it should be added that from all what I have seen so far being reported as so called "fly aways", a huge portion after analysis came down to pilot errors that can happen to any of us. Whenever malfunctions of Spark were established, they were replaced under warranty. The more we practice and learn from others, the better we will be able to deal with difficult situations should they emerge.

PilotWoevie Posted at 2018-1-5 14:31
My Spark was just 2 weeks old.
They didn't give me any reason.

i think we need a separate thread regarding fly away and revealing the date on which customers have purchased their SPARK.  This way we can narrow down the problem whether it is a pilot error or production issues from a specific date.

I have also started a related thread on unofficial accessories that could compromise your warranty and void a claim of flyaway if its shown you had one on your drone. Plenty of accessories on sale, but not many from DJI store - some make great sense but could have bad consequences if you have a flyaway .

https://forum.dji.com/thread-127927-1-1.html

AlanIRL Posted at 2018-1-5 15:00
I have also started a related thread on unofficial accessories that could compromise your warranty and void a claim of flyaway if its shown you had one on your drone. Plenty of accessories on sale, but not many from DJI store - some make great sense but could have bad consequences if you have a flyaway .

https://forum.dji.com/thread-127927-1-1.html

I think it may be prudent to state that ANY accessory that is on DJI website that attaches to your device COULD void warranty, thus no need for a list.

ADDvanced Posted at 2018-1-5 06:44
Hi.  I have an email asking for the following:

First and Last Name:

Sir, the main point of the email was the tutorial how to sync the flight records, I apologize if you have provided the personal info to online chat support before.
The data analysis has been submitted and our team is working on in, please allow us some time and we will have someone to contact you about the result soon, appreciate your patience.

_zine Posted at 2018-1-5 12:45
These spark flyaway issues are becoming epidemic! ... why don't you fix this issue and replace the drones that have encountered flyaways.

There are many reasons that may cause the flyaway accident, our team will analyze the data case by case, we apologize for the trouble caused and we appreciate your kind understanding.

Update:  DJI approved this as a warranty case, and will replace my drone.  They will be giving me a coupon code for a replacement spark, I inquired if that includes one spark battery, since that was also lost.

So far, nothing but good things to say about DJI Service, as they listened to what happened, I synched my flights, and they confirmed there was some sort of error with the drone, NOT pilot error.  I will post again when I get the actual replacement drone in my mailbox.

Cheers, friends.  I would be hesitant to upgrade your firmware at this point; I had ZERO issues until this flight.  I don't know what's going on but it does not fill me with confidence when this can happen, but I am very excited to get a new spark.

Nice to see another happy ending. It seems that if you do everything correctly and the spark still decides to go rogue for some reason outside of your control, dji will cover its replacement.

Great news, ADDvanced. Did they communicate what caused the problem, and if they had or were working on a fix for the problem?

I’ve had a Phantom 1 for over four years, and built a DJI F550 hex, including the Datalink. Even though both machines have been flown to death, metaphorically speaking, neither has exhibited any problems. However the Spark has a lot more tech inside and after the most recent FW upgrade problems do seem to have escalated. I personally have not updated the FW on my Spark since the beginning of November and I’m still running 4.1.15 on Android and 4.1.18 on iOS.
Here’s hoping your nightmare is over.

Regards

Nidge.

ADDvanced Posted at 2018-1-8 12:47
Update:  DJI approved this as a warranty case, and will replace my drone.  They will be giving me a coupon code for a replacement spark, I inquired if that includes one spark battery, since that was also lost.

So far, nothing but good things to say about DJI Service, as they listened to what happened, I synched my flights, and they confirmed there was some sort of error with the drone, NOT pilot error.  I will post again when I get the actual replacement drone in my mailbox.

Nice to hear this, hope you can get the replacement soon, have a nice day!

Replacement finally arrived yesterday.   Okay, before I fly this thing, have there been any new updates to the last update?  I am now absolutely terrified of another fly away.

That sucks man. Hopefully you get satisfied soon.

That's great to hear! I'm glad you got a happy ending. So, it seems there may be some issue with the GPS/Compass or whatever, but it's something DJi are not trying to hide or wish away.

As for flying your new Sparky: do it! Spark is meant to fly. You know what they say about horse riding: if you have a bad fall, get straight back on and ride again!

Great to read about this positive outcome! I wish you always happy landings with the new one!

This happened to me and they essentially blamed power lines being nearby and would not cover a 10 day old unit for me.... In 25 years of rc I'd really not expect something so loaded with redundancy systems to go haywire as such....

aw.847.aw@gmail Posted at 9-18 15:38
This happened to me and they essentially blamed power lines being nearby and would not cover a 10 day old unit for me.... In 25 years of rc I'd really not expect something so loaded with redundancy systems to go haywire as such....

How close were you to the power lines?