I guess today was my turn, P4P falls out of the sky

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Long term lurker here, I've been flying phantoms since the 2. Today i had my first major incident, here is a recap.

-Winds were good
-No major errors were seen
-10 minute flight, everything seemed normal
-On my return the P4P just dropped to the ground, right in front of my eyes from about 250ft
-The memory card snapped in half, half was left in the card slot, the other half popped out. Has anyone ever seen this?
-The log file doesn't show anything of note


I have the DAT file, but i dont know how to read it, I downloaded csView but i dont know what to look for.
 
I have the DAT file, but i dont know how to read it, I downloaded csView but i dont know what to look for.
You need to use Datcon first to covert it to .csv. Then you can read it. However, that won't help you if you don't have some knowlege as to what you are looking at. If you convert the file, upload it to a sharable location such as dropbox, google drive etc..and place a link back here to the file, if you need help.
 
You might also consider uploading your device log. Sometimes there are indications there of an issue, but if it is indeed another mid-air shutdown, it may not provide enough data. You can try that first though. They are easier to read than the aircraft .dat files.
Link is here with instructions, if you wish to upload the device file.

Phantom Log Viewer Upload
 
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You need to use Datcon first to covert it to .csv. Then you can read it. However, that won't help you if you don't have some knowlege as to what you are looking at. If you convert the file, upload it to a sharable location such as dropbox, google drive etc..and place a link back here to the file, if you need help.

Thank you for the reply, here is the csv file, im not sure but it looks like a power shutdown?

Dropbox - FLY206.csv
 
im not sure but it looks like a power shutdown?
Don't have a lot of time to go in to detail this eve, but others will surely look. This does not look like the typical instantaneous shutdowns that I have seen. Maybe @sar104 may have a few minutes this eve. I may be back in a bit. But here is an initial look at the motors at the end of the data.

MOTORS.png
 
Don't have a lot of time to go in to detail this eve, but others will surely look. This does not look like the typical instantaneous shutdowns that I have seen. Maybe @sar104 may have a few minutes this eve. I may be back in a bit. But here is an initial look at the motors at the end of the data.

View attachment 104582

could this mean a prop fell off?
 
@RogerVer The above is correct. This is not the correct flight from your description.
 
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Are you sure that's the correct flight log? This one ends with the aircraft 3.2 m above and 10 m away from the home point, after a controlled, commanded descent from 260 m:

View attachment 104584

You are right! This is the wrong log file, but its the last one on the card. I read somewhere that the last file could sometimes be mislabeled if the controller isnt on when the aircraft is powered on.

Where could i find the right DAT file? there isnt one from the day of the flight, and the one above is the last one.
 
You are right! This is the wrong log file, but its the last one on the card. I read somewhere that the last file could sometimes be mislabeled if the controller isnt on when the aircraft is powered on.

Where could i find the right DAT file? there isnt one from the day of the flight, and the one above is the last one.

If you post the txt log file from your mobile device, as suggested in post #4, then it will indicate the appropriate DAT file index number.
 
Long term lurker here, I've been flying phantoms since the 2. Today i had my first major incident, here is a recap.

-Winds were good
-No major errors were seen
-10 minute flight, everything seemed normal
-On my return the P4P just dropped to the ground, right in front of my eyes from about 250ft
-The memory card snapped in half, half was left in the card slot, the other half popped out. Has anyone ever seen this?
-The log file doesn't show anything of note


I have the DAT file, but i dont know how to read it, I downloaded csView but i dont know what to look for.


Hi, I'm new to this site, but i had my P4P+V2.0 for less than a month already had about 20 hours if flight time on it.
My P4P+V2.0 took off with no problems when all of a suudden to decided to do a Fly Away.
My controller stated that if was oly 250 AGL. But you could see it nor hear it either.
The sky was blue, 0 wind, and not a cloud in the sky.
I pressed the return home button, got the return home response was given.
The controller showed that the drone had turn around to return home, but after what seemed to be forever i saw coming down real fast. H attemped to slow down the decent, but crashed.
Breaking both landing gear legs, the Gimble, and the Camera Lens.
Sent it back to DJI. Thankfully for the Care Refresh Plan, after 3 weeks, I just recieved a Brand New P4P+V2.0 with New Props.
 
