98' apparently wasn't high enough. Now what to do?

CenLA · Mar 10, 2016

I set up an autonomous flight with my Litchi app today to record the historic flooding from the storms in Louisiana this week. I set all my waypoints at 134' which is pretty safe. Only I missed setting the altitude setting for an extra waypoint and it dropped to the default 98' .... Smack dab into the top of a pine tree.

As always seems to happen when I crash, the battery fell out. It fell into the standing water and is now drying out. Sadly, the drone is still up there somewhere in a cluster of pine trees in the middle of the woods.

So....any ideas on how to get it back down to earth? The ground is too soggy to do much and will be for another month or two. Assuming I can spot it up there up above where I found the battery, how can I get it down?

Meta4 · Mar 10, 2016

CenLA said:
I set up an autonomous flight with my Litchi app today to record the historic flooding from the storms in Louisiana this week. I set all my waypoints at 134' which is pretty safe. Only I missed setting the altitude setting for an extra waypoint and it dropped to the default 98' .... Smack dab into the top of a pine tree.
Assuming I can spot it up there up above where I found the battery, how can I get it down?

You have two options.
Either cut the tree down .. which might not be practical or safe .. or
Get up there in the tree.
Look around for arborists or tree surgeons as they often have good professional climbers.
They make good pocket money these days retrieving Phantoms

Air Ontario · Mar 10, 2016

I'd try to pinpoint its exact location and get someone on it quicky before the wind puts it into the backwater and it's gone forever.

I have a pair of Buckingham spurs for just such events however it may be cheaper and safer in the long run to heed meta4's idea on hiring an arborist.

Thoughts and prayers for all y'all going thru the flood. Best wishes and watch for wally mocs, they are hunting high ground too.

CenLA · Mar 10, 2016

I may do that, and if I can spot it and find a shootable branch I might go that route. But the high water was over the top of my boots and it is getting to snake season... This is an area where I encounter several copperheads every year.

CenLA · Mar 12, 2016

Got lucky and it fell to a smaller bush like tree and sustained no visible damage. I had an ESC error initially but after spraying the motors with electronic cleaner it seems to be okay.