Crash/Collisions

[skymonkey]

I think it might be beneficial to everyone if there would be a topic just for crashes or collisions where one would state the facts about their accident so that anyone can just visit that topic and maybe try and learn what not to do, or do, in order to be safe. Kind of like the NTSB after they investigate a crash and report their findings.
Then if they want to get help they can visit the Phantom Help forum for help. I think we can all benefit from this.

 

[msinger]

I think it might be beneficial to everyone if there would be a topic just for crashes or collisions where one would state the facts about their accident so that anyone can just visit that topic and maybe try and learn what not to do

That's what I did in the guide below. It contains a list of the issues I most commonly see when people crash (or lose) their Phantoms.

Prevent a Crash or Flyaway with Your DJI Drone (The Complete Guide)

 

[skymonkey]

There are The FAR’s, Weather, Pre-flight, In-Flight checklist, Emergency procedures, etc..for manned aircraft and there are still accidents. In fact, I’ve lost two friends in aviation accidents. In the 15 years I flew I made it a habit to go into the NTSB website and read mistakes made by pilots so that I would not do the same as them. Most of us learn from the school of hard knocks instead of listening to our parents or others advising us.
A smart person learns from his mistakes, a wiseman learns from others mistakes.

 

[Forgotten_Fox]

That's what I did in the guide below. It contains a list of the issues I most commonly see when people crash (or lose) their Phantoms.

Prevent a Crash or Flyaway with Your DJI Drone (The Complete Guide)

I don’t think that’s what the OP meant.

It’s not DJI, but I’ll start. Aside from MANY light drones like fatshark 101s and symas that got put on roofs and in trees due to updrafts, I’ve only had one camera drone “crash” if you could even call it that. Bebop 2. 25% bettery. Was flying a final loop around my neighborhood before landing to swap batteries, but as the drone flew over a neighbors high power wifi, I lost the drone. Without smart RTH for low batt, or obstacle avoidance, the bebop waited 60 seconds before ascending to 100 ft and then began returning home. When my controller reconnected, I got reconnected to the drone just before it blindly drifted into my house, but I wasn’t safe yet. Battery dropping 1% every second. With no time to fly to me or find clear ground I found the softest looking bush I could and made a perfect touchdown, landing literally as the camera feed cut out. I didn’t even know if the drone was ok until I retrieved it.

Despite the landing, it was like touching down on a pillow. She still flies, not even a scratch, but as a precaution I used some 3rd party companies to set a low battery rth from my phone when the batt runs down, as the bebop 2 is not equipped with smart batteries. Moral of the story? Watch Bebop 2 signal strength and avoid prolonging a flight to get the last shot in.

 

[With The Birds]

I S

I don’t think that’s what the OP meant.

It’s not DJI, but I’ll start. Aside from MANY light drones like fatshark 101s and symas that got put on roofs and in trees due to updrafts, I’ve only had one camera drone “crash” if you could even call it that. Bebop 2. 25% bettery. Was flying a final loop around my neighborhood before landing to swap batteries, but as the drone flew over a neighbors high power wifi, I lost the drone. Without smart RTH for low batt, or obstacle avoidance, the bebop waited 60 seconds before ascending to 100 ft and then began returning home. When my controller reconnected, I got reconnected to the drone just before it blindly drifted into my house, but I wasn’t safe yet. Battery dropping 1% every second. With no time to fly to me or find clear ground I found the softest looking bush I could and made a perfect touchdown, landing literally as the camera feed cut out. I didn’t even know if the drone was ok until I retrieved it.
View attachment 107431
Despite the landing, it was like touching down on a pillow. She still flies, not even a scratch, but as a precaution I used some 3rd party companies to set a low battery rth from my phone when the batt runs down, as the bebop 2 is not equipped with smart batteries. Moral of the story? Watch Bebop 2 signal strength and avoid prolonging a flight to get the last shot in.

Ok- I’m confused. What do you think Msinger though the op meant?

The simple solution for the OP would be to search the forum for crash and flight logs and he should get close to finding every thread where a crash is discussed with a good chance of a plausible explanation based on the facts being determined.

