I always just hold the left stick down for 3 seconds to power off but is the confusion that you have to first pull left stick down, then while down slide it to the corner while doing the same on the right stick? Are people just landing, letting it idle with the sticks centred then pulling straight down to the corners and this is causing the Phantom to spin around?
Holding down is the best
I'm not a hand catcher as I like the skill of softly landing on the ground and if I do hand catch its once in a while when I cannot find a clear level spot to land safely.
But is part of this tale not another example of why hand catching is potentially quite dangerous as it only takes a gust of wind, slip of the hand or a failure of some sort to have those spinning propellers coming at you? I'm not criticising, just wondering whether people consider it when deciding on the hand catch option.
Everything is potentially dangerous. You just need to be educated and aware of the risk and assess the scenario with pros and cons. The hand catch method is very safe if you practice and take precaution. I've heard where the ground landing has cause the phantom to cartwheel near a pram. The CSC kill motors should NEVER be used unless its an emergency.
Think carefully about the CSC movement (most do this in 1 quick movement) - its telling the phantom to down thrust/yaw right/move back left = tip left backwards = cartwheel.
I'm glad that the user was hurt and no bystanders or animals. This I why I hand catch, so I hurt myself and not others.
Using a lanyard and hand catching forces you to use the left hand to pull the stick down for 3 seconds as the right hand is catching the leg.
I have never ground landed and always caught from day one and have never lost a prop.
* Use prop guards to practice. Remove when you are proficient.
* Watch your surroundings - rocks, kids, pets, trees.
* Catch downwind (wind behind you and phantom in front). If a gust hits, the phantom will move away from you. The P3's Vision positioning system should make catching the phantom a breeze.
* Turn the phantom so you can see the back of the battery - helps with orientation.
* Keep above head and in arms reach. Walk up to the phantom and grab back left leg. Hold left stick down.
And remember, if in doubt, throttle out. Push the stick up!