Hello all,

This weeked I was out with a youth group camping and was going to try and get some video of the group aroung the fire cooking dinner.  When I set up my P3 and tried to take off I got a warning that the battery was too cold and needed to warm up.  So, I took a few minutes and warmed the battery up, tried to take off and got no warning.

I lifted up to about 50 feet and flew out away from the group about 50 feet to get the camera set and start recording.  While I was making sure eveything was set I heard the props stop and I looked up just in time to see the P3 hit the ground. (needless to say there was stunned silence all around)

There were no warnings before hand and I was not even touching the sticks.  The gimble is smashed to bits and I'm going to have to ship it off to get it fixed. :/

Any ideas on what caused this?

Hello, we are sorry to hear about that unfortunate event. I highly suggest sending the drone for data analysis and so for us to fix it. Please don't forget to sync your flight record for data analysis. You may start up a case online: https://repair.dji.com. You can also contact our support team by dialing +1 (818) 235 0789 for further assistance. Thank you.

Hi, sorry to read about this unfortunate mishap with your Phantom.

Please post the flight LOG, to see what we can decipher... if anything.

https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/
Follow the instructions, then post the link back here. Thanks.


RedHotPoker

I suppose the warranty is expired.  

It's a bad idea to launch with a battery that's cold.  You should try to be sure to always launch with a battery that's at least 20 C but I like 25 C.   I think your log will show the battery temp, even if it's not on the table that is provided with the phantomhelp site.  It's also possible something else went wrong, but doesn't seem likely.  Sounds like a battery temp issue.  

It's also possible you have an old battery FW which were inclined to drop when cold.  Still, the problem would have been resolved with a warm battery.

Please post your log in the link provided in the post above and paste it back here for the good of the community.  Thanks

Sorry for your loss.  

Thank you all for the input.  I'll get all that posted early next week and send it in for repair.

gregorysburns Posted at 2-15 15:02
Thank you all for the input.  I'll get all that posted early next week and send it in for repair.

You are most welcome. We will wait for your update. I hope everything will go smoothly. Please make sure to click on "Reply" so that I can receive notification from your response. Thanks for your support.

Okay, I finally got the flight log from my phone and uploaded.  Here is the link:  https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/N4K5KXSQIFDUIMCH4C19/

I looked through it and it shows that errors were thrown, but I never saw them on the screen.

Can I ask why it would shut off rather than force into a landing?

fans6bb3c287 Posted at 4-10 10:12
Okay, I finally got the flight log from my phone and uploaded.  Here is the link:  https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/N4K5KXSQIFDUIMCH4C19/

I looked through it and it shows that errors were thrown, but I never saw them on the screen.

The battery shuts off if a cell drops below 3.0 volts.  

You should never fly with a cold battery.  A cold battery promotes voltage lag and leads to premature forced landing or unexpected shut down.  If you suspect your battery may be cold, you can check the temp via Go's battery page.  You want it at least 20C and 25C would be even better.  This is especially true when flying in cold weather.  

https://phantompilots.com/threads/official-p3-range-leaderboard.76464/page-96#lg=attachment100426&slide=0

Also, you should never launch with a battery that's not fully charged.  If you had launched with a full charged battery, it would have autolanded when the voltage of a particular cell dropped below 3.3 volts.  Launching with a partially charged battery is a major pilot error.  

All these things led to your battery shutting off.  Sorry.  Good luck

Sorry about your drone..

always heard that you should launch with full battery but  I thought it was just to be safe.. I didnt know it would auto land with full charge..  I have got the low battery temp wanring a few times and  since it was very close to the min temp I landed and let it run for a few minutes until the temp read okay..   Its only happened twice... usually I leave the car running when Ive been out in the extreme cold.... the cars a hybrid