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Spark battery fell out during flight
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17750 78 2018-1-22
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Flighty
Captain
Flight distance : 1977175 ft
Croatia
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fanse3890f3b Posted at 2018-9-14 20:36
I just had it happen to me at 265 ft. :/ My spark will be at DJI on Monday. Did they cover the cost of the repair and replacement battery or did you have to pay some thing. My batteries (2) were made in 07/17.

Not good these batteries falling out,, and yes, DJi paid for all repairs,, motor arm and gimbal,, and replaced the battery.
2018-9-14
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English Muffin
Flight distance : 16129 ft
United States
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Flighty Posted at 2018-9-14 22:53
Not good these batteries falling out,, and yes, DJi paid for all repairs,, motor arm and gimbal,, and replaced the battery.

That's good that they took care of it. Same things on mine broke, arm, motor and camera/gimbal. I have the battery clip coming today. Lesson learned.
2018-9-15
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djiuser_oMJOvFW3Yqj4
lvl.1
Flight distance : 8002 ft
United States
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I have 14 flights on my Spark with no issues. Took the drone out to the country last Sunday to fly while daughter was at a 4 hour softball practice. I launched the drone in beginner mode and went out about 100 feet and 25 up. As I was turning the drone the battery fell off. I saw it come down to the ground and spent an hour searching the field, but I was unable to locate the drone, grass was about 4 feet tall. Used the app and last known locations but for the life of me I was not able to locate it. I am not a frequent flyer and I would say much a beginner and I am extremely cautious when flying the Spark . I have never had any issues until today and viewing the forum this seems to be an issue I was unaware of. I bought the Spark in November 2017 with the DJI Care, not sure what to do at this point. Pretty frustrstung to spend $700 only to have it lost from an issue with DJI Spark batteries. Extremely disappointed in DJI, I see now there is an aftermarket accessory to hold the battery in place, but if this was an issue perhaps DJI should have included this is their Fly More Combo.  Sorry about the rant, but big failure for DJI!
2018-9-20
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djiuser_oMJOvFW3Yqj4
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Flight distance : 8002 ft
United States
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djiuser_oMJOvFW3Yqj4 Posted at 2018-9-20 19:42
I have 14 flights on my Spark with no issues. Took the drone out to the country last Sunday to fly while daughter was at a 4 hour softball practice. I launched the drone in beginner mode and went out about 100 feet and 25 up. As I was turning the drone the battery fell off. I saw it come down to the ground and spent an hour searching the field, but I was unable to locate the drone, grass was about 4 feet tall. Used the app and last known locations but for the life of me I was not able to locate it. I am not a frequent flyer and I would say much a beginner and I am extremely cautious when flying the Spark . I have never had any issues until today and viewing the forum this seems to be an issue I was unaware of. I bought the Spark in November 2017 with the DJI Care, not sure what to do at this point. Pretty frustrstung to spend $700 only to have it lost from an issue with DJI Spark batteries. Extremely disappointed in DJI, I see now there is an aftermarket accessory to hold the battery in place, but if this was an issue perhaps DJI should have included this is their Fly More Combo.  Sorry about the rant, but big failure for DJI!

