Not writing the eulogy just yet, but...

[Jthomp]

Hi, JThomp! Were you able to access the logs? If not, what type of smartphone/tablet (Android or iOS) are you using with your controller? The procedure to retrieve the logs differs between the two platforms.

I'm using an Android tablet (Samsung). I was able to find the logs on that but am not sure how to download them. Also, I retrieved the drone this morning - 1 broken propeller and the gymbal needs repaired - so will be able to download the flight data from it to see what happened.

 

[Meta4]

I'm using an Android tablet (Samsung). I was able to find the logs on that but am not sure how to download them.

Go to https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record to Phantomhelp.
Come back and post a link to the report it provides and someone here might be able to analyse it and give you an understanding of the cause of the incident.

 

[Jthomp]

Go to https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record to Phantomhelp.
Come back and post a link to the report it provides and someone here might be able to analyse it and give you an understanding of the cause of the incident.

Thanks for the link - I haven't yet had time today to download anything.

The DJIGo app shows that right at 4:24 into the flight a warning came up: "High electromagnetic interference. Exited P-GPS Mode." That warning displayed for less than two seconds, at which time the drone went from zero mph horizontal speed to upwards of 26 mph in a matter of about 5 seconds, then stayed at that speed until it landed on the roof of a building some 20 seconds later.

Two interesting things about that portion of the flight:

(1) the altitude changed only about 2 feet (was it maintaining altitude by only the on-board barometer?) , and

(2) the last few seconds of the flight show the drone took a course that was about 160 degrees to the right of what it had been travelling for the previous 18 seconds (i.e., it was pushed by the wind on a course of about 290 degrees, but then suddenly took a course of about 050 degrees and flew that course for about three to five seconds before the flight terminated. I don't know if it entered an area where the wind speed suddenly decreased because it was being blocked by a portion of the building, or if it perchance had regained some form of GPS guidance capability. More the former, I would imagine.)

And, before anyone brings up the subject - YES, I KNOW I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN FLYING WHEN THE WIND ALOFT WAS ABOVE 10 MPH! To it's credit, the GPS system held the P3S very stable at an altitude of 95 feet in wind that was at least 26 mph - up until the electromagnetic interference event took place. After that, well, the wind had it's way with the drone and the rest is history.....

 

[Lear55pilot]

I've been the happy owner of a P4P for all of five days and have been really amazed by the capabilities of this unit. Well, I guess I should say I WAS the owner of a P4P. This evening, while flying over a relatively small (but dense) wooded area, I learned first hand how Icarus must have felt. One minute, solid connection, the next, complete loss of signal (about 250 ft up and maybe 300 yds away). The sound of props slashing through trees was the next unwelcome event. I had made a couple of flights earlier in the day with no issues and had recharged the battery (was @ 94% when it crashed) before the flight. Also checked the seating of the battery before the flight. All good. Had not removed the props from the earlier successful flights. Was at least 100 feet above the treeline and a RTH ceiling of 300 feet, so I'm not sure what happened. As others have said, Murphy will bite - it's not a matter of if, but when.

I also labeled the copter with my contact info and FAA reg number. Still, I don't think anyone is likely to be walking back in this area that might stumble upon it.

After 20 mins of searching in failing light and completely unsuitable footwear, I decided to abort the search and return tomorrow with some friends (beer is a wonderful enticement - LOL!). At least I had the presence of mind to purchase CareRefresh, but that's not going to do me much good if I can't find it. I'm actually a little more miffed about losing the footage stored on the SD card, but my purse will be in acute pain for a while nonetheless.

Being a VERY new "pilot", I'd welcome any suggestions as to things that I might review (log files, etc.) that might provide some insight as to the cause of the crash. I did manage to reach the immediate area of the last GPS track, but again, was ill prepared for a search and rescue this evening.

THANKS! for letting me cry on everyone's shoulders for a bit.

 

[RoadGoddess]

I am happy to report that with the help of my neighbor, the wayward P4P was retrieved from its forest nesting ground this afternoon. Surprisingly, it was still able to fly and capture images after its 252 foot freefall, but it is far from healthy. The landing strut was broken in two places, the gimbal makes grinding noises and throws an overload message on startup. There is also a warning regarding sight system failure. That said, it was still able to execute a RTH after a very brief low altitude checkout when I returned home.

