"Aircraft Disconnected" Warning. Flight Log Ended

[lugerc]

The other night my friend and I were flying the drone from a boat in a channel near downtown Tampa to take pics of a concert. According to the flight data, we were 2000ft away, 19Sats, 58% battery, 164ft agl and within line of sight. I was looking at the video relay when "Aircraft Disconnected" appeared in the top left of the screen. At about the same time, my friend driving the boat said he didn't see the lights anymore. I looked up and saw nothing either. The flight data ends abruptly with the above specs. We checked all around the area below where the last location was detected but found nothing. After contacting DJI they said:

For your recent flight incident, with the record ended without any sign of abnormality, our analysis is inconclusive.

As such, we could not provide service under warranty.

It seems like this is an error with the product and I'd only had the drone for a little over a month. I can upload the flight record if needed. Thanks to anyone who has any ideas.

 

[msinger]

Please upload your TXT flight log here and post a link back here.

 

[F3honda4me]

Please upload your TXT flight log here and post a link back here.

+1 this will help us see what happened.

 

[lugerc]

Just uploaded the record. Thanks

Phantom Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

 

[lugerc]

Also, here's a screenshot of the final second i was in contact with the drone:

 

[WBN3]

As you saw in my thread, I wondered about the battery coming out mid-flight... I got some responses which suggested it's possible, but not probable. With a reported 60% remaining, this seems like one of two things happened - either the battery fell out, or it got taken out by something else (you mentioned other drones in the vicinity - or possibly a bird impact).

I looked at the KML file and the CSV - it didn't appear you were in the Go Home mode like ours was when we lost it (similar altitude, similar distance from home). You mentioned in my thread that it was programmed to hover on loss of contact, so I wouldn't expect it to fly back to the home point and splash. While it was 2000 ft. from home, were you trailing it in the boat? That's too far to see (at least it is for me) given the brightness of the lights, so assume you were somewhat closer. It's easier for me to hear it than it is to see it once it's in the air - but with a boat and surrounding noises like a concert, I could see how the inverse might be true for you. How long after you lost contact before you were at the last known location? Did you look in the water, or just on land? Did you go back the next day to see if it might have blown out of one of those palm trees?

 

[Multicoptertec]

I hope your drone didn't hurt anyone. That area is heavily populated with walkers, joggers, bicyclists, boats, etc. Do you also realize you were about 3 miles from Tampa International Airport? And less than 5 miles from MacDill AFB. Oh, and Peter O'Knight Airfield is about 1 mile away.

 

[lugerc]

Yes multicoptertech I'm fully aware. If you don't have anything productive to add regarding the post please don't comment.

WBN3- 2000ft with bright led's at night isn't that far. Very easy to see. We were in a boat chasing the drone the whole flight. Boat was stationary when drone signal was lost so it was very clear that something went wrong. Battery falling out could explain it, but there wasn't any hard maneuvering at the time of loss.

 

[lugerc]

I'm just going to keep pestering DJI until I get better than a bs 30% "discount"

 

[WBN3]

I'm just going to keep pestering DJI until I get better than a bs 30% "discount"

Without a drone to examine and nothing else in the flight log to indicate a malfunction, I'm not sure you've got much hope... this is "at risk" equipment, and that's a dicey environment over/near water in a metro area. Good luck, though... certainly can't hurt to press the matter a bit further.

 

[lugerc]

Ya unfortunately I think you're right. Good luck with your drone

 

[WBN3]

Ya unfortunately I think you're right. Good luck with your drone

It's in everyone's interest to get these sorts of things figured out. Hope you're able to make some progress... have you checked craigslist or ebay to see if anyone's selling a Phantom without controller? Opportunists abound...

 

[lugerc]

No I haven't checked in my area yet. I'll just look for a listing that starts with "severely damaged"

 

[Multicoptertec]

Yes multicoptertech I'm fully aware. If you don't have anything productive to add regarding the post please don't comment.

WBN3- 2000ft with bright led's at night isn't that far. Very easy to see. We were in a boat chasing the drone the whole flight. Boat was stationary when drone signal was lost so it was very clear that something went wrong. Battery falling out could explain it, but there wasn't any hard maneuvering at the time of loss.

What I said is productive, and relevant to my safety, and others who walk / hike there regularly. Right where you lost the drone is the main hiking / jogging/ bicycling path if you were not already aware. There is also a children's museum with an outdoor play area. Curtis Hixon park is packed with people at any given time, especially during the huge events we just had there. I guess getting your photos was more important.

 

[F3honda4me]

I think the reason you lost signal was because of line of sight. Also makes sense given that you said you no longer saw the drone. You were over 2000 feet away, at night, and only going farther. And you had just descended as well. My guess is you got so far that the two tall buildings I circled likely got in the way of the signal. Your drone probably went into a hover until the battery died since you have it set to hover and not RTH.

You may not like the answer that DJI gave you, but there is nothing in your logs that indicates some kind of issue with the craft itself. So they are doing you a courtesy of the 30% discount.

 

[lugerc]

f3honda4me- I'm not sure that makes sense. I was in line of sight and the tall buildings were well out of the way. I think this is a new problem and DJI needs to address it.

 

[Meta4]

I was in line of sight and the tall buildings were well out of the way. I think this is a new problem and DJI needs to address it.

Where were you at the time you lost contact?
A lat/long from Google Earth or a picture would be good.

 

[F3honda4me]

f3honda4me- I'm not sure that makes sense. I was in line of sight and the tall buildings were well out of the way. I think this is a new problem and DJI needs to address it.

You're the only person that's had this happen. And without a craft, not sure what you want them to fix. :/

Where were you when you lost sight?

 

[Spyderz]

Lugerc, you are NOT alone in this. I had the same thing happen to my P3P on Thursday the 12th, two days ago. I was a bit closer, was 800 some feet away from myself. I may have lost contact I think due to a cell tower antenna right next to where I was flying from, or possibly an overzealous seagull that didn't like me being in it's space. those bastards are territorial after all and I had irritated a few of them with my flying earlier in the six minute flight. I had mine set to return to home on the event of disconnect and have had it do as such previously, but not this time. I had full line of sight to the Phantom, looked down at my iPad to check my video framing when I saw the disconnect message and video freeze. I looked back up and I couldn't see it. It was early morning so still a little dim, but daylight. I did have the forward LED's turned off, had I had them on maybe it would have been easier to spot the Phantom. Regardless I was basically straight out from my position about 800 feet and one hundred feet up. I pulled back on the stick to fly it backward to me in case I still had some control, but after having done so for several seconds and seeing nothing. A few seconds after the disconnect the video came back for a brief second and then gone again, but in that brief second it appeared that it had been flying back towards me as I had been commanding. I kept trying with the back stick but it never reappeared in the sky nor reconnected. I even pressed the RTH button but it never came back. I took a screen cap of the last video image and the map which I will attach, as well as a shot I took from my vantage point of it's last known position in the sky. I searched the area where it showed as being last, but turned up nothing other than a dead pigeon which I don't think could take it out, nor did it seem chopped by props or anything. In my post disappearance search I noticed the video image frozen and the last known position are not matched, the frozen image has a view of the area where it showed as being on the map last.

 

[Spyderz]

Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots