Good day,

New flyer here.  I had a frightening flyaway experience this weekend, and I'm wondering if someone can shed some light on the situation.

I took the spark out for a quick flight over a frozen pond over the weekend to try to get some good footage of the low sun and snow.  The drone perfomed perfectly normal up until a minute into the flight when it took off on a southernly direction without warning at high speed.  There were a couple of error messages displayed on the screen saying "magenetic filed interference.  Exiting P-GPS mode."  It seemed as though I had partial control of it, as I was able to control the yaw, but not the direction of flight.  After a while, it turned into a south-westernly direction and eventually crashed into a tree and plummeted to the ground.  It's hard to put into words the feeling of panic that overcame me.  Luckily, I was able to recover the drone quickly.  It suffered two broken props and some damage to the body right around the camera and gimble, but as far as I can tell it's still working.  I brought it home and was able to get it to take off and hover indoors, but since the incident I haven't been brave enough to take it outside again.  Being as though that was only my 4th or 5th flight with it, I'm a little paranoid that this may happen again.  


I've done my due diligence and extracted the flight data from the drone for investigation.  Upon uploading it to AirData UAV, it looks as though the drone switched between GPS and Atti modes a couple of times, and multiple yaw errors occurred during the second half of the flight.  I have reported the issue through the DJi Go 4 app and submitted the flight data, but I'll put all the relevant links here as well for good measure.  I really hope we can get to the bottom of this as I've barely flown the Spark and would like to be sure this can be avoided in the future.


Raw flight data





Thanks,

Brandon

I should probably mention that I have the controls for the left and right sticks on the remote swapped.  I mapped them more similar to a Call of Duty - style control (left stick strafe, right stick aim).  Made sense to me at the time lol.

Hey so sorry for that, i understand how panic we can get in such time, i am not an expert to help you in analyzing the data, maybe others will and can do, but how many satellite did you got before taking off?
there was also a thread here in the forum for how to avoid and minimize flyaway ill try to search and link it to you it can be useful to go through the checks before you fly.
Hope your spark will be ok and hope the case will be sorted out with DJI support .Sorry again and welcome to the forum. wish you good luck

ArnoSpark Posted at 1-22 23:13
Hey so sorry for that, i understand how panic we can get in such time, i am not an expert to help you in analyzing the data, maybe others will and can do, but how many satellite did you got before taking off?
there was also a thread here in the forum for how to avoid and minimize flyaway ill try to search and link it to you it can be useful to go through the checks before you fly.
Hope your spark will be ok and hope the case will be sorted out with DJI support .Sorry again and welcome to the forum. wish you good luck

Hi Arno,

Thanks for replying.  The satellite data is in the flight replay.  From memory there were 15 satellites locked in at launch, and it fluctuated bwtween 14 and 16 for the remainder of the flight.  I have looked at multiple launch checklists on YouTube, as well as this forum.  I usually let the drone sit for a while before takeoff, and then hover for a bit.  I cant say I followed the standard checkist step by step, but I always look for warning messages and keep an eye on the gps signal strength.  I've only ever calibrated the compass once when it asked me to.  Firmware and DJi Go app is up to date.

Sorry to read that mate

for a better analysis of your flight, upload your log file from your phone here:
https://www.phantomhelp.com/logviewer/upload/

You can use FRAP (on this forum, thanks to JJB) to investigate your own flight
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=145649

Hello and good day Brandon. I am sorry to know what happened to your previous flight with your DJI Spark. This is not the experience we want you to have with DJI. Since this issue happened. The best thing you need to do is to contact DJI Support at https://www.dji.com/support for additional help and analysis on the DJI Spark. Thank you.

Was it very cold, -15 or more?

MavSpa_user Posted at 1-24 00:08
for a better analysis of your flight, upload your log file from your phone here:
https://www.phantomhelp.com/logviewer/upload/

Thank you, I will try that!

DJI Stephen Posted at 1-24 09:13
Hello and good day Brandon. I am sorry to know what happened to your previous flight with your DJI Spark. This is not the experience we want you to have with DJI. Since this issue happened. The best thing you need to do is to contact DJI Support at https://www.dji.com/support for additional help and analysis on the DJI Spark. Thank you.

[view_image]

Hi Stephen,

I have submitted an e-mail with all relevant information to DJi through the support page.  Just waiting to hear back.

ssylca44 Posted at 1-24 10:42
Was it very cold, -15 or more?

I believe the forecast said -12C for that day, but with the wind chill I'm sure it would've dipped below -15C.  I researched low temperature flying before taking it out and the majority of users reported having no issues in colder weather, or at most reduced battery life.  Can cold temps affect the compass and GPS?

Hi,
I flew a few times at temperatures around -5, but never in Sports mode. Low temp. and high speed may over cool the processor and or some of the sensors.

GreenMan8112 Posted at 1-24 11:36
Hi Stephen,

I have submitted an e-mail with all relevant information to DJi through the support page.  Just waiting to hear back.