 

[BigAl07]

While I understand precisely what @skymonkey is looking for I don't think it's a viable option in our industry. My reasoning is this.. after being in this hobby/industry for 4 decades I can tell you without any hesitation that the vast majority of crashes are user error BUT.... at the same time that same operator doesn't know enough about the aircraft, aircraft controls, or flight apps to correctly understand or operator them and they "assume" it was aircraft/mechanical errors. Before we had "telemetry" the operator would almost always claim loss of control or some other mechanical issue. We could tell from watching the operator and aircraft (I'm speaking from the point of being at the field and seeing the aircraft/operator and ensuing crash) it was a case of bad decisions or just plain "Dumb Thumbs".

Without an unbiased and nonsubjective body in place to do an investigation and review of the evidence, the flight review and crash/cause conclusion is going to be very heavily weighted towards NOT being pilot error even though the Carbon Unit operating the controls and making the decisions is usually at fault.

 

[African wildlife]

While I understand precisely what @skymonkey is looking for I don't think it's a viable option in our industry. My reasoning is this.. after being in this hobby/industry for 4 decades I can tell you without any hesitation that the vast majority of crashes are user error BUT.... at the same time that same operator doesn't know enough about the aircraft, aircraft controls, or flight apps to correctly understand or operator them and they "assume" it was aircraft/mechanical errors. Before we had "telemetry" the operator would almost always claim loss of control or some other mechanical issue. We could tell from watching the operator and aircraft (I'm speaking from the point of being at the field and seeing the aircraft/operator and ensuing crash) it was a case of bad decisions or just plain "Dumb Thumbs".

Without an unbiased and nonsubjective body in place to do an investigation and review of the evidence, the flight review and crash/cause conclusion is going to be very heavily weighted towards NOT being pilot error even though the Carbon Unit operating the controls and making the decisions is usually at fault.

Brilliantly said. As I simply explained in one of my books: "The problem with people is that they don't want to know what the problem with them is."

Discussing the wider problems of human behaviour with Ed Mitchell (sixth man to walk on the moon), this was the very first point we both covered as a starting point. Our intelligence and capacity for technological innovation and improvement is great, but the average human being's capacity for self-awareness is grossly limited, delusional, and often seems stuck - which, in itself, unnecessarily generates countless additional problems to add to the existing mess.

 

[African wildlife]

For anyone who hasn't seen it, the BBC drama "The Challenger" is an excellent example of how human behaviour usually gets in the way of getting to grips with facts, even when it shouldn't. You can watch it free on YouTube here:

We've used this dramatic reconstruction of the true story for training purposes and still do. Essential viewing. (There was an earlier documentary I once saw, focusing on the o-ring fiasco. If anyone knows about it and has a link to it, I'd be very grateful to hear. We'd add it to "The Challenger" to provide an even fuller picture of what went wrong. Edited to add: see post below.)

If this is what happened with The Challenger, with a teacher/non-professional astronaut on board, and the subsequent Presidential investigation, imagine how true BigAl07's comments are above about individuals crashing their drones?

And the problem with telemetry, which should provide much easier answers, is that you've got to be open to read and understand the data.

I love "the Carbon Unit" bit.

 

[msinger]

I don’t think that’s what the OP meant.

What did I miss? Isn't he recommending a central repository of known ways to crash that will help people prevent crashing their own drones? If so, that's precisely what I created.

 

[African wildlife]

The additional BBC documentary - only 29 minutes in length, in black and white (not colour) - is also on YouTube. I would watch it AFTER first seeing "The Challenger". Here's the link:

 

[Florida Drone Supply]

I think it might be beneficial to everyone if there would be a topic just for crashes or collisions where one would state the facts about their accident so that anyone can just visit that topic and maybe try and learn what not to do, or do, in order to be safe. Kind of like the NTSB after they investigate a crash and report their findings.
Then if they want to get help they can visit the Phantom Help forum for help. I think we can all benefit from this.

This is a great idea. No better way to learn than from hard lessons. We hear about crashes at FDS all the time for many different reasons, and we try to help everyone we can to get better. We support this 100%! Good thinking.

 

[NM_Quad]

Not sure there is a need for a crash repository. Seems 75% of this forum serves that purpose with near daily "I crashed my drone" posts followed by the sordid details. And, many people attempt to explain from the flight logs or situation what happened, usually operator error, unfamiliarity with the drone (like didn't even read the manual for what S1 and S2 do), or just flying in fatal weather conditions, low batteries, or the like. And most of the time, these pilots will blame DJI or a mechanical problem than admit their own mistakes. Just as BigAI07 stated. Keep reading this forum and you soon read all manner of crashes and their causes, whether real or imagined. The PhantomHelp does have some good information to read. In the meantime, hope you all have safe and fun flights.