Did you know that you're wasting your money on the care refresh?
If you purchased this on a credit card most offer automatic insurance on anything lost, damaged, or stolen. This same thing happened to me and the bill from DJI was 300.00. I sent it in to my credit card company and they credited my card for that amount about 3 weeks later.
 
My P4P+V2.0 took off with no problems when all of a suudden to decided to do a Fly Away.
It's hard to tell what happened from your description but it's pretty safe to say that the Phantom didn't decide "to do a Fly Away".
There's always a reason for even unexpected behaviour of the drone.
The recorded flight data would probably solve the mystery.
Instructions to post your data are in post #6.
 
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Long term lurker here, I've been flying phantoms since the 2. Today i had my first major incident, here is a recap.

-Winds were good
-No major errors were seen
-10 minute flight, everything seemed normal
-On my return the P4P just dropped to the ground, right in front of my eyes from about 250ft
-The memory card snapped in half, half was left in the card slot, the other half popped out. Has anyone ever seen this?
-The log file doesn't show anything of note


I have the DAT file, but i dont know how to read it, I downloaded csView but i dont know what to look for.

I have a couple threads in this forum regarding the same thing. My issue was an (apparently) aftermarket prop that broke in half mid flight. Is it possible that this is what happened to you?

D
 
I have a couple threads in this forum regarding the same thing. My issue was an (apparently) aftermarket prop that broke in half mid flight. Is it possible that this is what happened to you?

D

Yes I've learned to stay away from after market sets based on they same thing happening to a friend.

RoOSTA.
 
Long term lurker here, I've been flying phantoms since the 2. Today i had my first major incident, here is a recap.

-Winds were good
-No major errors were seen
-10 minute flight, everything seemed normal
-On my return the P4P just dropped to the ground, right in front of my eyes from about 250ft
-The memory card snapped in half, half was left in the card slot, the other half popped out. Has anyone ever seen this?
-The log file doesn't show anything of note


I have the DAT file, but i dont know how to read it, I downloaded csView but i dont know what to look for.


My best advise...Check the battery connector...Alot of people slam that battery in there...It is quite fragile in there...They sell new battery connector boards...or take it out and re-solder all connections...look for rings around solder pads....I have had every board out of these birds and studied them with fine toothed comb. Magnifying visors. Also seen corrosion in the connector...clean with toothbrush and isopropyl alcohol. Hope you get er going...after 250 foot drop sure she's busted up good...I love fixing these birds....Peace out man.
 
Hi, I'm new to this site, but i had my P4P+V2.0 for less than a month already had about 20 hours if flight time on it.
My P4P+V2.0 took off with no problems when all of a suudden to decided to do a Fly Away.
My controller stated that if was oly 250 AGL. But you could see it nor hear it either.
The sky was blue, 0 wind, and not a cloud in the sky.
I pressed the return home button, got the return home response was given.
The controller showed that the drone had turn around to return home, but after what seemed to be forever i saw coming down real fast. H attemped to slow down the decent, but crashed.
Breaking both landing gear legs, the Gimble, and the Camera Lens.
Sent it back to DJI. Thankfully for the Care Refresh Plan, after 3 weeks, I just recieved a Brand New P4P+V2.0 with New Props.


Make sure you keep all up dates current....The vision sensor calibration is one of the most important steps in this birds brains. Can be tricky using p.c. sometimes...Mac's supposed to work flawless with this calibration...Also only do it if you see lots of red errors. Also flying near geo-fence's can cause super strange behavior....these are areas that cause interference in the signal. I had something similar happen...teach yourself to flick it into sport or atti mode turn around and reverse it out of the situation...Not exactly your situation...but just sharing some info. Love my Phantom 4 pro plus.
 
It is very possible, "since it just happened to me", if you had a wind gust that allowed the drone to descend , once it starts descending fast enough, the drone starts falling through it's own column of air and the blades stall because the air stops going over the blades to create lift. The more power you give, the faster it drops. This happens with copters (which I should have remembered). Anyway, the only way to stop this is give forward stick and "get out" on the column of air.
Hope this helps,
Doc Pete
 
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