Drone crashed to the dirt thanks to my two year old......Unit was returning home and next thing I know, he's playing on the remote and I hear it buzzing behind me. By the time I notice where it is it has slammed into the dirt, camera/gimbal bouncing in the air! From the looks of it, the gimbal and camera will need to be replaced. The back left arm (underneath) cracked on the pastic body, legs are bent inwards, and top of shell has popped out from impact.
I'm curious what my options are for repair. I've seen the part cost and it looks like it would be in the range of $700 alone! Is this machine a wash meaning not worth replacing or does DJI have a limit? The guy I spoke to said it shouldn't cost more than 50% of msrp. $500 for repair doesnt seem that bad considering the damage right now but is that correct based off of some of your experiences? Thanks for your feedback!

That sucks....I had a crash that was totally my fault but was pushing the envelope so to speak.  I did some research and ended up buying a new one.  You can sell some parts on eBay to try to offset.
I wish you the best of luck and hope it's not too costly.

smittyvette@hot Posted at 2015-6-11 08:17
That sucks....I had a crash that was totally my fault but was pushing the envelope so to speak.  I d ...

Thanks, I might try to send to DJI and see what they say the damage may be. Hate to have to spend another $500 but its cheaper than another $1,000.

I'm not trying to be a dick, but how did your 2 year old get access to your remote? Should this not have been in your hands? Also, by the sounds of it you were using the RTH feature  with the remote out of hand instead of manually piloting the craft home . Should you not blame yourself and not the 2 year old for your last of attention? This could have turned out a lot worse, you should be lucky it was only the Phantome damaged. You need to pilot your craft, this is not a toy.

jmhirtle@gmail. Posted at 2015-6-11 10:04
I'm not trying to be a dick, but how did your 2 year old get access to your remote? Should this not  ...

I totally agree.

This situation could have been a lot worse. Those blades could seriously injure someone and will scar for life.

Very lucky to be left with just a damaged phantom. I don't think you can buy replacement parts for your kids.

there are some rules and one of them is to keep hands on remote all the time when you are flying ... I'm not even  shaking hands of my friends when flying. Sorry to say  but you have to pay for your BIG mistake and you are lucky that no one is hurt ...

I appreciate your concerns when it comes to my parenting but DON'T question how I raise my kids. You can question my skills as a pilot but unless you KNOW what happened then don't assume. My two year old was behind me playing on his tractor. I set the remote down in front me to show a friend how the unit can hover/return home without user interaction. My son reaches around me and pushes both sticks down and sends it into a spin and crashes into the ground. NOW, for those of you who assume the unit was right close by and could have hurt us. I was in my garage, the unit out into a 75 yards or so in a field. Maybe now you all can make a better assumption instead of assuming my put my two year old's life at stake and was flying right over his head. :@

Sorry for your loss!

You seem to have changed your story... "next thing I know, he's playing on the remote and I hear it buzzing behind me" to "I was in my garage, the unit out into a 75 yards or so in a field"...

young.selina@ro Posted at 2015-6-11 20:08
Sorry for your loss!

You seem to have changed your story... "next thing I know, he's playing on the ...

How is that changing my story? Do you know where I live? What direction my house faces? The orientation?

Really? Your going to come on here thinking we are all as stupid as you? Unreal!

Mark97564 Posted at 2015-6-11 20:29
Really? Your going to come on here thinking we are all as stupid as you? Unreal!

I came on here to ask others on the forum their opinion on how I should go about repairing my unit. NOT how to raise my child or the safety of them. With that being said thanks smittyvette as your the only one who actually did so while the others seem to become internet bullies and attack strangers they know nothing about. With that I am done....

QuikSilver15 Posted at 2015-6-11 20:13
How is that changing my story? Do you know where I live? What direction my house faces? The orient ...

"my mamma always sai's, Stupid is, as Stupid dowez."

Your 2yr old shouldn't have access to your remote, you may as well give him 4 knives to go sit and play with..  And you shouldn't be watching a 2 yr old while flying..  When my 2 yr old comes around me while I'm flying from home I leave it hover and take her to my girlfriend and kindly ask if she can keep the baby away from me while I fly.. I can't watch both and I don't want my baby getting into the road or something and get hit by a car cuz daddy was too busy playing with his new toy..  You can't take your eyes off a 2 year old for even 5 seconds.. 5 seconds and I guarantee you that 2 yr old will get into something bad..  Come on here dude...  Another thing, when your watching your baby you shouldn't be playing with your toys, you should be playing with your babies toys with the baby!  

And my last statement is any parent knows the only way to keep a 2 yr old from touching anything is to keep it out f their reach!

And  You shouldn't be defending your stupidity right now, you should behappy you have a bunch of caring strangers on a forum to point out your being a idiot!  

I hope u stop trying to justify what you did and admit your wrong, or at least tell yourself I must be since there are 5 people bitc$ing a at me...  It's not just 1 person here quicksilver!

QuikSilver15 Posted at 2015-6-11 20:34
I came on here to ask others on the forum their opinion on how I should go about repairing my unit ...

