I'm litteraly a grown man close to tears. Was rushing home to fly my drone since it gets kinda dark now.

Having fun, going to land at the lawn behind my house. The video lags a second and then I loose signal. I crashed the drone in a tree. Going sideways straight into the tree. Both front arms broke closest to the drone.

My birthday gift.. And I broke it. Was going to fly it this weekend on a family meeting to get some nice shots.

10 meter drop from a tree is too much for the arms. Confirmed! Sent a repair request hoping not to rip my wallet in two. And unfortunally since it was a gift I did not know about the DJI Care program so it has passed the 48 hours since activation.

Hi, we're sorry to know about the mishap that happened to your drone. Unfortunately, damage drones are need to be repaired by our facility to possibly use the warranty as well. However, the warranty coverage would still depend on the outcome of the damage assessment and warranty period. Therefore, we highly recommend syncing the flight records using the Fly app and provide the proof of purchase of the unit. Moreover, you could still take advantage of the DJI Care refresh plan in any case, that it is available on our region. The DJI care refresh can be purchased once the repair of your drone has been done. You'll received an email inviting you to purchase the plan within 72 hours. Failure to purchase the plan, will require you to do a video verification. Hope that this would clarify your query. Thank you for your support!

Sorry to hear this. It left a pit in my stomach just reading it

Oh no!  Hopefully the repairs don't cost a lot.  It looks very fragile.  I think I will register mine and use the prop guards.  I hope they give you good news.  

Tough break, hopefully won’t cost an ARM and a leg, pardon the pun.
I wish you luck my friend .

super glue? naw kidding that truely does suck

The question is, why did you lose signal? I had a Spark fly off on me after losing signal and hearing this makes me nervous!

wow heart breaking and sorry to read this. Not a happy birthday so far. Try to get a warranty filed so you don't have to pay a lot to get it fixed. Heck it might be worth getting another one if it is too expensive.

Oh my god man, so sorry to read that...

I'm so scared of the first flights too, I will for sure fly using prop guards, and I dont plan flying the thing without DJI Care...

I mean if the connections are not damaged or the Gimbal, I'm the kind of guy who would do a bit of DIY, Gorrilla tape, maybe some chinese food stick as a reinforcement like when somebody breaks a leg in the mountain... at least to fly this weekend with your family!!

Super glue or epoxy dont seem like a bad idea after all.

Another idea, is either you own or you know somebody who does, own a 3D printer... Not sure if 3D plans of the Mini are out, but certainly that's how third party brands do the "addons", you could print replacement arms or alternatively something to hold the broken part. Just trying to give ideas here!

Im sure in the near future replacement legs will be available, same that there are for the M2 in places like aliexpress, potentionally being much cheaper than originals.

Again sorry and I hope you get something sorted out soon.
Best,

Humm sad for you. Its a pity DJI don't use a different plastic for the main structural mouldings - instead of the nylon/glass fibre composite, maybe Polyoxymethylene (POM) aka Acetal would not break so easily?

Juliflash Posted at 11-14 10:27
Oh my god man, so sorry to read that...

I'm so scared of the first flights too, I will for sure fly using prop guards, and I dont plan flying the thing without DJI Care...

Please ignore all and every temporary patching/fixing advice posted above ... Even only 250 grams bolid can do a lot of body harm to innocent bystanders in case of failure.

The best way to avoid such accidents as much as humanly possible is to read the manual. Second advice: read the manual. Finally, read the manual again ...

Matthew Dobrski Posted at 11-14 11:00
Please ignore all and every temporary patching/fixing advice posted above ... Even only 250 grams bolid can do a lot of body harm to innocent bystanders in case of failure.

Wos, hard. I'm just giving my opinion in wht I would do in his position, maybe you don't have confidence in fixing it propperly, I do.

Do you think 3D printing a new arm, would be more dangerous than the original? I mean with a 3D printer you can make the arm weight exactly the same than original.

Matthew Dobrski Posted at 11-14 11:06
The best way to avoid such accidents as much as humanly possible is to read the manual. Second advice: read the manual. Finally, read the manual again ...

I mean, the guy just crashed his drone in the first day... You come to make fun saying, dont fix it just suffer cause you needed to ready the manual?

I try to empathise with him, rather than making him feel worse.

