I'm honestly distraught and so ashamed of myself right now. I've never felt so embarrassed/ defeated

[tlhintoq]

If it helps, or just gives you hope, I put my p3pro down in my pond less than 2 weeks after getting it. Rescued it, dried it out, and its been like new ever since.
Here's the thread where I detail all the steps I took to dry it out:
Professional - P3p sank in 3ft freshwater - Anyone know what the red fluid would be?

 

[iowahill]

I went down to my local hardware store and bought a TX 9 screwdriver so I can open her up and try to get her dry quicker. I highly doubt there's any life in it though, the thing was releasing bubbles of smoke, that's how I eventually located it.

Its a horrible feeling. I'm actually too embarassed to tell anyone what happened, I just said it landed in a puddle. There was a really nice family there though that got me tea and helped me a lot. It pains me almost every 10 minutes, it might sound sad haha but I'm a cheap *** student and rarely spend money on anything over £50.

I'd really suggest giving it a thorough dunk and rinse in Distilled water first, before draining as much water out, then packing in a bag of rice. If the water had a high or low Ph, corrosion will likely be the end result. I speak from experience and success.

 

[DCDrone]

You said the left stick was stuck in the down position. Unlike a lot of radios, the P3 left stick is supposed to spring to center. If you have in your hands a demonstrably defective radio, you might get DJI to replace the whole package - since the defective radio caused the accident. Of course, if you fibbed to DJI about how it happened, you may be stuck with your story.

In any event, even if you get the quad working, it sounds like you may have a defective radio.

 

[outflyin]

That's what I don't understand. How can the left stick stay in the down position?

 

[Providian623]

t i
Try drying it off, get the battery out immediately and pack it in rice in a bag and leave it there for a few days-I have heard of people sucessfully doing this and getting back in the air, worth a try.

Mine spent 3 weeks in a farmers field during multiple hard rainstorms. Finally found it and dropped it into a trash bag with 5 lbs of rice, for a week. Sucked the moisture right out of it. You are probably going to have to disassemble your drone, afterwards, just to clean out the interior, but the rice will take care of the moisture. My situation is a bit different in that mine wasn't completely tits-up submerged, but the rice should work.

 

[Phantomfreak]

If it is a total loss then look on eBay, you can find sellers there that will sell a P3 aircraft only, from used to new, with corresponding prices.. I have seen a P3S for sale with no remote, 20 flights on it for $200.. You can bind your remote to it easily. There is always a trust issue when dealing with people you don't know, but if the seller has good feedback on eBay then it shouldn't be a problem


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[Tony Clixby]

I just got my phantom 3 standard two days ago, packed it into my bag and started cycling to the nearest open field. On my way I see a great bit of open land next to a canal, yep you know where this goes next. Instead of going to my perfect location I head over to the spot of land. I get out my drone ready for my first flight and because I'm in beginner mode I'm bound to a set distance, unfortunately this distance just happened to be right above the canal. All of a sudden the drone begins descending into the canal, I let go of the remote and legged it to save it but I couldn't make it in time. When I get back to the remote the left joy stick is locked in the descend position. So I'm sprinting for this thing thinking its lost connection or out of battery only to find out one swift finger movement could have saved me £440. I jump out of my clothes into just my boxers and dive in after the drone in 4°c weather. As you can imagine I was freezing my tits off, barely able to breathe and diving down this filthy 15ft canal looking for my drone in this murky water. After searching for so long I give up and then see bubbles of smoke coming from below so I dive into the spot and get it on my first dive. I was almost in tears of humiliation and defeat. The thing is completely destroyed, I don't really know where to go from here, I was just wondering if there was any advice on how to reduce the economic damage I've foolishly brought upon myself. Hopefully water damaged drones sell for something somewhere?

Been there, done that - except mine got stuck 50 feet up in a tree

 

[Multicoptertec]

The P3 Standard remote left stick stays in the down position if pressed all the way down, it's not a defect. I have a P3S body only for sale if needed. It's brand new, never flown. No camera/gimbal.


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[henick]

If you believe the only way to recover from your own stupidity is to give away your honesty and integrity - you have no hope.

Lol. What value does this add. Thanks for the morality lesson. Might not be the best thing to do no but why some people feel the need to color it black is beyond me.

 

[Big Dog]

Lol. What value does this add. Thanks for the morality lesson. Might not be the best thing to do no but why some people feel the need to color it black is beyond me.

Because they're superior. Duhhhh!!!lol


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[TWP723]

Lol. What value does this add. Thanks for the morality lesson. Might not be the best thing to do no but why some people feel the need to color it black is beyond me.

Agreed. Better off just not saying anything at all. I'm guessing they're perfect and don't make mistakes.

 

[Ricksdumb@gmail]

t i
Try drying it off, get the battery out immediately and pack it in rice in a bag and leave it there for a few days-I have heard of people sucessfully doing this and getting back in the air, worth a try.

