I was flying a waypoint mission using Litchi, which I have flown 2 times before, when out of the blue it crashed. I have both the DJI .txt file and Litchi's .csv file. I see nothing that shows any failure. I am up loading a video to Youtube of the last minute of the flight and the links to both files. Any ideas? My only idea is the right rear prop broke. They were new blades with only about 2 hours (5 flights) on them.

DJI records:
https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/ITJUFMRGD5DKDCC7Z10Y

from Litchi:
https://www.phantomhelp.com/logviewer/R67JN0G4MI19MP0V7FON

youtube:
I slowed it down so it is about 7 minutes long LOL

Hello and good day Steve. I am sorry for the trouble this has caused you. Since this issue happened on your previous flight. I would recommend you to contact our DJI support team at https://www.dji.com/support?site=brandsite&from=nav for further assistance. Our DJI support team would do their best to find out the reason of the incident and then the corresponding resolution would be provided. Again I am sorry and thank for your understanding.

You started getting messages about losing/regaining downlink signal at 5:23.4 and
By 6:18.9 you had received 10 of these.
Chances are that you lost all signal at 6:18.9 when the data stops and whatever the problem was happened after that.
You had a full battery to start the flight so that option can be eliminated but there isn't enough data to say much more.

Were you able to find it?

It seems likely to me you hit one of the tall lamp posts located in the miniature golf course near that intersection.   You can see the lamp posts on the map if you zoom in.  You can also see the height of the lamp posts relative to nearby trees with street side view.  

ALABAMA Posted at 10-15 12:46
Were you able to find it?

Yes I had my email addy on it and a very nice guy put out extra effort out to get it to me.

Mark The Droner Posted at 10-15 13:45
It seems likely to me you hit one of the tall lamp posts located in the miniature golf course near that intersection.   You can see the lamp posts on the map if you zoom in.  You can also see the height of the lamp posts relative to nearby trees with street side view.

I have reviewed the video a 100 times, I was a good 40-50 ft. above everything. I first thought the right rear blade broke but now I'm not so sure, I found the other half of it 15ft. from where it crashed (the first half was still attached. The right front was broken also 1/2 of it still attached but in the video you can see it still attached and working. So I believe the props were not the problem. As far as losing signal with Litchi the waypoints are loaded to the drone so if it losses signal it still runs the mission. I still don't know what happen. Broken landing gear, the gimbal arm cracked. Whats up with DJI not selling the gimbal arms you have to buy gimbal and camera for over $600 and they are back ordered till November. Just pour Iodine in my open wound. Just a day in the life I guess!

Edward J Smith Posted at 10-15 16:46
I have reviewed the video a 100 times, I was a good 40-50 ft. above everything. I first thought the right rear blade broke but now I'm not so sure, I found the other half of it 15ft. from where it crashed (the first half was still attached. The right front was broken also 1/2 of it still attached but in the video you can see it still attached and working. So I believe the props were not the problem. As far as losing signal with Litchi the waypoints are loaded to the drone so if it losses signal it still runs the mission. I still don't know what happen. Broken landing gear, the gimbal arm cracked. Whats up with DJI not selling the gimbal arms you have to buy gimbal and camera for over $600 and they are back ordered till November. Just pour Iodine in my open wound. Just a day in the life I guess!

Google search for the parts you require chap, i just did and loads of results for ebay ;)
You need phantom 4 pro gimbal yaw arm

Bashy Posted at 10-15 18:04
Google search for the parts you require chap, i just did and loads of results for ebay ;)
You need phantom 4 pro gimbal yaw arm

I will give it a look thanks

Edward J Smith Posted at 10-15 16:31
Yes I had my email addy on it and a very nice guy put out extra effort out to get it to me.

That’s good karma...




RedHotPoker

There are many things in life we may never be able to explain.

Upload the footage with no edit.  We want to see what happened all the way until the battery died.

What props did you have on?

AntDX316 Posted at 10-16 23:47
There are many things in life we may never be able to explain.

Upload the footage with no edit.  We want to see what happened all the way until the battery died.

There are many things in life we may never be able to explain.
For you that's very true.
Upload the footage with no edit.  We want to see what happened all the way until the battery died.
He's already provided the flight data that tells much more than the video ever would.

Labroides Posted at 10-17 02:21
There are many things in life we may never be able to explain.
For you that's very true.
Upload the footage with no edit.  We want to see what happened all the way until the battery died.

no, the video can tell us more the flight data cannot tell as there aren't sensors for everything like the drones made in the year 2055 or how the God system works tracking and controlling everything

You can only track things that have sensors and logging attached.

AntDX316 Posted at 10-17 02:23
no, the video can tell us more the flight data cannot tell as there aren't sensors for everything like the drones made in the year 2055 or how the God system works tracking and controlling everything

You can only track things that have sensors and logging attached.

OK genius ... enlighten me.
I've already read the flight data, that's 722660 separate data points.
That's data every 1/10th of a second for 230 different parameters.

What do you think that stabilised video can show that I haven't already seen?
Is it going to show you how high/low/fast, how many sats, joystick inputs, pitch, roll, yaw, battery levels and 200 other things?
The video isn't going to even give 1% of the information that's contained in the flight data.