Thank you for the update GreenMan8112. Kindly please keep us posted on the said issue.

ssylca44 Posted at 1-24 12:51
Hi,
I flew a few times at temperatures around -5, but never in Sports mode. Low temp. and high speed may over cool the processor and or some of the sensors.

The Spark wasn't in sport mode when I had control of it, but when it took off it definitely seemed like it was travelling at sport mode speeds

ssylca44 Posted at 1-24 12:51
Hi,
I flew a few times at temperatures around -5, but never in Sports mode. Low temp. and high speed may over cool the processor and or some of the sensors.

The alcohol-water based compass, in addition to having a faster action, is also able to withstand extreme cold. The oil based compass has a tendency to become sluggish in cold weather, and where the drop in temperatures are extreme the compass may become inactive due to the thickening of the oil.
Maybe DJI uses  a digital compass ? But also In extremely cold temperatures the atoms will move more slowly and less randomly. This creates a more controlled alignment of the atoms that produce the magnetic field and a slightly stronger magnetism.Resistance depends directly on temperature--the lower the temperature of the material, the lower the resistance. This effect increases the current and therefore the strength of the magnetic field. Lowering the temperature of conducting materials is the easiest and most effective way to make the powerful magnets used today. My opinion is the cold did not cause the compass to miss calculate.

Hi GreenMan,
Had the same experience last year. Consider yourself lucky since you only crashed, I lost my Spark over open water, temperature slightly above freezing. There are tons of complaints about the same issue in that the Spark inexplicably shifts from strong GPS signal into ATTI mode without warning. If you analyze your flight you will most likely see so called yaw errors, speed error and/or magnetic interference errors that cannot be explained. You were not close to any metals, towers, bridges or similar structures that could have interfered with your compass. Some folks claim that the Spark has a design fault in that it only has one compass versus most other quadcopters have two. Could be but I don’t know. Safe to say, there is not much you can do about it but the following. Make sure you have the latest software and hardware updates, make sure you launch your Spark away from any metals and most importantly, make sure you are always within clear view of your copter. in ATTI mode, you have some control but you must be able to see how the copter reacts. Usually what happens after a few minutes in ATTI mode is that the Spark will reset itself and you will regain GPS mode. In ATTI mode, the copter does not know where home is so try to keep it stationary until you regain GPS, then come home. Sudden loss of GPS happened twice to me last year, the first time I regained control and landed safely, second time, I could not recover and Spark ditched into ocean in Iceland. I submitted my flight log to DJI and a couple of weeks later received a brand new Spark without charge. DJI seems to be quite generous when you can demonstrate it not to be a pilot error. I flew my new Spark extensively in Australia without any problems since. In conclusion, nobody know for sure why those flight errors occur and DJI is mum about them. Good luck and happy flying!

Those towers by the freeway, are they with powerlines, and how far away are they??
Must say i am a bit disapointed with dji spark, and how sensitive it is..flying near metal. Cars, often tricker errors, takeoff closer then 2 meters of a building, error.. And so on..
My old parrot bebop, could take of from cars, fly under metalbridges and so on, no errors..

Sayhelloforme Posted at 1-24 19:25
The alcohol-water based compass, in addition to having a faster action, is also able to withstand extreme cold. The oil based compass has a tendency to become sluggish in cold weather, and where the drop in temperatures are extreme the compass may become inactive due to the thickening of the oil.
Maybe DJI uses  a digital compass ? But also In extremely cold temperatures the atoms will move more slowly and less randomly. This creates a more controlled alignment of the atoms that produce the magnetic field and a slightly stronger magnetism.Resistance depends directly on temperature--the lower the temperature of the material, the lower the resistance. This effect increases the current and therefore the strength of the magnetic field. Lowering the temperature of conducting materials is the easiest and most effective way to make the powerful magnets used today. My opinion is the cold did not cause the compass to miss calculate.

I appreciate the analysis!  I have taken the Spark out in sub-zero temps before with no issues whatsoever, so it seems unlikely that weather was the problem.

GreenMan8112 Posted at 1-25 09:46
I appreciate the analysis!  I have taken the Spark out in sub-zero temps before with no issues whatsoever, so it seems unlikely that weather was the problem.

If only you post your flightlog on here....see post #6, than we know waht really is/was the problem.
cheers
JJB

fans812df717 Posted at 1-24 20:24
Hi GreenMan,
Had the same experience last year. Consider yourself lucky since you only crashed, I lost my Spark over open water, temperature slightly above freezing. There are tons of complaints about the same issue in that the Spark inexplicably shifts from strong GPS signal into ATTI mode without warning. If you analyze your flight you will most likely see so called yaw errors, speed error and/or magnetic interference errors that cannot be explained. You were not close to any metals, towers, bridges or similar structures that could have interfered with your compass. Some folks claim that the Spark has a design fault in that it only has one compass versus most other quadcopters have two. Could be but I don’t know. Safe to say, there is not much you can do about it but the following. Make sure you have the latest software and hardware updates, make sure you launch your Spark away from any metals and most importantly, make sure you are always within clear view of your copter. in ATTI mode, you have some control but you must be able to see how the copter reacts. Usually what happens after a few minutes in ATTI mode is that the Spark will reset itself and you will regain GPS mode. In ATTI mode, the copter does not know where home is so try to keep it stationary until you regain GPS, then come home. Sudden loss of GPS happened twice to me last year, the first time I regained control and landed safely, second time, I could not recover and Spark ditched into ocean in Iceland. I submitted my flight log to DJI and a couple of weeks later received a brand new Spark without charge. DJI seems to be quite generous when you can demonstrate it not to be a pilot error. I flew my new Spark extensively in Australia without any problems since. In conclusion, nobody know for sure why those flight errors occur and DJI is mum about them. Good luck and happy flying!