I

I just got my phantom 3 standard two days ago, packed it into my bag and started cycling to the nearest open field. On my way I see a great bit of open land next to a canal, yep you know where this goes next. Instead of going to my perfect location I head over to the spot of land. I get out my drone ready for my first flight and because I'm in beginner mode I'm bound to a set distance, unfortunately this distance just happened to be right above the canal. All of a sudden the drone begins descending into the canal, I let go of the remote and legged it to save it but I couldn't make it in time. When I get back to the remote the left joy stick is locked in the descend position. So I'm sprinting for this thing thinking its lost connection or out of battery only to find out one swift finger movement could have saved me £440. I jump out of my clothes into just my boxers and dive in after the drone in 4°c weather. As you can imagine I was freezing my tits off, barely able to breathe and diving down this filthy 15ft canal looking for my drone in this murky water. After searching for so long I give up and then see bubbles of smoke coming from below so I dive into the spot and get it on my first dive. I was almost in tears of humiliation and defeat. The thing is completely destroyed, I don't really know where to go from here, I was just wondering if there was any advice on how to reduce the economic damage I've foolishly brought upon myself. Hopefully water damaged drones sell for something somewhere?

I feel terrible..... But you're a great story teller!.... At first I was too busy laughing to feel bad!

 

[captainmilehigh]

Well James, sorry to hear of your loss. But after reading this thread, I think we all feel for you, and until yesterday my P3S was flying great too. Practicing around the back yard was a challenge. The tree canopy is very intimidating. And I did bump into the same tree twice with minor damage to the quad, but more to my ego. Then yesterday I went to a wide open park with all sorts of room to fly. No onlookers or distractions. Practicing figure 8's and turns. Having the best time finally.....until I did a fly-by at about 15 feet altitude. The quad went by me and then hard into the top most corner of the only building within 500 yards. Pilot error 100%. So now I have a P3S parts bird, and another one on order to replace my crashed bird. I DID learn that I'm not as good as I thought I was controlling my flight. Live and learn I suppose. Best of luck in the future. Blue skies and calm winds James.


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[Emil Cost]

I just got my phantom 3 standard two days ago, packed it into my bag and started cycling to the nearest open field. On my way I see a great bit of open land next to a canal, yep you know where this goes next. Instead of going to my perfect location I head over to the spot of land. I get out my drone ready for my first flight and because I'm in beginner mode I'm bound to a set distance, unfortunately this distance just happened to be right above the canal. All of a sudden the drone begins descending into the canal, I let go of the remote and legged it to save it but I couldn't make it in time. When I get back to the remote the left joy stick is locked in the descend position. So I'm sprinting for this thing thinking its lost connection or out of battery only to find out one swift finger movement could have saved me £440. I jump out of my clothes into just my boxers and dive in after the drone in 4°c weather. As you can imagine I was freezing my tits off, barely able to breathe and diving down this filthy 15ft canal looking for my drone in this murky water. After searching for so long I give up and then see bubbles of smoke coming from below so I dive into the spot and get it on my first dive. I was almost in tears of humiliation and defeat. The thing is completely destroyed, I don't really know where to go from here, I was just wondering if there was any advice on how to reduce the economic damage I've foolishly brought upon myself. Hopefully water damaged drones sell for something somewhere?

Relax man. See if you can save up and buy a Phantom 3 Advanced. I have made plenty of mistakes through out the years. Even with the best equipment and years of experience, you can make a judgement error and crash. You are new to the hobby and must accept what happened. I hate to sound cliche here, but you really have to move on after a well deserved period of grieving. I am probably not alone here in saying that I wish I was there with you on your maiden flight, so I could have helped you. Every time I maiden a ship, I always have my brother there for moral support. We as drone lovers really want to make sure you do not give up. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Don Wilson]

What did I miss here? Why would the Phantom crash at the boundary of the beginner level? Something else went wrong here. He coould of just powered down the remote and it would have came home

 

[Ricksdumb@gmail]

Send that story to DJI.... Maybe they can sell u a basic unit without battery, remote, camera & blades

 

[Peio64270]

So sorry for you ! :-(
An other way to **finish** drying it is to put it in a deep freezer for some days (very cold air is very dry that's why freezers are developping frost). Then, some hours in a fridge at positive temp. (around 5°C) in order not to get frost in the AC at low temp. and finish to warm it in dry air at room temperature.
But a great idea i read above is to rinse it first with clear water, possibly distiled water.
Good luck !

 

[Emil Cost]

Send that story to DJI.... Maybe they can sell u a basic unit without battery, remote, camera & blades

Very good idea

 

[outflyin]

He accidentally let the left stick remain all the way down.

There's usually a lot of things we could have done differently in hindsight, but in the excitement of the moment...

Been there, done that.

What did I miss here? Why would the Phantom crash at the boundary of the beginner level? Something else went wrong here. He coould of just powered down the remote and it would have came home

 

[Emil Cost]

He accidentally let the left stick remain all the way down.

There's usually a lot of things we could have done differently in hindsight, but in the excitement of the moment...

Been there, done that.

I don't quite understand about the left stick. Does the Phantom 3 Standard not have a spring loaded stick the left throttle, or in this case altitude? If this is so, then you would have to manually level the stick? This in my opinion is a dumb design. On the Advanced, and probably the Pro, letting go of both sticks initiates an automatic hover. Man, now I really feel sorry for this guy...