Hi mate,

First and foremost, treat this as a life lesson. A Drone is not a toy, i'm pretty sure you realise this now so everyone can just move on and get off their soap boxes.

Second don't feed the trolls, ignore or report them... there are far too many Passive Aggressive / Plain old aggressive people on these forums... I've been reading for less than  a week and already it feels like its at a reddit / something awful level of posting...

Lastly, do you have a photo of the damage? It may be recoverable, it may be a wash... with just a text description its difficult to tell.

QuikSilver15 Posted at 2015-6-11 20:01
I appreciate your concerns when it comes to my parenting but DON'T question how I raise my kids. You ...

> set the remote down in front me to show a friend how the unit can hover/return home without user interaction.

and this is something you should not do, hands always on remote ... lesson for future,
and good luck with fixing P3

from http://flysafe.dji.com/

Even when using automatic functions such as auto-takeoff
and auto-landing, keep your hands on the control sticks
to maintain control throughout each flight.

QuikSilver15 Posted at 2015-6-11 20:13
How is that changing my story? Do you know where I live? What direction my house faces? The orient ...

..."75 yards out" is not "..buzzing behind me" nor is "..he reached around me and pushed.." to "he's playing on the controller"...

I can sympathise with your crash, I'm well aware of how much a new one costs and would hate the same sort of thing to happen to me. BUT, whatever really happened the fact remains that people are not stupid...

Mark97564 Posted at 2015-6-11 20:41
Your 2yr old shouldn't have access to your remote, you may as well give him 4 knives to go sit and p ...

Once again you assume I was the only one only one outside with him but I was not. I was showing a friend the unit and my mother was there also to help. That information nor other details concerning my child or family have nothing to do with me asking for opinions regarding repairs.

How am I "defending" myself? I only stated that strangers questioning how I raise MY CHILD, has nothing to do with asking for help with repairs. NOT ONCE did I said I don't take responsibility. Children make mistakes I know that, heck adults do too as I have shown with this thread, but you state I should be happy that strangers are showing their concern, I see people using my child as an excuse to attack my parenting ability without being there during the incident.

As for the idiot comment, that just proves my point even more. Not once have I attacked anyone here. I tried to keep it civil but its hard to when people are questioning your parenting and calling you an idiot when they know nothing about the incident and believe that everyone on the internet is stupid and doesn't know as much as them.

This is a forum where people ask questions about DJI DRONES, which is what I tried to do. NOT for the personal attack of my family or myself.

jameswlong@gmai Posted at 2015-6-11 20:42
Hi mate,

First and foremost, treat this as a life lesson. A Drone is not a toy, i'm pretty sure y ...

Thanks jameswlong, I'm going to see what DJI says. I spoke to a rep last night who said it shouldn't be more than 50% of msrp. If that's the case I may go that route, won't hurt to find out. I would just be out the cost of shipping to them. If it is more, I'll probably put that money towards another one and chalk this up as a lesson learned.

I normally just read forums but thought reaching out for help during this time would have been beneficial. If I knew I would get my hand chopped off then I wouldn't have reached out to begin with. Sad to see what the internet has become these days. Instead of helping a fellow pilot, we point out whats wrong with them and label them stupid. Not a good way to build up a community to me it seems.

I do have photos of the unit. The camera itself broke in half, the top shell has popped out around the edges,cracked one of the arms (i assume it took the majority of impact but I'm stupid it seems), and legs are bent inwards now. If I could figure out how to send a private message to just you to get an adult opinion I would be happy to send them. Thanks for your input and feedback, hope you have a great day!

young.selina@ro Posted at 2015-6-11 21:08
..."75 yards out" is not "..buzzing behind me" nor is "..he reached around me and pushed.." to "he ...

So your saying that I can't fly at my house 75 yards out behind me? Not sure I understand what part your trying to poke a hole in there NOR why it benefits you to do so?

As for the second point, reached around me and pushed the controls could be considered playing on the controller. To me a two year old doesn't fly a drone, they play. Maybe my choice of words were wrong in describing it but to me they still say the same thing.....

Once again....Never said anyone here was stupid.

QuikSilver15 Posted at 2015-6-11 21:28
So your saying that I can't fly at my house 75 yards out behind me? Not sure I understand what par ...

It was a "accident". Things happen! Ignore the aggressive and derogative comments otherwise you will make your self angry. If it was me I would keep it for spares, controller battery charger motors internals etc. And purchase another one if the funds are available

Jimw_61 Posted at 2015-6-11 20:40
"my mamma always sai's, Stupid is, as Stupid dowez."

Thank your for your opinion. You brought so much to this discussion.

Philliplloyd20 Posted at 2015-6-11 21:46
It was a "accident". Things happen! Ignore the aggressive and derogative comments otherwise you wi ...

Thank you. I've tossed that idea around too. I see ebay has controllers for over $400 used, and a few other parts, but I've never been a fan of selling on ebay. From the few beneficial comments I have received I know I do have a few options such as using for parts, purchasing a new one, or return for repair.

I would return it to DJI for repair , see what $$$ cost for repair . Then just chalk this up as a life lesson ......

