Not THAT bad after 1500' death plunge

DJI should implement a failsafe algorithm that detects and maintains control after a prop or motor is lost. Before you say you can not control a quadcopter with 3 props, watch this:
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You can, you just lose yaw control.
 
Not at all. 900 feet is nothing.
Why would you think that? The only thing you would have to do is turn your antenna facing up instead of out if you have a weak signal. Even if you lost signal, the failsafe would kick in and it would just land.
No issues at all.

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using PhantomPilots mobile app

He has a point. If you have a big tablet on your mount it shields the aerials then you end up having to hold the controller above your head at a 90 degree angle!
Much better to fly a few hundred yards out and THEN climb vertically.
Yes in theory nothing happens if you lose signal but some people panic.
 
The way it was explained to me is this, the signal comes out of the bottom of the AC in a cone shape but with a blind spot directly below. The higher up it goes the wider the spread of the blind spot. Around 1K is where the blind spot is too wide and the signal is lost.


And you're correct, but on signal loss it should have done an RTH, which is why most are saying prop failure.
 
DJI should implement a failsafe algorithm that detects and maintains control after a prop or motor is lost. Before you say you can not control a quadcopter with 3 props, watch this:
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You can, you just lose yaw control.
I was thinking the same after watching some videos of safe helicopter landing after motor loss. The term is autorotation. The pilot has to train this regularly.
DJI could implement an algoritme that gives the drone some stability even after a motor failure and a lost or damaged prop.
 
I was thinking the same after watching some videos of safe helicopter landing after motor loss. The term is autorotation. The pilot has to train this regularly.
DJI could implement an algoritme that gives the drone some stability even after a motor failure and a lost or damaged prop.

For autorotation, Helicopter pilots (rc as well) can angle the blades in a way to "spin" them up, on decent. Then just before touch down they change the blade angle to catch more air for a soft landing.

The phantoms and other fixed blade copters cannot do that, but I agree they should implement 3 prop logic for a semi controlled return.
 
Just guessing but pretty much sounds like you lost a prop (either it came off, struck something, or shattered).

My guess is that a prop spun off after a collision with a bird. The OP says he checked tightness prior to the flight so it's less likely that it just spun off on its own. I also don't think it's as likely that the entire thing shattered to the point that even the hub is no longer screwed on. I think that if he performed an exhaustive search over the debris field, he would eventually find the missing prop fully intact.

There is no proof that I am right - big if a Vegas line existed on this "prop" (pun intended), I'd put $10 down on it being a spin off due to a mid-air collision with a bird, snake or turtle. (Most likely a bird.)
 
Remarkable it survived so well.
Must be a heart stopping moment!

Happened so fast that it was over almost before you realized something was wrong. Flight record shows craft reached 900' at 1 minute 42 seconds into flight - at 1m 55 s, altitude was negative 626'.
 
My guess is that a prop spun off after a collision with a bird. The OP says he checked tightness prior to the flight so it's less likely that it just spun off on its own. I also don't think it's as likely that the entire thing shattered to the point that even the hub is no longer screwed on. I think that if he performed an exhaustive search over the debris field, he would eventually find the missing prop fully intact.

There is no proof that I am right - big if a Vegas line existed on this "prop" (pun intended), I'd put $10 down on it being a spin off due to a mid-air collision with a bird, snake or turtle. (Most likely a bird.)

58718-453f739504aa50454cf647f5d08c890c.jpg

Maybe this guy.
I will continue to keep a look out for the missing prop. Even at 900', it should have come down somewhat near the house.
 
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I was thinking the same after watching some videos of safe helicopter landing after motor loss. The term is autorotation. The pilot has to train this regularly.
DJI could implement an algoritme that gives the drone some stability even after a motor failure and a lost or damaged prop.


autorotation will not work, our props are a fixed pitch, besides, its already set to free flow,
 
Just returned from crash site, having been armed with a metal detector this time. Found Marco Polo (cuts financial loss a bit) and a half prop which matches up to the broken prop still on the craft. No sign of missing prop.
full
 
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Is the prop broken by impact or other cause? Last I heard we still didn't have a cause for the crash.

This prop was broken on impact and just found at the crash site. It's still my guess that the missing prop failed in flight.
 
Yeah, almost certain you lost a prop. I had a similar crash, with the decent luck (good luck, in a way) to see one prop actually come off inflight. No autorotation was possible, my P3S tumbled end over end. Costly crash...but repaired and flying again.

In your case, I'd buy new. :)
 
After 3 PA3's did about the same thing , I gave up on DJI,used thier system for years , from A-Z and never had one issue untill i got a phantom3A.. then boom, 1.9 fw, boom 1.9 fw, and finally the last.. Bought an Aultel and could not be happier, tried the standard version first with wifi, gave that to my wife and get the premium for myself. No I am not an Aultel dealer or supplier , just found it is much more reliable then the P3A series and well the CS line was very fast, quick to fix errors or issues, like missing props in the premium and a bad battery. I been flying RC products for about 35 years now, since 11 and started with balsa and tissue paper airplanes, so not a novice by any means..
 

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BH Photo has the air craft without the gimble for 375

I am trying to find a main board as mine crashed into a pond and after fishing out and drying out throughly the IMU is screwed.
 

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