Crash :-(

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Oct 14, 2014
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Hey guys,

Today I went out to my favorite field to fly. Got everything hooked up, turned on the FPV and all seemed fine. Got the props to spin and began to throttle up when it rose 1' off the ground, flipped over on its blades and throttled up on its own. I immediately throttled down but it continued to run at full speed. Needless to say, dirt got into the motors and every where inside the Phantom. When it finally shut down, the props wouldn't turn due to the amount of dirt that got into them. My GoPro lens is scratched but fortunately the gimbal is ok.
I've taken it all apart, cleaned everything with compressed air. Put on new 9" props. Everything seems to be fine. I also replaced the transmitter batteries. Took it out for a flight and all seems to be good. Rugged little beast!!

My question is this, has anyone else experienced this? I've had the Phantom 1 for a couple of months. Got it from DSLR Pros with the fpv and Tarot gimbal.
I'm wondering if I should change the transmitter batteries more often.

Any comments would be appreciated!!

thanks,

bob
 
No idea why it flipped in the first place but it more than likely throttled up thinking it was upside down in the air and was trying to right itself.
 
Have you done a compass calibration?
 
Yes, I did the calibration and it did fine. My biggest concern is the transmitter and why it didn't shut down when I throttled off. the crash ate a brand new set of props.
 
Some folks say they won't shut off while inverted. I'm one of those folks who repeats what they hear.

I've had mine flip 2 times in a row as soon as I throttled up for takeoff. Glad I was on grass, lawn type grass. :cool:

I had turned the FC40 on, about 15 feet below and away from where I decided to takeoff. I'm thinking I shouldn't have powered it up in one spot and then tried to takeoff from another. It was headed towards home each time.

Powered down, powered up and flew just fine.
 
If you're new to this, don't be afraid to punch full throttle stick up when taking off. Then when it's 7 or 8 ft. up you can ease off.
You may have been gradually adding throttle and I made this mistake too when I started, trying to be too careful.
 
Fyod said:
If you're new to this, don't be afraid to punch full throttle stick up when taking off. Then when it's 7 or 8 ft. up you can ease off.
You may have been gradually adding throttle and I made this mistake too when I started, trying to be too careful.

Winner, Winner, Winner... Trying to ease the throttle on and lift a little, I experienced the same. Taking off now, Full throttle and back to center gets me up about 5' then I hover and make sure everything looks good.
 
I had mine tip over when I first flew it. I made the mistake of going slowly with the throttle.

Like above, whacking it on full is the best way to go.
 
Hey guys,

Thanks for the info. Yes, I'm new to quads, although I've been into r/c planes and helos for a couple of decades. I also trained with a HeliMax. The thought of not enough throttle on take off is probably what happened. After the teardown and repairs, I did the full throttle thing and it flew just fine.
Another question, is there any indication of low batteries on the transmitter? The stock unit has no gauge, just the red lite. Does it flash? I use Duracells and swap them out after 4 hours of flight. My battery tester says they're ok but I don't want to take a chance.

Thanks for the help - btw, this is a great website!! Lots of good stuff.

bob
 
The transmitter does have a low battery alarm.

This is found in the manual.

Take some time to look through it again.

I still found 'things' even after 2-3 reads.
 
I have had a case like yours, i found out if PH2 not level before take-off, it tryes be all mean, to level in the take-off and seems to be critical if it not get full trottle.
Sorry for my English :roll:
 
Hi guys,
Great idea - read the manual again! I found it. Good advice.
Thanks BWJ, I'm throttling up until I'm a few feet off the ground, then throttle back. It seems to work. A lesson well learned. Your English is just fine. I'm honored to get a reply from Denmark!!!

Thanks guys.

bob
 
oliver said:
Another question, is there any indication of low batteries on the transmitter? The stock unit has no gauge, just the red lite. Does it flash? I use Duracells and swap them out after 4 hours of flight. My battery tester says they're ok but I don't want to take a chance.
Four hours is nothing .. You can go much longer than that.
I fly 4 x ~18 minute flights a time with the P2+ and the batteries last a long time - I guess 50 flights or more. When they get low the Tx alarm starts beeping with the flashing red light. Scares you in flight but you can still bring the bird home to change them.
 
In a perfect world using the generic 'copper top' battery capacity of 2000 mAh and published Tx specs of ~100 mA drain it should be in the order of 15-20 hrs. per set.
 
To test the "low battery alarm" I put a set of nearly dead rechargeables in and the red light began flashing and alarm beeping. Yes, it sure does let you know when the batteries are low!
thanks for the info guys.

bob
 
If I'm not mistaken, the Tx also beeps when you leave it one X number of minutes after you turned the phantom off to let you know you left it on.
 
Fyod said:
If I'm not mistaken, the Tx also beeps when you leave it one X number of minutes after you turned the phantom off to let you know you left it on.

I'm thinking you're not mistaken :D
 

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