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Has anyone flown with stress cracks until drone malfunctioned
2832 20 2018-7-31
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JJMik
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Has anyone actually had to bring their drone down due to flight problems caused by stress cracks between motor mount screws?   I searched and didnt see any posts about drone failure blamed on motors falling out or becoming loose because of the cracks. Maybe people are to embarrassed to admit that they let the problem get to that point.

The rep at the DJI store in NJ actually said he was flying his Phantom 4 with the cracks and that he would have kept flying mine for a while longer. I had cracks between every screw to the point tat I could push on the under carrage and see the plastic move between motor screws.  I had barely noticable cracks on other arms.


2018-7-31
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DJI Paladin
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Hi, our apologies for the inconvenience. Can you provide a picture so that we can check it on our end? Thanks for your support.
2018-7-31
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JJMik
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I already paid $75 plus more for shipping to have mine fixed. Brought to the DJI store in Paramus NJ and they sent it over to the NYC store.   When I asked the rep how I would know when the motors were ready to come come lose or fall out he laughed and wrote it up. I think it's crazy to fly a structurally compromised drone. I doubt it would fall straight down if it failed and NJ is so crowded that even though I don't fly intentionally above people who knows who or what it would damage.

IT REALLY IS ABSURD THAT DJI DOES NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM ON ALL OF ITS DRONES UNDER WARRANTY OR NOT.   I guess the company thinks it has such a monopoly right now that we will keep coming back?  Im waiting to find out about the TEAL ONE DRONE before I spend money on the Mavic pro I was considering next. (Because of the lack of accountability on DJI's part regarding their design flaw in the phantoms and because iPad mini 4 is listed as a tablet that can be used but when the video breaks up I'm told its because of the slow processor in the iPad mini 4. (which I purchased only for flying the drone)
2018-7-31
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ALABAMA
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They will never admit that this is caused by cheap plastic.
2018-7-31
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JJMik
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I seriously just want to know if this has led to problems or crashes.  Wasn't posting to complain and already got it fixed. I have an engineer friend who thinks it is because DJI simply torqued the screws to tight  during assembly.  DJI should make the braces themselves and ship them out to all of use to reinforce or if it is the screws tell use all to back them off or to bring to a DJI shop and have them do it for free.
2018-7-31
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Chris_A
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I refused to pay the £199.99 for a replacement shell (as one of my motor arms showed a hairline crack), especially since they could not guarantee it wouldn't happen again, so I repaired the crack with epoxy and fitted these motor plates (just remember to use blue thread lock when refitting the motor screws). So far so good.
2018-7-31
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Chris_A
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JJMik Posted at 2018-7-31 06:48
I seriously just want to know if this has led to problems or crashes.  Wasn't posting to complain and already got it fixed. I have an engineer friend who thinks it is because DJI simply torqued the screws to tight  during assembly.  DJI should make the braces themselves and ship them out to all of use to reinforce or if it is the screws tell use all to back them off or to bring to a DJI shop and have them do it for free.

Personally, I wouldn't fly if stress cracks were visible, although they would have to be bad to cause a flight failure.
2018-7-31
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dancopter
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Casey Neistat did a video with his P4P with a large fracture in the shell. It then cartwheeled into the ocean near the end of the video.
2018-7-31
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Geebax
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dancopter Posted at 2018-7-31 07:31
Casey Neistat did a video with his P4P with a large fracture in the shell. It then cartwheeled into the ocean near the end of the video.

Yeah, but Casey can't fly for nuts.
2018-7-31
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Mark The Droner
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Geebax Posted at 2018-7-31 15:55
Yeah, but Casey can't fly for nuts.


2018-7-31
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Geebax
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'Tis true he just hot-dogs it around until it hits something or falls in the water then hits DJI up for another one. Sweet deal.
2018-7-31
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RedHotPoker
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Geebax Posted at 2018-7-31 17:58
'Tis true he just hot-dogs it around until it hits something or falls in the water then hits DJI up for another one. Sweet deal.

He only flies for nuts, himself. Hahaha


RedHotPoker
2018-7-31
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endotherm
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Reducing this down to asking when the motors are going to fall out is the same as asking what day exactly am I going to get a flat tyre in my car.   The answer really isn't helpful.  Besides, it is up to you to determine whether that damage is sufficient to address or not.   I'm sure the majority of us have minor dings and scratches that we don't deem un-airworthy.  If it is of sufficient size to have you worried, then you shouldn't fly it and fix it.  Once again, I'm sure most of us have pushed a bit of machinery a bit beyond what we thought was prudent, hoping it wasn't going to fail.  This could be from a broken bicycle or car to a drill vice that isn't holding the work securely.  You might get away with it.  Someone else in the same situation won't.   It might fail for you and your engines fall out, but others with worse damage won't have a total failure.  Just look at military fighters (or even passenger planes that have had explosions) -- they often fly well beyond what is recommended and even thought possible.

So the moral of the story is if you see something that bothers you, fix it.  That way you don't have to leave it until the last minute before failure, and you stay safe.

To understand the extent of this particular problem, even real planes suffer from similar cracking and metal fatigue over their lifetime.   It is NOT a design defect, it is wear-and-tear.   Often the accepted repair is to glue a new metal plate (called a doubler) over the top and rivet it securely.   It ends up with a strong repair, often stronger than the original item it is repairing.  If it is good enough to glue and gusset passenger aircraft to repair them, it is good enough for your Phantom.



2018-8-1
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bob37
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Chris_A Posted at 2018-7-31 07:00
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I refused to pay the £199.99 for a replacement shell (as one of my motor arms showed a hairline crack), especially since they could not guarantee it wouldn't happen again, so I repaired the crack with epoxy and fitted these motor plates (just remember to use blue thread lock when refitting the motor screws). So far so good.

