First crash: Pilot error and what next?

[Pharm]

My rule of thumb (which has saved me more than once):

Unless I'm flying a Litchi waypoint mission, if I'm going to look at the screen or controller to change something, I always let go of both sticks and visually verify I'm in a hover first.

 

[CThruU]

My rule of thumb (which has saved me more than once):

Unless I'm flying a Litchi waypoint mission, if I'm going to look at the screen or controller to change something, I always let go of both sticks and visually verify I'm in a hover first.

That's actually exactly what I did. I was carrying much more speed than I thought and was much closer to the trees than I thought. The result was my braking time and distance carried me into the trees as I stopped.

One lesson I took home it to use forward motion more often when positioning myself near an object for photos or videos. Take advantage of OA and screen confirmation of position as needed. Then I can rotate after the stop.

 

[Matt122;]

Only thing I have to add here is be careful, apparently DJI won't warranty anything now unless it was bought through an authorized retailer.

 

[CThruU]

Only thing I have to add here is be careful, apparently DJI won't warranty anything now unless it was bought through an authorized retailer.

I'm not even trying the warranty route. I crashed it, I pay for the repairs. I'm just not even getting any answers from them on how to proceed with that.

That's pretty frustrating.

 

[Brandon Kokes]

I took off my drone without really looking around and as it went up it slammed upwards into a power line. Lucky for me it was perfectly centered and I was able to just lower the altitude to free it.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[CThruU]

I took off my drone without really looking around and as it went up it slammed upwards into a power line. Lucky for me it was perfectly centered and I was able to just lower the altitude to free it.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

I think a lot of us aren't used to considering the third dimension. We run around in cars all day, not worrying about changing height. I have trees all around my driveway, some overhang. A lot of my early flights were just practicing ascents around obstacles to force me to practice looking up.

 

[Timtro]

Regular practice at an AMA club field can be very beneficial. Most members are actually really nice to us "drone" guys. Best to get in some practice hours before heading out into "traffic".

 

[Shawn Klawitter]

Thank you for your post. I have been reading through incidences like yours on the forums and trying to learn from the mistakes of others. That is the nice thing about this forum is the collective learning. Sorry to hear about your crash!

 

[gmj3191]

Thanks for the honest explanation of what happened, this is how we learn. Reports omitting facts and blaming DJI just cloud the issue.

Sent from my SM-G930F using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[CThruU]

Thanks for the honest explanation of what happened, this is how we learn. Reports omitting facts and blaming DJI just cloud the issue.

Sent from my SM-G930F using PhantomPilots mobile app

Thanks. My very first suspicion was that I hadn't secured the battery, and that it worked its way loose before falling out. After checking my maps and data, it was clear the crash knocked the battery loose, not vice versa.

At no point did software or drone failure enter my mind as a cause.

 

[CThruU]

Update: Although it took me a few days and several emails, I got a shipping label 8 days ago and shipped my drone back to DJI NA Repair Center in California. They received it yesterday and billed me today. Hoping they are able to ship it back soon.

I've never priced drone repair parts, but the low prices here surprised me. I need to go into drone manufacturing.

 

[CThruU]

Yep, send it in for repairs, It will be back to you in less than 2 weeks and you can start all over again.

Sorry to here about your crash.....

Update: Repairs done and shipped from facility today. I should get it mid-week, and I'll update again after I check it out thoroughly. 12 days since I inquired about repairs plus shipping time back to me. Not bad.

Overall, so far, DJI service has been good. Just a little frustration with lack of shipping details in the first 3 responses. Once they accepted it for repairs, the last email was concise and complete.

A quick statement that "shipping instructions will be sent shortly" would be helpful. It should be added to the RMA confirmation email for clarification.

 

[CThruU]

Quick update: received my P4 Thursday evening and flew Friday afternoon. Works perfectly. Repairs were $204 as shown in previous post. Included shipping. Time from my first email query to my P4 hitting my front door was 18 days. 12 of those days were just for shipping.

I'm very pleased with the process and the outcome. Perhaps warranty claims are handled differently. As my crash was clearly pilot error, I informed DJI of my intent to pay for the repairs in my first two emails. I'm not sure whether that changes anything though.

So I'll be back out there flying this weekend. I'll try to avoid hitting stuff this time.