Yea, the title tells all.  My Mini had a crash and I admit most of it was my fault.  I tell this tale of woe in hopes that someone else does not repeat my errors.  And I have a couple lessons learned.  I was doing a night flight from my house around the neighborhood.

Crash site

I took off as I usually do from my driveway a few feet in front of where I am in this daytime photo.  If I go straight up from there, I clear the neighbors tree that shades my truck by just a little, so I usually head towards the street and then climb or move towards the flag pole and then climb.  I live in a suburban area of mostly single family houses, and there is a ton of WiFi interference so I am very much used to losing contact and the Mini iniating a RTH upon loss of signal.  Normally I get signal back well before the drone gets back and normally cancel the RTH and continue whatever flying I was planning.  I always use the RTH button on the phone screen - not the one on the controller (that will become important in a moment).  Last night the Mini was a few hundred yards to the southwest (the direction of the upper left corner of the photo) and lost signal.  I don't know what is over there, but I almost always lose signal over there, so it was expected.  Sure enough, I lost contact and shortly thereafter the Mini initiated an RTH.  I regained contact shortly before the Mini was overhead.  What happned next was the problem.  I see the Mini 125 feet up as it should be for an RTH and starting down.  No big deal, I go to push the cancel RTH button on my phone and the app locks up and is totally non-responsive.  What became the problem was that I could see that the Mini was descending into the edge of the tree - and I can't cancel the RTH!  I kept trying to get the phone to respond and it wouldn't.  Remember that I said that I always use the RTH button on screen - I did not even think that I could cancel the RTH with the physical button on the controller until hours later.  I watched in horror as the Mini descended into the edge of the tree, rose once when it apparently detected it, then descended into the leaves of the tree.  That stopped the motors and it fell about 15 feet to the concrete driveway.
As far as I can tell, the impact was on the back side of the right rear motor.  Other than a couple dings in the plastic housing, there is no visible damage to the motor, but when rotated by hand it is not as smooth as the other three motors.  The battery door had opened and the middle latch was damaged, and the battery had slid out maybe 1/8 inch.  And the uSD card had partially ejected.  Other than that, there was no obvious damage.  Even the props were OK.
After inspecting it, I slid the battery back in and the Mini would not power up at all (not a good sign).  Took it back inside and did a more detailed inspection.  While I was doing that, the little metal cover that holds the uSD card onto the PC board feel out - not a good sign.  Finally took another battery and it powered up the Mini just fine (I feel a little better).  Once I had connectivity, I saw that the gimbal was rolled about 30 degrees, and it reported that the gimbal was stuck.  Powered it down and was able to unstick the gimbal.  Powered back up and did a gimbal calibration followed by a couple power cycles and at least the gimbal appears to be fully operational (whew).  After a while I took my Mini back outside and powered it up.  I had no intention of taking off, but first I wanted to see if I could get GPS lock (I can't inside my family room), and I wanted to see if the motors would spin.  GPS locked up just fine, and I commanded the motors to start.  All four came up apparently fine, but it MAY have been a little more sound.  If was noisier, it was not by much and I could not isolate it to any motor.  I let it idle on the ground for a couple minutes while I carefully inspected the prop rotation - even to the point of laying down on the gound so my eye was at or below prop level.  Shut it all down, went back inside and downloaded the .DAT file from my phone.  The main thing I wanted to see was the motor speeds and currents, to see if any of them were substantially different.  As somewhat expected, the right rear motor (what had the first impact and was not as smooth) was drawing more current at idle that the left rear.  My next test will be to take the Mini outside and take off into a hover for a few minutes and see if errors are reported.  Not planning on anything more than that, but again, I will review the .DAT file to see about motor abnormalities.  However as I type this, it is 113 degrees F outside and I don't feel like going out there right now!
Lessons learned.  A failure is never a complete failure unless there is nothing learned from the failure.  So what did I learn?  1)  take off a little farther from the tree so that the RTH point is a little farther away.  2)  As a routine, use the button on the remote control to initiate or cancel an RTH so that if this ever happens again, the habit will be to use the controller which should still be working.
DJI's US repair facility is only a short distance from me so I am going to call them and likely drive it over on Monday for a checkout and repair.  I will miss not being able to fly for a bit, but it was my own fault.  I did not buy Care Refresh on this because when I activated the Mini, I had absolutley no idea what Care Refresh was.  I did not find the answer to that until several days later (after the 48 hours).  And as far as I could determine, the procedure for after 48 hour purchase of care Refresh is no longer available (the pages are all dead).
I happened to be rolling video for the entire flight, so I have the last 49 seconds here.  That starts shortly before the Mini gets to the RTH point and starts down.  The obvious bump near the end is the first time the props hit tree.