Thought I would provide an update on my case with DJI.  I have been working with Customer Support and they have been absolutely no help. This has been the worst customer experience I have ever had to deal with.  DJI has informed me they cannot figure out what happened since the flight data stopped. I was first offered a 30% discount to purchase a new Spark and then a 50% discount.  The battery ejected from my drone and the drone crashed.  Since I am unable to provide video or additional flight records they will not honor the warranty. i enjoyed my Sparkmas i am sure each of you, but DJI is just another foreign owned company that does not care or wish to take care of their customer. Shame on DJI!  
2018-9-27
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INTERAVE
lvl.3
Flight distance : 21079 ft
United States
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To be fair to DJI, I had the same issue about a year ago when my battery fell out during flight. The fall caused my Gimbal to malfunction, a sensor to fail, and a broken propeller. I reported the issue to DJI and they instructed me to send the battery and drone back to them. Just 2 days after they received the drone, I received an email notifying me that they are aware of the problem and then within a couple of days DJI sent me back a whole new Drone and Battery. DJI is a very proactive, customer-friendly company and as long as you keep them advised of any issues you might be having with your drone, most of the time they will do the right thing by their customers. I am not saying DJI is a perfect company but so far they have been extremely cooperative in resolving all the issues I have had with my drone.
2018-10-2
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English Muffin
Flight distance : 16129 ft
United States
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So I sent my spark to DJI Sep 13th, they received it Sep 18th. I got a quote Sep 25th for $145 for the repair. I have sent 3 emails to them explaining the situation that the battery just fell out and should be covered under the warranty as this is a known issue.  I reminded them that DJI undated the battery tabs in late 2017, if there wasn't an issue, why would they make the change to make the tabs bigger? As of today I haven't received a response to any of my emails. If there's any DJO folks on here, any assistance would be great.
2018-10-2
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English Muffin
Flight distance : 16129 ft
United States
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So be warned. If you use a 3rd party app, like Litchi, DJI will not cover any damage under the warranty, even if the damage wasn’t caused by the app. I have been going back an forth with them reguarding the battery falling out. No matter how much I explained the issue, I was told it wasn’t covered because I was using Litchi. This is really crappy on their part because they knew there was a problem with the battery and made a change to the battery tabs in Nov or Dec 2017, to make them larger. So if you going to use something other than the official DJI app, you use it at your own risk.
2018-10-12
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fans519eccd1
lvl.1
Flight distance : 28212 ft
Slovenia
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Well, today my practically brand new spark (~20 flights, mostly around the garden) dropped out of the sky, shortly followed by its battery. Of course, this was the first time i flew it over water so I’ve not only lost the drone but everything on the SD card. Absolutely gutted. I double checked the battery before flight and was second guessing myself but now I’ve done a quick google search I can see this is a common problem! £500+ for the flymore combo justvto have it sink to the bottom of the lake, extremely poor show fro DJI. If they don’t want to recall the faulty sparks/batteries they should at least let spark owners know there’s a potential issue and that we should buy a battery clip!!! I’d have bloody paid the £5 for a clip to save a £400 drone immediately....
2018-10-16
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English Muffin
Flight distance : 16129 ft
United States
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fans519eccd1 Posted at 2018-10-16 11:20
Well, today my practically brand new spark (~20 flights, mostly around the garden) dropped out of the sky, shortly followed by its battery. Of course, this was the first time i flew it over water so I’ve not only lost the drone but everything on the SD card. Absolutely gutted. I double checked the battery before flight and was second guessing myself but now I’ve done a quick google search I can see this is a common problem! £500+ for the flymore combo justvto have it sink to the bottom of the lake, extremely poor show fro DJI. If they don’t want to recall the faulty sparks/batteries they should at least let spark owners know there’s a potential issue and that we should buy a battery clip!!! I’d have bloody paid the £5 for a clip to save a £400 drone immediately....


Have you reached out to DJI customer service and started a case? If you haven't, you need to. They can look at the flight data, as long as you were using their app. I was told since I was using a 3rd party app, they couldn't determine the cause of the crash, therefor couldn't say it was the fault of battery falling out that caused the issue. And yes, they should have re-called the batteries or done something to advise customers of the issue. I was going back and forth for a couple weeks and ended up having to pay for the repair. What also irritated me, I sent my drone to Texas, everyone I spoke to on the phone was from some other country and their English was difficult to understand at best. Why cant they get someone from the facility they is doing the repairs call customers.
2018-10-17
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fans519eccd1
lvl.1
Flight distance : 28212 ft
Slovenia
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I’ve contacted support but am still on holiday at the moment so can’t provide proof of purchase as the receipt is at home. I guess they need this before progressing my case. I was using the DJI app and following their instructions I’ve now got the flight log and video. Both show very little, drone flies over water and then the video ends, the flight log shows no errors etc. Basically the battery dropped out and it fell like a stone. Can’t belive you had to pay for your own repairs when this is clearly a major issue., feels like a bit of a scam to me. I’ll update how I get on once I’m home and have provided proof of purchase!
2018-10-18
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DeuceDriv3r
First Officer
Flight distance : 4698533 ft
United States
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perhaps a letter to your countries version of the FAA stating the hazard this posses for flight safety might motivate DJI to get onboard with a recal and safety design change.