I'm starting to see other crashed Minis on FB.  It's nice to have the Care Refresh.  I don't mind buying a heavier Mini version if ever created.  

Juliflash Posted at 11-14 11:23
Wos, hard. I'm just giving my opinion in wht I would do in his position, maybe you don't have confidence in fixing it propperly, I do.

Do you think 3D printing a new arm, would be more dangerous than the original? I mean with a 3D printer you can make the arm weight exactly the same than original.

I don't think, I know. My knowledge is supported by 10 yrs of dealing with DIY quadcopters and all DJI drones up to date + 50 years of industrial experience. Home-cooked 3D printing is not a panaceum for everything, certainly not in this case. Been there, did that ...

I'm not making fun, I feel sorry for him as well. I'm just almost certainly sure that the accident happen due to a pilot error, which could be avoided.

Matthew Dobrski Posted at 11-14 11:48
I don't think, I know. My knowledge is supported by 10 yrs of dealing with DIY quadcopters and all DJI drones up to date + 50 years of industrial experience. Home-cooked 3D printing is not a panaceum for everything, certainly not in this case. Been there, did that ...

I'm not making fun, I feel sorry for him as well. I'm just almost certainly sure that the accident happen due to a pilot error, which could be avoided.

I'm an engineer myself, worked as machinist for many years prototyping devices in different materials so my reply to him was just that, ideas, in case he really wants to fly the weekend.

I fix pretty much everything that breaks on me, others just throw it in the bin and get another one, so for sure many different opinions can arise, that's why my first reaction was to come up with solutions.

I know, from experience too, many people around the globe do things for their drones using 3D printers, you only have to have a quick look at thingiverse, for the mavic:
[url=https://www.thingiverse.com/tagJI_MAVIC]Thingiverse - MAVIC[/url]

Something was going funny with the link so I copied it here without the hyperlink.

https://www.thingiverse.com/ then search DJI Mavic...even many more things if you only search for the term drone.

Juliflash Posted at 11-14 11:25
I mean, the guy just crashed his drone in the first day... You come to make fun saying, dont fix it just suffer cause you needed to ready the manual?

I try to empathise with him, rather than making him feel worse.

Never underestimate the advice to read the manual, with drones this is the first second and third best piece of information you will ever be given about your drone, the fourth best piece of information is once you have read it read it again, it’s not funny when someone crashes so soon after purchase, but it’s never to early or late to get this information.

All I can say is that I feel for you. We are ALL destined to crash if we fly enough. I don't think there is enough manual reading we could do to prevent it either. Not saying you shouldn't, just the opposite. You should. That and anything else that could make us more safety minded. I hope things work out with getting your drone repaired/replaced and I'm sorry that this has lead to a bad birthday as well.

hallmark007 Posted at 11-14 12:02
Never underestimate the advice to read the manual, with drones this is the first second and third best piece of information you will ever be given about your drone, the fourth best piece of information is once you have read it read it again, it’s not funny when someone crashes so soon after purchase, but it’s never to early or late to get this information.

I agree 100% I'm a person who personally loves reading manuals. I've read the manual of Mavic Air, Mavic 2 and PRO without even owning them, that is how most times I find if I really want / need a device.

I found very funny how many many youtubers make fun of the manual, and say like "We won't be needing that", and thow it, not only within the drones world.

I do read my manuals more than twice, and when they are actually dense, and nicely printed, I even do photocopies so I can take notes on the side. Did this with many synthesizer manuals, studying them like in school.

Considering what a drone is, I think reading the manual is not only advisable, but very very important. I've been watching Youtube videos and tutorials, of many different drones, for quite some time, taking notes, and some of those things I've learnt I think it could have cause me to crash if I didn't know them.

So I agree with you guys, the manual is a must, even propperler guards and some extreme caution befor one has gained confidence. Besides that, I was trying to shine some light on him, but yeah probably this is the wrong forum for that sort of thing.

three crashes later i've decided i no longer intend to fly without adequate coverage and in this case, it means dji care (first time for me).  not because it expensive to repair or because you lose time during repair jobs or because pilots make mistakes....but because i just got tired of the sheer terror that comes with the crash and the absolute helplessness you feel not knowing the extent of the damage or if you'll even recover the drone.  the shock and horror you feel (as outlined in the op) is real.  the "care" in dji care is what i seek as i realize the last six months of my short flying career has been mostly overshadowed by a fear of loss.  and it doesn't get better after each crash.  sad.