Lesson 3. Don't fly at night. The lack of obstacle sensors ( other than downward ) on the Mini means you need to see it clearly to cancel the RTH if the drone approaches an obstacle.  If I do an RTH, I generally let the drone come back to Home and then cancel the RTH and land it manually._ _ ...   ... _ _

Blériot53 Posted at 9-5 14:43
Lesson 3. Don't fly at night. The lack of obstacle sensors ( other than downward ) on the Mini means you need to see it clearly to cancel the RTH if the drone approaches an obstacle.  If I do an RTH, I generally let the drone come back to Home and then cancel the RTH and land it manually._ _ ...   ... _ _

I do a lot of my flying at night.  In fact the primary purpose I bought the drone in the first place was shooting video of my Christmas light show and my professional fireworks shows.  My RTH altitude is normally set to 127 feet and there is NOTHING more than about 50 feet around here, so flying into something on a night flight should not be an issue.  And I frequently fly higher than that.  There is higher terrain a couple thousand feet north of me, but I lose connection LONG before getting there.
For my Christmas show, most of the time, I expect the drone to be over the street at no more than 20 feet and less than 50 feet from me - clearly in VLoS.
I also normally on a RTH, cancel the RTH when it gets close.
BTW, I love flying at night (and in rain) when flying fixed wing airplanes (real ones).

An epic story.  Thanks for sharing.

Hi K6CCC, I'm sorry about the accident. For fly safety considerations, it is recommended to fly the drone in a bright light environment. Please start an online repair request on our official web and then send it back. Here is the link: https://repair.dji.com/repair/index?site=brandsite&from=nav. We will do our best to help this out.

Porktree Posted at 9-5 19:02
An epic story.  Thanks for sharing.

You're welcome.  Hopefully someone else will get some ideas of how to not mess up.  At least make people think.

Thanks for sharing your experience

well, i never relied on the app too much - too buggy. So i always stick to the remote buttons. And remote has always control when connected, you should never forget that. But most importantly: Don't panic.

Sorry for your crash, I hope you get it fixed and you are soon back in the air. Thanks for sharing this bad experience! Good luck

sbonev Posted at 9-6 01:19
well, i never relied on the app too much - too buggy. So i always stick to the remote buttons. And remote has always control when connected, you should never forget that. But most importantly: Don't panic.

Like I said, lesson learned was to change my habit and use the RTH button on the controller rather than the RTH button on the screen.
This is the first time I have had the app exhibit any real problem...

I don't use the RTH function too often, but when i do, i usually use the button on the screen. I will keep your experience in mind in case that ever happens to me.  Thank you!

DJI Natalia Posted at 9-5 19:20
Hi K6CCC, I'm sorry about the accident. For fly safety considerations, it is recommended to fly the drone in a bright light environment. Please start an online repair request on our official web and then send it back. Here is the link: https://repair.dji.com/repair/index?site=brandsite&from=nav. We will do our best to help this out.

Thanks Natalia.  Repair order created and it will ship tomorrow.

It is very important to learn from mistakes, Thank You for sharing! Tricky to fly in tight space at night, I'm always a bit nervous take off with trees and other obstacles near (I fly RC airplanes that need space to fly safely) so I would look for more open spot, like You say a little farther from the tree.
I hope You'll be airborne soon!

K6CCC Posted at 9-6 21:24
Thanks Natalia.  Repair order created and it will ship tomorrow.

Thanks for your update. Our team will take care of your case after receiving the package. If there is any further assistance needed, please feel free to let me know.

Great lesson to be learned.  When I fly at night(which is often, don't let anyone tell you when to fly) I always fly at a "familiar" place which you did, but it was a good lesson.  My lesson was loosing Phantom 4 in a fast running river flying under a bridge blind and hitting a pole that was not suppose to be there.....lol  I hope you get it fix soon.

Thanks for sharing. .

Update.  Repair completed yesterday afternoon, flight tested, and QA this morning, and now on a UPS truck.  Should have my Mini back on Friday.  I see a lot of flying going on this weekend!  

I've got to admit that I have been very pleased with the repair process.  About 28 hours from the time the box from me was opened, until it is on it's way back home.  And under $95

Wow, great service. Glad you can start up the little beast again.