if the latches where metallic than it could be monitored by the flight controller to prohibit takeoff and / or warn of battery dislodgment during flight so one could minimize maneuvering and land the aircraft

as it stands the deficient design requires the use of a strap that DJI should send to any owner that requests one,

additionally, since a battery redesign was completed to enhance safety, then all non-compliant batteries should be returnable to DJI due to flight safety

if DJI wants to get into bed with the FAA and ICAO etc in the name of flight safety.. well then welcome to being an aircraft manufacturer where you are now liable for the flight safety of your aircraft design
2018-10-18
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Matteo D.
lvl.1
Flight distance : 12041 ft
Italy
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It just happened to me today!!!!
I was descending from 150m and the battery fell off!!!
Luckily it landed on grass and it seems to have no damages!
What can I do???  Now I'm afraid to fly again!!!
2018-11-1
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Laz22
lvl.4
Flight distance : 63307 ft
United States
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You can get a battery clip to prevent this, pretty cheap on Amazon.  Also, DJI made a change to the tabs (little triangles) on either side to prevent this on newer batteries.  I'm not sure about the date (I think Mid 2017) but their are pics on here some where showing new vs. old.
2018-11-2
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Laz22
lvl.4
Flight distance : 63307 ft
United States
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2018-11-2
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fans519eccd1
lvl.1
Flight distance : 28212 ft
United Kingdom
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Well, I'm pleased to say that after uploading my flight records and last video DJI deemed my situation to be a warranty case and sent me a new spark and battery ** sigh of relief** . It took around 2 – 3 weeks to complete the processes and I was impressed with the level of service received. I do hope the new battery is one of the new types with better catches but I’ll certainly buy a battery retainer to give me some piece of mind.  
2018-11-7
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DJI Tony
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fans519eccd1 Posted at 11-7 09:00
Well, I'm pleased to say that after uploading my flight records and last video DJI deemed my situation to be a warranty case and sent me a new spark and battery ** sigh of relief** . It took around 2 – 3 weeks to complete the processes and I was impressed with the level of service received. I do hope the new battery is one of the new types with better catches but I’ll certainly buy a battery retainer to give me some piece of mind.

Hi, thanks for sharing your story here about this case. We highly appreciated your feedback and we will keep improving our end to provide better service. Thank you for the support. Have a safe flight.
2018-11-7
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fansefc998b3
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United States
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Same thing just happened to me! I flew straight up and only rotated the drone, the battery fell and broke open on the pavement. My spark also hit the pavement. The  camera was broken at the bottom and the housing around the camera was cracked. I also lost an led light cover. I was flying at a community gym, had my drone been maybe 25-30 feet to the right, it would’ve put the group of children watching the drone in serious danger. I’ve already sent an email to customer service, I’m expecting this to be covered under warranty as I’ve read numerous threads with others having the same problem, and it having to do with the poor design of the battery tabs. Also, I just purchased this drone 10 days ago and it has less than a dozen flights on it.
2018-12-3
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fansf4d15dd7
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United Kingdom
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This happened to me yesterday. Battery came out at about 36m altitude. Found the drone but not the battery.
However I fell into an eight foot ditch and needed  rescuing by the fire service. Not impressed that DJI know about this issue and haven’t addressed it.
2019-1-2
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Daniella3d
Second Officer
Canada
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DJI should definitely address this and make a safe clip and send it for free to all DJI Spark owners. Or at least compensate us for having to buy the darn clip. I paid 15$ for the clip on Amazon. It's not well done either, as it is hard to clip. I wish DJI would make a safe one.  By the look of the recent battery drops, it is probably happening with the new battery as well.
2019-1-2
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pianoplayer7
First Officer
Flight distance : 259055 ft
United States
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Matteo D. Posted at 2018-11-1 09:35
It just happened to me today!!!!
I was descending from 150m and the battery fell off!!!
Luckily it landed on grass and it seems to have no damages!

It happened to me too. Just start the drone and hover in place. If it flies fine, then it should be ok.
2019-1-2
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THMS_B
lvl.1
Flight distance : 56932 ft
United Kingdom
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I'm sure this is what recently happened to my Spark drone too. The controller toned, showed 'aircraft disconnected' and FPV image greyed out (and never re-gained connection), so at the time I was drawn to look at the controller and not up at the drone. Horizontally it was only about 10-15m from the take off point where I was with unobstructed line of sight. Due to some quite dense vegetation (approximately 2m in height) and boggy terrain, it was unfortunately too unsafe to retrieve the Spark, so was lost for good. I am pretty sure it was a power issue because the only indicator I have is on the flight log, where my flight just ends at 15m with no trace of attempted landing or sign of abnormality up to that point.
2019-3-20
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THMS_B
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Flight distance : 56932 ft
United Kingdom
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THMS_B Posted at 3-20 13:06
I'm sure this is what recently happened to my Spark drone too. The controller toned, showed 'aircraft disconnected' and FPV image greyed out (and never re-gained connection), so at the time I was drawn to look at the controller and not up at the drone. Horizontally it was only about 10-15m from the take off point where I was with unobstructed line of sight. Due to some quite dense vegetation (approximately 2m in height) and boggy terrain, it was unfortunately too unsafe to retrieve the Spark, so was lost for good. I am pretty sure it was a power issue because the only indicator I have is on the flight log, where my flight just ends at 15m with no trace of attempted landing or sign of abnormality up to that point.

For those that experienced the battery disconnecting mid flight, I'm interested to know what your flight records show right at the point the battery disconnects? I'm guessing it is the same as mine, just normal flight no sign of abnormality and then suddenly no data?

I was quite keen to work with DJI to get to the bottom of this because it does represent a risk to people and property until resolved but from the responses I received from DJI (and seemingly others in the thread too), it is apparent that they have no intention of properly investigating these cases. I think I'm in the same position as a lot of people here. I really liked my drone, the photographs captured were incredible but this experience completely knocked my confidence in their safety. I had the same offer of 50% off like others here, but there is absolutely no way I'd have another because the after care service left me with no reassurances that this wouldn't happen again.
2019-3-25
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Renames
Second Officer
Flight distance : 4232851 ft
Australia
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lannes Posted at 2018-1-22 03:49
I think we will be waiting a month of sundays for DJI to ever make a product recall.

You either buy a cheap clip or you roll the dice and fly without one.

Dji replace my spark no questions asked, after my battery fell out, my spark was not recovered either as it’s currently stuck in a tree around 80 meters high.. no safe to climb and not financials viable to hire something to get it down.
2019-3-25
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fans98bd016b
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Belgium
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DJI Elektra Posted at 2018-1-22 03:19
Sir, sorry for the accident. Please contact our support and start a case: http://www.dji.com/support. Please provide the filght records to our support and locate the problem. And please provide us the case number  so we can follow your case. Thanks for your support.

I had the same case and i did send a report throughout my DJI app with flight record and foto’s of the battery that fell out but i can’t find my drone but i haven’t had an anwser from the DJI support....

I think for 600 euro that this should never be able to happen i only flew a Total of 2h and 10 min what if the drone fell on someone??? Or if it broke something then what?? I think this is DJI responsability... i see a few people had this before.