If it was my quad I would mix up some quick set 2 part epoxy, glue those arm back on, throw on some new props. I’ve done it many times....

JodyB Posted at 11-14 12:08
All I can say is that I feel for you. We are ALL destined to crash if we fly enough. I don't think there is enough manual ready we could do to prevent it either. Not saying you should, just the opposite. You should. That and anything else that could make us more safety minded. I hope things work out with getting your drone repaired/replaced and I'm sorry that this has lead to a bad birthday as well.

Good point. There is no perfect scenario. Even a master ATP pilot runs the risk of having any range of incidents, no matter how experienced or studied-up they are. Like the dream of the "crash proof" airplane -- just not gonna happen, at least, not in this economy, or any for that matter. The safest plane is the one that doesn't leave the ground, but then, what's the point.

Anyway, point being, you are right. We are all destined to statistically have an incident somewhere in our journey/career. Yes, learning and experience will decrease those odds, but the idea of "going for zero" (an industry safety term), while a noble goal, is not realistic. Whats realistic are improvements in workflows and engineering to constantly get as "close to zero" as possible. There is always risk. That's why we have an insurance industry!

For the OP, I'm sorry for your loss. Bad day obviously. Hopefully DJI can fix you up for a nominal cost.

Juliflash Posted at 11-14 12:11
I agree 100% I'm a person who personally loves reading manuals. I've read the manual of Mavic Air, Mavic 2 and PRO without even owning them, that is how most times I find if I really want / need a device.

I found very funny how many many youtubers make fun of the manual, and say like "We won't be needing that", and thow it, not only within the drones world.

I agree. I'm a manual and checklist kind of guy too. I design my own checklists to as best mirror the manual as much as possible so I always have the actionable items at my fingertips (and in the process of making those checklists, I tend to retain some knowledge). Does it make my chances of an incident lower? Yeah, it does statistically (anecdotally though I must say - I don't have hard data to prove). But there is always more to learn, and a re-read of the manual now and then helps.

Very sorry of your misfortune. I hope the repairs won't be too costly.

JPilotR Posted at 11-14 13:11
I agree. I'm a manual and checklist kind of guy too. I design my own checklists to as best mirror the manual as much as possible so I always have the actionable items at my fingertips (and in the process of making those checklists, I tend to retain some knowledge). Does it make my chances of an incident lower? Yeah, it does statistically (anecdotally though I must say - I don't have hard data to prove). But there is always more to learn, and a re-read of the manual now and then helps.

Interesting about the checklists, will do that for my drone adventure too, thanks for the tip!
I've been even making a simplyfied and understandable version of the law in my region to take around with me, most policeman around don't know the law, and is a good idea to show straight away you are informed, than not.

Juliflash Posted at 11-14 13:24
Interesting about the checklists, will do that for my drone adventure too, thanks for the tip!
I've been even making a simplyfied and understandable version of the law in my region to take around with me, most policeman around don't know the law, and is a good idea to show straight away you are informed, than not.

Yeah, that is a great idea too! A rules and regulation cheat sheet!

JPilotR Posted at 11-14 13:50
Yeah, that is a great idea too! A rules and regulation cheat sheet!

That sounds like the right name for it! lol
Like a simple law checklist, great ideas so far.

Check to see how much a new one costs.  Just the AC.

Juliflash Posted at 11-14 11:59
I'm an engineer myself, worked as machinist for many years prototyping devices in different materials so my reply to him was just that, ideas, in case he really wants to fly the weekend.

I fix pretty much everything that breaks on me, others just throw it in the bin and get another one, so for sure many different opinions can arise, that's why my first reaction was to come up with solutions.

As many others I was fascinated by the concept of 3D printing ... Having expert knowledge in 3D CAD and a decent printer, the sky was the limit, I believed ... That was until all my nice looking, perfectly designed and executed prints with all kind of filaments available were notoriously falling apart under applied stress well below expected ... Next step was to delegate 3D printing to a professional, industrial quality printers worth $100K ... With not much better results.

Bottom line: 3D printing is excellent for presentation or visual prototyping, but not for fabrication of structurally sound, vital parts like a motor arm. Not with home deck printers for sure. It will be inferior in strength and quality, therefore dangerously vulnerable to catastrophic failure. Judging by the extend of damage, glueing/patching with even advanced epoxy like aviation industry standard 3M Scotch-Weld 2216 will be a not risk-worthy approach.