You are exactly right about the yaw errors.  When I uploaded the flight record to AirData and watched the HD replay, it shows repeated yaw errors from the time I lost control, a couple of flips from GPS to atti mode, and a speed error right at the end of the flight.  I appreciate the response and I'm glad to hear DJi took care of you.  At this point they're requesting that I send the drone to them for examination/repair.

Joller79 DK Posted at 1-24 20:56
Those towers by the freeway, are they with powerlines, and how far away are they??
Must say i am a bit disapointed with dji spark, and how sensitive it is..flying near metal. Cars, often tricker errors, takeoff closer then 2 meters of a building, error.. And so on..
My old parrot bebop, could take of from cars, fly under metalbridges and so on, no errors..

The power lines were at least 500 yards away, and the rest of the area is wooded/surrounded by residential housing.  On a previous flight I had the Spark hovering below a train bridge, which in retrospect was probably a bad idea, but it performed flawlessly in that scenario.

MavSpa_user Posted at 1-24 00:08
for a better analysis of your flight, upload your log file from your phone here:
https://www.phantomhelp.com/logviewer/upload/

I've been trying to access my log files from my mobile device but for some strange reason the text files for that particular flight are missing (although previous flights are there).  The flight data still exists in the DJi Go flight viewer, so I'm not sure whats up with that...  Any ideas?

I was able to pull the CSV log from AirData, but Phantomhelp doesnt seem to recognize it.  Heres the link to the CSV file if that helps at all:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hzEmU0-TI9X3qte1G0nNHnyISzaxCTW-/view?usp=drivesdk

GreenMan8112 Posted at 1-25 09:46
I appreciate the analysis!  I have taken the Spark out in sub-zero temps before with no issues whatsoever, so it seems unlikely that weather was the problem.

You’re welcome. Just so you know, I didn’t know any of this before I did research on what effects cold weather could have  on a compass. Even if you post your flight logs we may never know what cause this behavior but we would know how it did it but maybe, not why. Like jjbspark suggested , try to post them. I’m happy DJI is here to help you.  

GreenMan8112 Posted at 1-25 10:51
I was able to pull the CSV log from AirData, but Phantomhelp doesnt seem to recognize it.  Heres the link to the CSV file if that helps at all:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hzEmU0-TI9X3qte1G0nNHnyISzaxCTW-/view?usp=drivesdk

Hi,

Thanks, but i like to see is the flightrecord.txt file for this flight.

cheers
JJB

JJBspark Posted at 1-26 04:27
Hi,

Thanks, but i like to see is the flightrecord.txt file for this flight.

As I stated in post #22, I have been unable to retrieve the *.txt flight recording from my mobile device for unknown reasons.  In any case, the drone is on its way back to DJi for service.  Hopefully they'll be able to diagnose the issue.

Im a new flyer with my spark. Reading this has made me nervous to take my drone out now. Especially over the sea where im currently residing. I wanted to go and fly over the local pier today..i think ive changed my mind

Thought I'd follow up with this story...

I'm quite happy with DJi's support staff.  They've been diligent in communicating with me through e-mail to resolve the issue.  Long story short, they e-mailed me a shipping label to send my drone and the controller to their location in Fort Worth, Texas, where they diagnosed the problem.  I was expecting it to take 1-2 weeks to fix the issue, but they had it taken care of within a couple of days, and on the third day I got a notification that my drone was on its way back to me.  The whole process took about 2 weeks, and that was with severe weather delays.  Upon receiving the package and inspecting the Spark it looks as though they've replaced it completely with a new one (new serial, new QR code and I had to re-activate it).  I took it out for a quick test flight today and all seems well.

Once again, thanks to DJi for their great customer support!  Hopefully this drone continues to perform well!

ajf3103 Posted at 1-31 02:31
Im a new flyer with my spark. Reading this has made me nervous to take my drone out now. Especially over the sea where im currently residing. I wanted to go and fly over the local pier today..i think ive changed my mind

I know the feeling, but you kinda just need to learn to trust the drone and get some piloting experience.  You can leave the drone on beginner mode until your comfortable letting it go further away.  I would get some practice in an open field away from trees, power lines or buildings to start.

In the event there is an unexplained issue, DJi's support staff are great and will help you with every step of the process.  They paid for all my shipping charges and replaced my drone free of charge in my case, so it's good peace of mind.