QS15, you can buy a lanyard or harness or something else to allow the controller to hang from your neck, but I agree with the others (and before you get all defensive again, I'm NOT criticizing your parenting - just questioning your judgement) - I can't imagine ever setting my controller down while my P3 or any other aircraft is in the air and I am the one flying it.

I sell things through eBay all the time, and there's no reason why you should hesitate to "part out" your P3 to help finance a new unit if DJI can't give you a reasonable cost and time estimate for repair.

QuikSilver15 Posted at 2015-6-11 20:01
I appreciate your concerns when it comes to my parenting but DON'T question how I raise my kids. You ...

I'm not criticizing your parenting, I'm criticizing your piloting. 75 yard is hardly any distance for the drone to advance and damage someone or something. Don't put your remote down.

I'm also a parent of a 3 year old boy. I had him grab at the controls of my $20 cheerson cx-10. He flew it into his cheek and gave him a scratch. This was with the controller in my hands. I would never let him anywhere near my 100x more powerful aircraft

QuikSilver15 Posted at 2015-6-11 21:14
Once again you assume I was the only one only one outside with him but I was not. I was showing a  ...

I assume you are an asshat!!!

dmwierz Posted at 2015-6-11 22:21
QS15, you can buy a lanyard or harness or something else to allow the controller to hang from your n ...

I have a lanyard for the remote already. My intention was to set it down to prove that the unit could come back without user interaction. Yes it was a lapse it judgement it seems as it allowed my son a chance to crash the unit.

Thanks for letting me know you had a good experience through ebay. I purchase through ebay but may part out through them if thats the route I decide to go.

jmhirtle@gmail. Posted at 2015-6-11 22:52
I'm not criticizing your parenting, I'm criticizing your piloting. 75 yard is hardly any distance  ...

Lesson learned and point taken....sorry your child was hurt and glad it was a just a scratch.

ssteenberg@gmai Posted at 2015-6-11 23:05
I assume you are an asshat!!!

I assume your a child with your parents smartphone....whats your point?

QuikSilver15 Posted at 2015-6-11 23:25
I assume your a child with your parents smartphone....whats your point?

Never assume a two year old shouldn't be watched continuously, even by a rocket scientist, i.e., http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/1 ... ear-old-in-walmart/

Anyway, get it fixed, go fly somewhere else, leave the baby at home.  Tuition paid.

BobbyB Posted at 2015-6-11 23:39
Never assume a two year old shouldn't be watched continuously, even by a rocket scientist, i.e., ht ...

Children can get hurt anywhere, home or not. Location has nothing to do with it. Multiple adults or one adult.....Point taken though.

Your right, if no one is keeping an eye on the kid

Mark97564 Posted at 2015-6-12 02:21
Your right, if no one is keeping an eye on the kid

Reaction time could have something to do with it...

QuikSilver15 Posted at 2015-6-11 23:24
Lesson learned and point taken....sorry your child was hurt and glad it was a just a scratch.

Hey, thanks.

It sucks that your Phantom was damaged.

Sorry for coming across hard, I'm still a little angry at myself for the cheerson cx10 accident. Your story hit an "exposed nerve" when it comes to kids and quads.

My son loves my Phantom, but he doesn't understand the power of it, hell even my wife almost  tried to catch my Phantom for me as I was landing it. She didn't understand how dangerous that could be, and she thought she was helping.

jmhirtle@gmail. Posted at 2015-6-12 10:00
Hey, thanks.

It sucks that your Phantom was damaged.

No problem. I can understand regarding children. My 6 year old enjoys watching it fly too. My main thing was it seemed as though I was being attacked/questioned by complete strangers who know nothing of my parenting, children, or anything else. Just a forum question that I thought would help me figure out the best way to get the unit repaired. Had no idea back story would have caused the back lash it did but lesson learned there too. I believe now I will do what I normally do in forums....sit back and read about other's mistakes, questions, comments, etc.....

If it were my Phantom, I'd keep it to sell off the parts. Figuring in shipping and a 4-6 week wait for inspection and repair, a new unit could be in your hands well before a repaired unit. I'm also sure that if you decided to sell the damaged unit and controller, that you wouldn't have a problem selling to recoup even more of your money.

Post up a few pics for damage assessment.

QuikSilver15 Posted at 2015-6-12 02:51
Reaction time could have something to do with it...

Foresight and common sense could have something to do with it too.  

I remember thinking I need to keep the chainsaw and shotguns locked up...but all my kids lived.

BobbyB Posted at 2015-6-13 01:19
Foresight and common sense could have something to do with it too.  

I remember thinking I need t ...

Do you just reply to threads to make jokes? Do you make comments that are actually helpful on these forums? Doesn't seem like it.....

gregg1r Posted at 2015-6-12 10:27
If it were my Phantom, I'd keep it to sell off the parts. Figuring in shipping and a 4-6 week wait f ...

I've sent unit back earlier today. Hope to find some good news regarding repairing it. Pictures attached to show damage.

Your damage looks like a botched circumcision