That was the one and only reason for my somehow harsh response to your advice. My apologies.

Matthew Dobrski Posted at 11-14 14:00
As many others I was fascinated by the concept of 3D printing ... Having expert knowledge in 3D CAD and a decent printer, the sky was the limit, I believed ... That was until all my nice looking, perfectly designed and executed prints with all kind of filaments available were notoriously falling apart under applied stress well below expected ... Next step was to delegate 3D printing to a professional, industrial quality printers worth $100K ... With not much better results.

Bottom line: 3D printing is excellent for presentation or visual prototyping, but not for fabrication of structurally sound, vital parts like a motor arm. Not with home deck printers for sure. It will be inferior in strength and quality, therefore dangerously vulnerable to catastrophic failure. Judging by the extend of damage, glueing/patching with even advanced epoxy like aviation industry standard 3M Scotch-Weld 2216 will be a not risk-worthy approach.

No need to apologyze

I'm debating as friendly as I can, no bad feelings.
I agree with all your points and find your answer very informative by the way, the 3D printing industry is like drones something very primitive, but evolving really fast and will be the future, so they still have their stenghts and weak points.
Wishing a quick repair for the original post Stopid1234, it says it all...
Peace out

you're flying a drone around the city park for fun as a recreational pilot and you need to carry about a law book?  or reference to rules and regulations?

c'mon.

Just to clearify. This is 100% my bad. Not due to not reading books. Just due to flying around my house and beeing on the wrong side not LOS. This made the 5.8Ghz "lag" a half second which made me instead of "stopping" press the upwards stick I think or just continue on the path straight into the tree sideways. The drone got caught in the tree. Then fell down.

@DJI Tony: I just sent a repair request online, if it is possible to get the DJI Care program still for the purchase price + the replacement price I'd be happy to do that. But I'm sure you mean that after I pay for the repair I can then buy it? Which will be an additional safety in the future. So boring, I'd buy it if i bought the drone myself. Did not know that the gift was without it! But my bad to not check for it.

Not sure how they will respond on that "repair" request? As this is all my fault. I cannot lie, I'm an experienced drone flyer. Have multiple home buildt ones and have been flying many years. I just got a bit cocky which I deeply regret now. I have flown racing drones in 60-70km/t into pallets before and changed props. If i knew how fragile it was I'd probably be more careful and not fly in non-open areas with this fantastic drone.

Stopid1234 Posted at 11-14 15:15
Just to clearify. This is 100% my bad. Not due to not reading books. Just due to flying around my house and beeing on the wrong side not LOS. This made the 5.8Ghz "lag" a half second which made me instead of "stopping" press the upwards stick I think or just continue on the path straight into the tree sideways. The drone got caught in the tree. Then fell down.

@DJI Tony: I just sent a repair request online, if it is possible to get the DJI Care program still for the purchase price + the replacement price I'd be happy to do that. But I'm sure you mean that after I pay for the repair I can then buy it? Which will be an additional safety in the future. So boring, I'd buy it if i bought the drone myself. Did not know that the gift was without it! But my bad to not check for it.

Well I’m sure you’ve learnt from the experience, hopefully it won’t cost so much, it’s more than likely dji will issue you with a refurb or new drone, you may be lucky that they’re no refurbs yet, you will have to pay for the repair, but new craft will have new serial you will have to do a new sign in and it’s at this stage you will get the option for care refresh, it’s so cheap for this model it’s great peace of mind, so good luck I hope you get sorted soon .

If you were flying sideways, how come both of the arms are broken? it should be just one?? you should always keep an eye on the drone rather than the live feed alone.

IEdzus Posted at 11-14 16:11
If you were flying sideways, how come both of the arms are broken? it should be just one?? you should always keep an eye on the drone rather than the live feed alone.

i think he said it was the crash to the ground that causes the most damage.  at least what i thought i read...it how i sustained most my damage.

Yes it appears that way. Hit front arms first and the impact snapped them.

Ouch ! Wow snapped that arm like a twig. Keep us posted on the repair costs and the outcome.

Oh man, sorry to read about your accident, so sad....

That is sad to hear!