DJI Natalia Posted at 9-7 19:07
Thanks for your update. Our team will take care of your case after receiving the package. If there is any further assistance needed, please feel free to let me know.

Natalia, maybe there is something you can look into.  As I mentioned in the original post, I had not bought Care Refresh when I first activated this Mini because I had no idea what it was at the time.  However after the repair, I received an E-Mail indicating that since I had the Mini repaired at a DJI repair center, I again had the option to purchase Care Refresh.  Went to the page linked in the E-Mail, and sure enough, within 72 hours of an authorized repair makes that aircraft eligible for Care Refresh.  Great.  Click the link to buy it and that page does not list 72 hours of a repair as a criteria, and when I enter my information, the page responds that it has been more than 48 hours since it was activated and therefore no longer eligible for Care Refresh.  I already sent a query about this to the support contact E-Mail address, but have not received a response.
BTW, my Mini is on a UPS truck and supposed to get here tomorrow - looking forward to having it back...

K6CCC Posted at 9-20 09:23
Natalia, maybe there is something you can look into.  As I mentioned in the original post, I had not bought Care Refresh when I first activated this Mini because I had no idea what it was at the time.  However after the repair, I received an E-Mail indicating that since I had the Mini repaired at a DJI repair center, I again had the option to purchase Care Refresh.  Went to the page linked in the E-Mail, and sure enough, within 72 hours of an authorized repair makes that aircraft eligible for Care Refresh.  Great.  Click the link to buy it and that page does not list 72 hours of a repair as a criteria, and when I enter my information, the page responds that it has been more than 48 hours since it was activated and therefore no longer eligible for Care Refresh.  I already sent a query about this to the support contact E-Mail address, but have not received a response.
BTW, my Mini is on a UPS truck and supposed to get here tomorrow - looking forward to having it back...

You can get refresh after 48 hrs, search ()

It happens!

Thanks for sharing.  I dented a motor rotor on my Mavic Air crashing onto concrete.  Wouldn't even turn but after prying it back into round with some lock ring pliers the drone flies just fine now.

amir_KING Posted at 9-21 06:31
You can get refresh after 48 hrs, search (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUA5WeKRi7Q)

After I discovered what Care refresh was several days after I had activated my Mini, I found many discussions about how to get Care Refresh after the 48 hours.  However EVERY one of them pointed to dead links on the DJI site (including the ones on the DJI site).  My conclusion was that the submit a video method was no longer supported.

My point in this post was that maybe Natalia might be able to tell me why one page says that I can get Care Refresh after an authorized repair, but the page to actually order Care Refresh does not allow it.

Martyzion Posted at 9-21 10:28
Thanks for sharing.  I dented a motor rotor on my Mavic Air crashing onto concrete.  Wouldn't even turn but after prying it back into round with some lock ring pliers the drone flies just fine now.

I would not trust that unless I absolutely NEVER flew over anything that would be a problem if the drone crashed onto it.

K6CCC Posted at 9-20 09:23
Natalia, maybe there is something you can look into.  As I mentioned in the original post, I had not bought Care Refresh when I first activated this Mini because I had no idea what it was at the time.  However after the repair, I received an E-Mail indicating that since I had the Mini repaired at a DJI repair center, I again had the option to purchase Care Refresh.  Went to the page linked in the E-Mail, and sure enough, within 72 hours of an authorized repair makes that aircraft eligible for Care Refresh.  Great.  Click the link to buy it and that page does not list 72 hours of a repair as a criteria, and when I enter my information, the page responds that it has been more than 48 hours since it was activated and therefore no longer eligible for Care Refresh.  I already sent a query about this to the support contact E-Mail address, but have not received a response.
BTW, my Mini is on a UPS truck and supposed to get here tomorrow - looking forward to having it back...

Hi K6CCC, sorry for the late response, could you please show me a screenshot of the error page? By the way, where did you send the email? I've tried but unable to get your request number via your forum account, you may send it again to djicare@dji.com for further assistance, after sending the email, you'll get a request number, please let me know the request number to help you keep an eye on it. Thanks.

K6CCC Posted at 9-21 12:57
After I discovered what Care refresh was several days after I had activated my Mini, I found many discussions about how to get Care Refresh after the 48 hours.  However EVERY one of them pointed to dead links on the DJI site (including the ones on the DJI site).  My conclusion was that the submit a video method was no longer supported.

