Bird/bat strike

mikesmiley · May 6, 2016

I sent it up tonight on a Litchi waypoint mission. After a couple minutes I was well beyond RC range. A minute or so later I get the RTH beep and it's coming home. Camera view is still frozen from when it flew out of range, but I switch back to P and controls work fine. As I'm landing, I can see something looks very, very wrong..

The video file on the SD card is (not surprisingly) corrupted, and will not play, so I'm not sure what hit me.

I'm very, very bummed out right now. But, I'm also incredibly amazed the she flew herself directly home with a broken prop and the camera and gimbal torn off.

Ed209 · May 6, 2016

**** that's some crazy odds and luck that you flew it back all busted up. **** P3 is like a B17 Flying Fortress! Might not be too expensive to repair if the camera itself isn't broken. Maybe just this? Buy Phantom 3 - Camera Vibration Absorbing Board (Pro/Adv) | DJI Store

Are the wires ripped or were they just unplugged? Also, good chance you can repair that video. Is the SD card readable and you just can't play the video? If so, it's probably because the video wasn't closed properly due to the strike. You could try plugging the camera back in and powering on to close out the file. That will also tell you if the camera is functioning.

Sinisalo · May 6, 2016

Ed209 said it, plug the sd card back in without making any file changes and turn the Phantom back on so it can close out the video.

mikesmiley · May 6, 2016

Wires are torn out. I will take some more pics tomorrow. Camera is dead.

Ed209 · May 6, 2016

mikesmiley said:
Wires are torn out. I will take some more pics tomorrow.

They might have just unplugged. If not still a cheap fix.

mikesmiley · May 6, 2016

It's not beyond fixing, but it's wrecked pretty bad. I still can't help admire it flying home with a broken prop and the whole gimbal dangling, though.

Sinisalo · May 6, 2016

a new plate and a cable set and you should be good to go.
DJI Cable Set for Phantom 3 CP.PT.000228 B&H Photo Video

mikesmiley · May 6, 2016

Sinisalo said:
a new plate and a cable set and you should be good to go.
DJI Cable Set for Phantom 3 CP.PT.000228 B&H Photo Video

I hope so, man. Thank you.

Sinisalo · May 6, 2016

Do us all a favor and post that video after you get the cables all connected, I am curious what hit you.

With The Birds · May 6, 2016

Is it possible you flew into something? Power lines? Tree? Building? Bats are exceptionally good at obstacle avoidance and unlikely to attack. Birds come from above. That damage to the camera is more likely you crashed into something high enough to recover.

Dacon Productions · May 6, 2016

Curious also.

robinb · May 6, 2016

The video file just needs to be finalised, the camera does this automatically when you finish recording. There are third party tools to do this if the camera does not work.

RedHotPoker · May 6, 2016

Eh, that's a strange tale, worthy of our Canadian, X-Files... ;-)

I certainly add my +1, to, Hope you get it fixed and back to flying quick. Am also looking forward to seeing the video if possible, and perhaps we get to witness this mysterious UFO that struck your drone.
It's kind of strange that you have suffered damage both on top and beneath. With the rotor blade chipped out, but also the camera dangling down. Perhaps you went through a small flock and struck two or more birds simultaneously. Odd though, no feathers, blood or any sign of what interfered in air, that created this mysterious disturbance.
One for the record books. ;-)
So hopefully the camera captured a real life UFO...

RedHotPoker

CCDD · May 6, 2016

It was more than just "good luck" that you had on your side to be able to bring her back in one piece or shall I say, in hanging pieces. I hope your sd card contains some amazing footage that you'll be able to share. Are you certain it wasn't some intoxicated individual celebrating Cinco De Mayo that decided to swing a bat at your Phantom just as it was landing?

robinb · May 6, 2016

If you search Video Repair Software
In google or if you get camera working, just put it in drone, power on then remove card after a short while.

alokbhargava · May 6, 2016

It looks as if it had hit a pole that chipped of one prop, it lost a balanced for a while and the same pole hit the cam then.

It's amazing that P3 returned back home safely.

Waiting to see the video.

MikeyOnline · May 6, 2016

What about uploading the log to Healthy Drones? Might be able to tell where the event occurred?

Mike

jonebk12 · May 6, 2016

Is it not a little odd that it's the trailing edge of the prop that has the chunk taken out of it? I would think that if the prop struck something, the leading edge would take the damage. The mystery deepens...

MikeyOnline · May 6, 2016

jonebk12 said:
Is it not a little odd that it's the trailing edge of the prop that has the chunk taken out of it? I would think that if the prop struck something, the leading edge would take the damage. The mystery deepens...

I also thought it odd that the trailing arm of the gimbal mount was the one that broke: not anything up front. And to break that arm, I'd think it would take a direct hit to the gimbal mount yet I see no divots on the gimbal mount or board. But with flying and spinning things, I guess you can end up with all sorts of contortions and flopping. Also, the trailing edge of the prop is much thinner than the leading edge so I guess the leading edge could have taken the strike but the trailing edge was fragile enough to break off. I do think it would have taken a solid object like a tree branch or metal pole to do that. I think a bird is too "squishy".

Edit: You also have to consider the remote possibility that it was shot at.

Mike