And what for support am i going to get? The drone is missing i sent flyers in the neighborhood but so far no one has found it. I hope for 600 euro and 2h of flight time that i can get a refund of Some sort.

Mvg, glenn
2019-4-24
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chrischris666
lvl.1

Germany
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To me happens the same. First I saw the battery falling then the drone. Both was falling in the river. I am so disappointed about DJI. No cash back! It’s a manufacturer foult! Error in Design! Very bad!
2019-7-20
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Adi Hertila
Flight distance : 297185 ft
Romania
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I always check the battery before flying. I try to get it out without pressing those buttons so I can be sure that everything is ok.
2019-8-14
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djiuser_vfkO6qwpePYy
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While landing the dji spark, the battery suddenly blew up. Luckily everything of the drone was safe. Just the battery was about to cost me 700 usd. Dji should fix this problem as soon as possible
2019-10-9
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djiuser_vfkO6qwpePYy
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While landing the dji spark, the battery suddenly blew up. Luckily everything of the drone was safe. Just the battery was about to cost me 700 usd. Dji should fix this problem as soon as possible
2019-10-9
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Slick1215
Second Officer
Flight distance : 239091 ft
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lannes Posted at 2018-1-22 03:23
Everyone needs to use the battery clip as a precaution, it's quick, easy to install and it's cheap

[view_image]

I always use this clip, for the price it was a no-brainer. Also as a back up I place a large o-ring. Battery will not come off with these two fail safe items I place when I fly.
2019-10-9
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rkyoungharding
lvl.1
Flight distance : 4409 ft
United States
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I didn't even realize this was a thing until it happened to me.  Ironic thing is I always double check everything, including jiggling my battery just before takeoff.  

I was flying my Spark at approximately 75 feet when the battery fell from the sky, followed by the Spark.  The battery is a goner (broken).  Since the crash, my Spark won't calibrate, has a compass error, and I'm having problems with the video.  

I'm freaked out by this battery seating issue ~ so dangerous!   It's good to know about the clip that's available to help keep the battery in place.  I'm purchasing one today even though I won't have a need for it until I get my Spark fixed.    
2020-2-23
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djiuser_1n5csZbCghRr
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United Kingdom
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This as just happend too me drone was nearly 400 ft up. Battery just pinged owt n down it went. Very annoyed to be honnest cost me a fortune lucky enough the drone landed on some over grown grass but the battery landed on concrete and shattered. Not good enough wi the prices off these things. Drone still works but the battery broke.
2020-4-16
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Jakab Gipsz
First Officer

Hungary
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djiuser_1n5csZbCghRr Posted at 4-16 11:02
This as just happend too me drone was nearly 400 ft up. Battery just pinged owt n down it went. Very annoyed to be honnest cost me a fortune lucky enough the drone landed on some over grown grass but the battery landed on concrete and shattered. Not good enough wi the prices off these things. Drone still works but the battery broke.