You are way out of your depth on incident investigation (like so many other things).

Labroides Posted at 10-17 03:27
OK genius ... enlighten me.
I've already read the flight data, that's 722660 separate data points.
That's data every 1/10th of a second for 230 different parameters.

From you looking at the data with all your superior expertise, what have you found?

Will flight data tell us exactly what happened.  What size bird?  The caliber of the bullet?  Where the bullet hit?  A satellite laser hitting it from the sky?  What hack program was used to take control of the drone?  etc.

AntDX316 Posted at 10-17 04:01
From you looking at the data with all your superior expertise, what have you found?

Will flight data tell us exactly what happened.  What size bird?  The caliber of the bullet?  Where the bullet hit?  A satellite laser hitting it from the sky?  What hack program was used to take control of the drone?  etc.

Hey Ant, Have you taken a good look at yourself in the mirror to see what a total idiot you look like?

ATJ Posted at 10-17 05:54
Hey Ant, Have you taken a good look at yourself in the mirror to see what a total idiot you look like?

I know believing in some sort of creator is a big conflict but some people need to know it more than others.

AntDX316 Posted at 10-16 23:47
There are many things in life we may never be able to explain.

Upload the footage with no edit.  We want to see what happened all the way until the battery died.

The first 20 seconds was unedited, the raw file was only 1m6s long. I just cut the first 46 seconds off. The rest of the video was replaying the last 3 seconds in suupper slooow motion.

The blades were almost brand new, maybe 2-3 flights on them. They were DJI blades.

Anything else?  Anybody??

Edward J Smith Posted at 10-17 13:55
The first 20 seconds was unedited, the raw file was only 1m6s long. I just cut the first 46 seconds off. The rest of the video was replaying the last 3 seconds in suupper slooow motion.

The blades were almost brand new, maybe 2-3 flights on them. They were DJI blades.

Having power to continue recording indicates the loss was not due to battery or loss of power issues.
The spiraling, out of control descent indicates that the drone lost either a prop or a motor.
Losing a motor could be due to a motor fault or a problem with an ESC that controls the motor.

Edward J Smith Posted at 10-17 13:55
The first 20 seconds was unedited, the raw file was only 1m6s long. I just cut the first 46 seconds off. The rest of the video was replaying the last 3 seconds in suupper slooow motion.

The blades were almost brand new, maybe 2-3 flights on them. They were DJI blades.

Do you check your props before each flight, for tightness and secure connection?



RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 10-17 14:52
Do you check your props before each flight, for tightness and secure connection?

He's already addressed the props issue back in post #8.
It would appear that a lost prop wasn't the problem.

Labroides Posted at 10-17 15:15
He's already addressed the props issue back in post #8.
It would appear that a lost prop wasn't the problem.

Just a question.

Saying and doing are two different actions.

RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 10-17 14:52
Do you check your props before each flight, for tightness and secure connection?

Oh yes, part of my preflight. I check them every battery change too.....

The repair shop seems to think it was the RR blade breaking but since they cant read DJI's black box they can't be 100%. What still baffles me is why was the battery off when the guy found it 2 hours later? It still had 70% charge. Did I forget to mention that the bird was not powered up when the nice guy that returned it found it? When he gave it back to me it was still tight in the compartment. No scorching of the pins. It was like it shut off at the same time the video stopped. I wonder if that is why the video stopped and didn't continue till it hit the ground. What would shut the battery off mid-flight? I know it was tight and the secure, I checked it before take off and it was still secure when I got it back. I'm am thinking that the real question is what would turn the battery off mid-flight? Or maybe I'm chasing shadows.

I just read post #23 and that would explain the spin and makes the most sense. The rest is just cause and effect I guess.

Labroides Posted at 10-17 14:17
Having power to continue recording indicates the loss was not due to battery or loss of power issues.
The spiraling, out of control descent indicates that the drone lost either a prop or a motor.
Losing a motor could be due to a motor fault or a problem with an ESC that controls the motor.

It could also indicate a power supply problem.

Edward J Smith Posted at 10-18 05:28
Oh yes, part of my preflight. I check them every battery change too.....

Good stuff. Thanks.



RedHotPoker

Edward J Smith Posted at 10-18 05:45
The repair shop seems to think it was the RR blade breaking but since they cant read DJI's black box they can't be 100%. What still baffles me is why was the battery off when the guy found it 2 hours later? It still had 70% charge. Did I forget to mention that the bird was not powered up when the nice guy that returned it found it? When he gave it back to me it was still tight in the compartment. No scorching of the pins. It was like it shut off at the same time the video stopped. I wonder if that is why the video stopped and didn't continue till it hit the ground. What would shut the battery off mid-flight? I know it was tight and the secure, I checked it before take off and it was still secure when I got it back. I'm am thinking that the real question is what would turn the battery off mid-flight? Or maybe I'm chasing shadows.

Because they pop out on contact with the ground, a lot of the time

Bashy Posted at 10-18 18:11
Because they pop out on contact with the ground, a lot of the time

The guy that found it "said" the way he gave it back to me was the way he found it so.... I am at a loss. Loss of ideas and of $$$$ LOL

When they hit the ground, its normally with enough force for the battery to pop itself lose, happens more often then not from what i read