My point in this post was that maybe Natalia might be able to tell me why one page says that I can get Care Refresh after an authorized repair, but the page to actually order Care Refresh does not allow it.

Really? That's weird

DJI Natalia Posted at 9-21 19:13
Hi K6CCC, sorry for the late response, could you please show me a screenshot of the error page? By the way, where did you send the email? I've tried but unable to get your request number via your forum account, you may send it again to  for further assistance, after sending the email, you'll get a request number, please let me know the request number to help you keep an eye on it. Thanks.

Natalia,
Here are two screenshots.  First is the page that lists 72 hours as acceptable criteria:




And when you click on the "Shop Now" button, you get this page - shown after I entered my S/N:




My E-Mail to support was sent to support@dji.com on 17 Sept. 2020 at 1801 PDT (California Time) with this text:
I just had my Mavic Mini repaired at your Texas facility.  I received an E-Mail that advised that I could purchase Care Refresh withing 72 hours.  The web page that explains Care Refresh confirms that with 72 hours of repair is an acceptable criteria for purchasing Care refresh, but the page to actually purchase Care Refresh does not list 72 hours of repair as a criteria, and when I enter my serial number, it is giving me this error message:

Your aircraft has been activated over 48 hours. You cannot purchase DJI Care Refresh.

Gimbal S/N can't be blank

Gimbal S/N You've purchased DJI Care for this aircraft before or you have pending order of DJI Care, please go to My Orders to check.
Reminder: DJI Care Refresh can only be bound to a product meeting the following criteria:
  1. Brand new and un-activated;
  2. Aircraft or gimbal activated within the last 48 hours;
  3. Handheld device activated within the last 30 days;
  4. Aircraft approved via video verification.


Just as an FYI, I did not purchase Care Refresh when I originally activated this Mini because I had no idea what it was at the time.  By the time I determined that, it was too late.  Now after a repair, I am being told that I can now purchase Care Refresh, but your system won't let me.

thanks for sharing this , we learn from it , and our mini will be safe

sohelzx Posted at 9-23 01:07
thanks for sharing this , we learn from it , and our mini will be safe

You're welcome.  that is the main reason I shared my experience.

Fly safe!

K6CCC Posted at 9-23 06:24
You're welcome.  that is the main reason I shared my experience.

Fly safe!

My Mini is back  

UPS delivered it to my work yesterday, but I was not there.  Got someone to bring it back to me today and flew it around a bit this evening.  Me happy!

K6CCC Posted at 9-23 22:01
My Mini is back  

UPS delivered it to my work yesterday, but I was not there.  Got someone to bring it back to me today and flew it around a bit this evening.  Me happy!

Nice, glad the experience is all over

Very good story with a lot to learn.
Thank you.

Cients Posted at 10-5 06:25
Very good story with a lot to learn.
Thank you.

You're welcome.  Hopefully by sharing, I will help someone else avoid a crash.

K6CCC Posted at 10-5 09:17
You're welcome.  Hopefully by sharing, I will help someone else avoid a crash.

Did you get the 72 hours versus 48 hour thing worked out?

fanse39fc2b6 Posted at 10-19 14:29
Did you get the 72 hours versus 48 hour thing worked out?

I assume you are referring to being able to buy Care Refresh.  Not exactly, but it worked out fine.  When my Mini came back it had a different serial number (both electronic and label in the battery compartment).  Although they made no mention of it, it sounds like they either replaced the drone itself or the at least the board that has the electronic S/N on it.  That meant that I had to activate it in order to fly.  That meant that I could purchase Care refresh that day.

Nice story thx for sharing.  You know , I think that the RTH physical button on the RC should have been bigger.  Black on black ...not easy to quickly find in emergency situations because you have to look down at the remote ...

K6CCC Posted at 10-19 14:50
I assume you are referring to being able to buy Care Refresh.  Not exactly, but it worked out fine.  When my Mini came back it had a different serial number (both electronic and label in the battery compartment).  Although they made no mention of it, it sounds like they either replaced the drone itself or the at least the board that has the electronic S/N on it.  That meant that I had to activate it in order to fly.  That meant that I could purchase Care refresh that day.

Thanks for the prompt reply.

fanse39fc2b6 Posted at 10-20 06:48
Thanks for the prompt reply.

You're welcome.  I gather that answered your question.

K6CCC Posted at 10-20 17:22
You're welcome.  I gather that answered your question.

It answered a question but skirted the issue of 72 hour after repair or 48 hours after activation.
Which DJI could answer.