It also happened to me in the summer of 2018. It fell from a height of 90m due to the battery, but luckily the tall grass caught the blow and there was nothing wrong with it.
The DJI misplaced the mounting of the batteries and the second series (elevated) mounting tab didn’t help either. For me, this second generation battery has dropped!
Think about what happens if someone hits the battery ...
The DJI should have called back all the machines (as they do in the car industry) or sent a battery recorder to everyone for free.
Most people don’t even know about this mistake until it happens.
2020-4-19
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djiuser_hgWkV6Mmle0U
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United States
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I have had my DJI spark for a year and I have flown it over water before but recently I went to a lake to fly my spark. After taking and taking a few pictures over land for a minute I went over the lake, and all the sudden the battery plopped out and it sunk to the bottom of the lake.
2020-4-22
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djiuser_9HdwFW70b8yk
lvl.1
Flight distance : 412595 ft
United States
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Ok so I purchased a brand new Mavic Zoom back in the beginning of May. After only about 10 to 15 flights I was out enjoying my new drone. Suddenly it fell from the sky like a ton of bricks. All I could do was watch it's death dive into the top of multistory apt building. My heart sank. It took me a few days to rig up a line with a net attached to one of my other drones to retrieve it. Yes you read that correctly. I used my camera to guide the net over the wreckage and was able to lift it off the roof and land it safely below. This thing was destroyed!! I of course sent it to DJI along with flight record and told them what happened. I received an email today that they reviewed everything and are willing to give me 30 % off the repair!! Are you kidding me?? I have been a pilot for many many years and this is the second time this issue has occurred. The first time was on a Mavic 2 that suddenly lost all power and fell. DJI needs to make this right.
2020-7-8
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JJB*
Captain
Flight distance : 12132231 ft
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Netherlands
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djiuser_9HdwFW70b8yk Posted at 7-8 17:19
Ok so I purchased a brand new Mavic Zoom back in the beginning of May. After only about 10 to 15 flights I was out enjoying my new drone. Suddenly it fell from the sky like a ton of bricks. All I could do was watch it's death dive into the top of multistory apt building. My heart sank. It took me a few days to rig up a line with a net attached to one of my other drones to retrieve it. Yes you read that correctly. I used my camera to guide the net over the wreckage and was able to lift it off the roof and land it safely below. This thing was destroyed!! I of course sent it to DJI along with flight record and told them what happened. I received an email today that they reviewed everything and are willing to give me 30 % off the repair!! Are you kidding me?? I have been a pilot for many many years and this is the second time this issue has occurred. The first time was on a Mavic 2 that suddenly lost all power and fell. DJI needs to make this right.

Hiya,

Best is to start a new thread (in the mavic section), and upload your flightrecord as well.

use this > https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/

cheers
JJB
2020-7-9
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djiuser_Z3wiGRXnoL9p
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Canada
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Happened to me as well.
Took off and went forward, battery came out and and the drone and battery fell into the water.

Both were retrieved within 15 - 20 seconds.
I thoroughly dried the spark, with tissue and a towel and shook the water out.
I didnt use the drone for 48 hours +
Turned the drone back on with a new battery and surprisingly it worked.  Flew it nervously.

Will be opening a case with DJI and requesting a new one !
2020-8-17
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Martyzion
First Officer
Flight distance : 1976608 ft
United States
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Thanks to this forum I'll be getting one of these nifty clips.  Seems like the problem is that one of the two latches doesn't engage. So tugging on a drone battery while gently wiggling it to make sure it's completely seated might be necessary pre-flight
2020-8-18
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PaulGr
lvl.1

United States
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This same thing just happened to me. I had my Spark hovering about 15 feet off the ground as I was simply looking at an air vent on the roof of my house when the battery just fell off and the Spark crashed to the concrete deck and it snapped the plastic housing by the motor. I contacted DJI support and they asked me to send them the video cache and video recording which I did. It shows the drone simply hovering and then goes black from when the battery drops out. DJI support are saying they can't say its their fault and they won't commit to any help on the repair. They told me to just send the drone in and they will tell me what it costs to fix it after they look at it (and if I choose not to fix it they will charge me $60/hour for simply looking at it!. DJI is NOT taking responsibility for a design flaw that is causing their drones to drop from the sky and crash and break (or get lost).

2021-2-9
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djiuser_3AUWi3O5qHrV
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Netherlands
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Hello,
On the 17th of December my son was flying his DJI spark in the park near a pond. When suddenly the spark drops out of the sky. When it dropt we see that the battery has fall first.
So it has came loose. The drone was like new my son was scared to fly the drone, so would only fly when I was there with him. The spark is now no ware to be found. I have read on the internet en seen on YouTube that this is a defect of the spark. I hope DJI can do something for my son all his money went to the DJI spark because he wanted a good quality drone…..
2022-12-20
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