Where did you get the "motor plates" you show?  I just noticed fine cracks on two of my motor mounts.  Very fine now, but worried.  -  I just searched and found a set in Amazon for $20!  I just purchased them.  
2018-8-28
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Chris_A
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bob37 Posted at 2018-8-28 13:58
Where did you get the "motor plates" you show?  I just noticed fine cracks on two of my motor mounts.  Very fine now, but worried.  -  I just searched and found a set in Amazon for $20!  I just purchased them.

Hi Bob, these were purchased from E-Bay, make sure you repair the cracks first. I used a little plastic safe epoxy on each of the cracks, then, once dry, fitted the motor plates (I also place a little epoxy under each plate). I was a little dubious at first, but I found dry fitting each plate (just to be sure all lined up correctly before applying the epoxy) - Note: be careful when removing all of the motor screws, as the motor will turn on its mount.

I personally wouldnt fly if I noticed any cracking of the shell (especially around the motor housing), in my opinion with the vibration of the motors / blades, these cracks will only get worse, and based on the fact that I am not an aviation engineer, I would rather keep the bird grounded until repaired, than see it fall from the sky.  


I hope all goes well, report back here after you have fitted them
2018-8-28
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Dale 68
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I fitted some of those plates last year when I noticed some cracking, Instead of using thread lock i used a small blob of clear nail varnish, so far so good,  
2018-8-29
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RicardoGray
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Dale 68 Posted at 2018-8-29 00:10
I fitted some of those plates last year when I noticed some cracking, Instead of using thread lock i used a small blob of clear nail varnish, so far so good,

The varnish is a good substitute for Loctite. You should be fine. You just need a little something to hold those motor mounting screws secure.
2018-8-29
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Dale 68
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RicardoGray Posted at 2018-8-29 09:50
The varnish is a good substitute for Loctite. You should be fine. You just need a little something to hold those motor mounting screws secure.

I check them now and again, but after a year they haven't come loose.
2018-8-30
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bob37
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Chris_A Posted at 2018-8-28 23:06
Hi Bob, these were purchased from E-Bay, make sure you repair the cracks first. I used a little plastic safe epoxy on each of the cracks, then, once dry, fitted the motor plates (I also place a little epoxy under each plate). I was a little dubious at first, but I found dry fitting each plate (just to be sure all lined up correctly before applying the epoxy) - Note: be careful when removing all of the motor screws, as the motor will turn on its mount.

I personally wouldnt fly if I noticed any cracking of the shell (especially around the motor housing), in my opinion with the vibration of the motors / blades, these cracks will only get worse, and based on the fact that I am not an aviation engineer, I would rather keep the bird grounded until repaired, than see it fall from the sky.  

Thanks Chris and others here.  I just attached the Motor Plates and did as you suggested with the epoxy under the plates.  I will be flying as soon as UAV tells me the winds are okay.  
2018-9-5
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Mike-the-cat
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JJMik Posted at 2018-7-31 06:24
I already paid $75 plus more for shipping to have mine fixed. Brought to the DJI store in Paramus NJ and they sent it over to the NYC store.   When I asked the rep how I would know when the motors were ready to come come lose or fall out he laughed and wrote it up. I think it's crazy to fly a structurally compromised drone. I doubt it would fall straight down if it failed and NJ is so crowded that even though I don't fly intentionally above people who knows who or what it would damage.

IT REALLY IS ABSURD THAT DJI DOES NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM ON ALL OF ITS DRONES UNDER WARRANTY OR NOT.   I guess the company thinks it has such a monopoly right now that we will keep coming back?  Im waiting to find out about the TEAL ONE DRONE before I spend money on the Mavic pro I was considering next. (Because of the lack of accountability on DJI's part regarding their design flaw in the phantoms and because iPad mini 4 is listed as a tablet that can be used but when the video breaks up I'm told its because of the slow processor in the iPad mini 4. (which I purchased only for flying the drone)

THe P4 series uses a tougher polycarbonate shell as a result of experiences such as yours. If you don't want to spend on shipping, there are parts shops you can order from.

In most instances, the crack on the top side of the craft don't cause dangerous structural issues (I had them on the P2 series which uses the same plastics and P3). But as this is a flying machine, your responsible behaviour is appreciated.
2018-9-5
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JJMik
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Mike-the-cat Posted at 2018-9-5 20:20
THe P4 series uses a tougher polycarbonate shell as a result of experiences such as yours. If you don't want to spend on shipping, there are parts shops you can order from.

In most instances, the crack on the top side of the craft don't cause dangerous structural issues (I had them on the P2 series which uses the same plastics and P3). But as this is a flying machine, your responsible behaviour is appreciated.

My responsible behavior?

The reason I have been asking about this is because the reps at the DJI store and over the phone DJI folks acted like this was no big deal and even said I should consider continuing to fly although I had cracks from screw to screw on under body and hair line cracks every other arm.   I insisted on still getting it repaired because although I avoid flying over groups of people, I live in NJ where it's hard to avoid flying over roads and houses.  I am more worried about the responsibility than my drone itself given that I only paid $300 for it.... still not chump change but it makes me less worried about losing it than if I paid  over a thousand........which I might soon for a mavic zoom lol

It really was the DJI rep saying his were just as bad on his DJI 4 and that mine weren't bad at all that got me thinking about this.

I do appreciate the responsible comment for the fact that irresponsible people are leading to all sorts of drone laws prohibiting flying in parks and other land marks in NJ.
2018-9-9
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