A couple of lessons learned:

1) No more overflights of high voltage lines, regardless of clearance. The line in question was a 230kv carrier. I'm going to grab a cheap magnetometer to carry with me to check areas before takeoff. Probably overkill, but I feel like I dodged a major bullet this time (crashed, but recovered).

2) Install a secondary locator device (anyone have experience with the Marco Polo locator?). The crash ejected the battery out of my P4P, so if it had not been for the last logged position by the DJI Go app, I'd have been out of luck.

Now to put CareRefresh to work...

 

[Meta4]

1) No more overflights of high voltage lines, regardless of clearance. The line in question was a 230kv carrier.

How close to the powerline was the Phantom flying?

 

[jimapp]

I would not mess around relying on Marco Polo, there is a recent thread of a P4P pilot that lost his even with a Marco Polo. Personally I invested in a 3GPS TRACKIMO and it works splendidly! I fly a Mavic and P4P and easy to switch it from one to the other

 

[msinger]

I would not mess around relying on Marco Polo, there is a recent thread of a P4P pilot that lost his even with a Marco Polo

Are you referring to this thread? If so, the tracker was not at fault. The pilot could not retrieve his Phantom because it crashed in a fenced off construction site that he was not able to access.

 

[jimapp]

Ok maybe I misunderstood; I believed he had no idea of where it actually was

 

[Phill2]

I would not mess around relying on Marco Polo, there is a recent thread of a P4P pilot that lost his even with a Marco Polo. Personally I invested in a 3GPS TRACKIMO and it works splendidly! I fly a Mavic and P4P and easy to switch it from one to the other

I currently have a Trackimo but will be replacing it with a Marco Polo
The Trackimo is OK but ....

 

[robca]

I currently have a Trackimo but will be replacing it with a Marco Polo
The Trackimo is OK but ....

If you are not afraid to DIY, there are free, long distance LoRa trackers that can be used as well:
Long distance DRF1278F LoRa Lost model tracker - RC Groups
and
Arduino LoRa Long Range Lost Model Tracker - RC Groups

Those use an independent GPS receiver and transmit the GPS coordinates that can be mapped into a smartphone app. Much easier to use than the Marco Polo (and a fraction of the cost). You can also use directional radio location (like the Marco Polo) if you have a cheap radio receiver like a Baofeng and a directional antenna

 

[wmralls]

Curious if you were flying legally as in drone was within your line of sight during the entire flight prior to the loss of control? Perhaps this was a FAA kismet event?

 

[jimlips]

I've had my Phantom attacked by birds twice - must have had a nest nearby - once it was attacked by two hawks that (turns out) had a nest nearby at the top of a huge oak tree. I wonder if this was your issue? I only got a couple of frames of the bird on my video on the way down. I think they usually attack from the back of aircraft.

 

[Jayfdee]

Curious if you were flying legally as in drone was within your line of sight during the entire flight prior to the loss of control? Perhaps this was a FAA kismet event?

Many of us fly out of VLOS, yes it is illegal in many countries, personally I only do it when completely safe. I know many fly out over lakes the sea, or deserts, which I think is usually fine. I see many videos of people flying in VLOS over people and property which are far more dangerous.
An example of where I fly out of VLOS, if it crashes out here, I have lost it, impossible for people to walk out here.I can see the early bits, but out over the sinking sands it is out of sight.

 

[RoadGoddess]

Curious if you were flying legally as in drone was within your line of sight during the entire flight prior to the loss of control? Perhaps this was a FAA kismet event?

Hi! Yes, my Phantom was in sight (just 243' from launch point) until it dropped like a stone into the tree canopy below. Was even able to hear it turn into a leaf shredder on its downward trajectory. No word from DJI as to the cause, but interestingly, they are covering the repairs to the UAV, camera and gimbal completely under warranty - it doesn't count against my two Care Refresh incidents. Repair cost estimate was such that it sounded pretty much a total loss. Not sure if this is the normal procedure for a completely knackered crash victim, but if not, it makes me wonder if they discovered some issue with either firmware or hardware.

In any event, hoping to have it back by 8/21 for the eclipse.