Oh noooooo... my super-new drone is already gone.

[RalfV]

I do designs(Decals) in Vinyl and I have to say that the first thing on my mind was to create Stickers that say "Reward if Found" and my Phone Number. To much money in my Drones to take that chance, for me it would be no question about paying a reward but the Lady demanding is theft.
That being said, if anyone needs some labels made let me know. I would be willing to help out. On the Mavic I used both of the rear legs. I know it is a little big I did not want that to get missed. I did same for the Registration Number.

 

[Fallguy]

26 years in Law enforcement and I can say that is theft. No different than if your dog wandered out of your yard and your neighbor snatched the dog up and refused to give it back. Possesion is NOT 9/10 of the law, Ownership is ownership.

So could he have called the police to come in and settle this dispute ? Would he have gotten ticketed for his recklessness / negligence ?
My friend was flying his mavic and strong winds kept it from making its way back and landed on someones roof. The owner wasnt home and it was dark by time he went to look , so the next day he had to work and I told him I would go get it for him. Took my P4 and a hook , but when I got there it was gone. I drove down the street and called him to tell him , then went back to knock on the door. A lady had just came out with a piece of paper she was about to tape to her front door about a drone found. When I pulled up and got out of my car she said "Are you looking for your drone"? and I said yes. She said the neighbors called her last night at work to say there was someone knocking at her door late and looking around her house. SO when she got home she looked around and saw the mavic at the peak of her roof. She said the birds must of knocked it down and it landed in her bushes in her back yard. She gave me the mavic and I thanked her so much for being so honest and I took the bird to work and gave to my buddy and he couldnt be happier. No damage done to the bird , but valuable lesson learned about always flying into the wind .

 

[Daniel777]

unfortunately possession is indeed 9/10 of the law.
under what legal rights were you flying over her house?
how much did you pay her?

 

[ftttu]

26 years in Law enforcement and I can say that is theft. No different than if your dog wandered out of your yard and your neighbor snatched the dog up and refused to give it back. Possesion is NOT 9/10 of the law, Ownership is ownership.

Possession if 9/10 of the law(an old wive's tale)
If you shoot someone outside of your house, drag them inside...(nowhere in the law and is tampering with evidence)
Seperation of church and state... (not anywhere the US constitution)
He helps those who help themselves(Not in the Holy Bible)

There are many myths out there, but property rights shouldn't be such a problem in our society. If it is yours, you can prove it and there are no others also claiming ownership, it is pretty obvious you shall take possession of it back. I'm a retired LEO, and I've had to deal with similar calls during my career. It never ceased to amaze me what goes on in people's heads.

 

[Daniel777]

Unfortunately many LEO don't know enough about the law.
Incredible how in the USA police (LEO) can shoot an innocent woman who approached them to seek help and then plead ignorance of the law!

Forget the "old wives tales" and try "Magna Carta" or "common law"

 

[ftttu]

Unfortunately many LEO don't know enough about the law.
Incredible how in the USA police (LEO) can shoot an innocent woman who approached them to seek help and then plead ignorance of the law!

Forget the "old wives tales" and try "Magna Carta" or "common law"

Cops are mostly trained in criminal law with just a little civil law even though MANY of their calls for service involve civil problems between people and or businesses. Officers have to use their experience, common sense and what their field training officer trained them to help the public. There is no way for a street cop to know everything they are expected to when they go out and about during their duties.

 

[RalfV]

Cops are mostly trained in criminal law with just a little civil law even though MANY of their calls for service involve civil problems between people and or businesses. Officers have to use their experience, common sense and what their field training officer trained them to help the public. There is no way for a street cop to know everything they are expected to when they go out and about during their duties.

Yeah, and I'm sure they would tell you "I don't know" each and every time. To many ignorant cops out on the streets these days and the really sad thing is that a lot of them are not willing to find out what the law books actually say. Been there and done that.

 

[ftttu]

Yeah, and I'm sure they would tell you "I don't know" each and every time. To many ignorant cops out on the streets these days and the really sad thing is that a lot of them are not willing to find out what the law books actually say. Been there and done that.

Years ago, law books were a little thinner than they are now, and they keep getting thicker as time goes by. Even though we received updates in our agency e-mails and had in-service training, it was still hard to keep up with new laws and court cases.

Cops are just people with limited authority. Don't forget they answer to their supervisors, agency and to the public. If you go to your local agency with new and updated drone related law/information, you can lift them from their ignorance. Also, if you have a problem with a cop(s) about certain issues, go straight to their supervisor to take up the issue, and keep going up the chain until you have resolved the problem to your satisfaction.

 

[RalfV]

Years ago, law books were a little thinner than they are now, and they keep getting thicker as time goes by. Even though we received updates in our agency e-mails and had in-service training, it was still hard to keep up with new laws and court cases.

Cops are just people with limited authority. Don't forget they answer to their supervisors, agency and to the public. If you go to your local agency with new and updated drone related law/information, you can lift them from their ignorance. Also, if you have a problem with a cop(s) about certain issues, go straight to their supervisor to take up the issue, and keep going up the chain until you have resolved the problem to your satisfaction.

I'm not going to turn this into an argument but if you really think that this is the way it works you have been living under a rock. I have been around for a while myself and by that I mean I am old and I can assure you that arguing and or trying to correct a cop will fail most of the time. But hey, whatever, glad to hear that the OP got back that awesome Mavic!!
Lets just all enjoy Piloting.

 

[offroadpyro]

The cause is a puzzle.
Often they happen if you screw up the compass by launching from a steel or reinforced concrete surface, but usually that would show up soon after takeoff.
Yes ... it would be difficult or impossible to control with those problems.

There's nothing weak about the GPS signal. The drone was receiving plenty of sats loud can clear.
But a yaw error is a kind of compass error and the drone can't deal with conflicting data coming from the GPS and the compass.
Because you can't fly without the compass, the drone ignores GPS data in that situation.
If you saw something about weak GPS signal, it's a bad translation and the meaning was that the flight controller had no GPS signal (because it was ignoring GPS due to the compass/yaw error condition).

It would be worth uploading the flight record to DJI by clicking the cloud icon on the flight records page in the app.
Then contact DJI's online support, have a chat and tell them the story and see what they make of it.

Clicking that doesn't give them what they want..They need Mac data files and I can't seem to get it to them.You need to access a file from what you used to fly it..You need to connect that to computer...Then hire a computer need to get the file they want..They don't tell you that in warranty description..My p4 disappeared 7th flight.no warnings the file showed I was going up and forward..according to file it's still in that spot climbing..only 1,000 feet away..

 

[offroadpyro]

FAA ..laws ...any downed aircraft is to be returned to owners..Failure to comply will result in lawsuit in witch they will be order to replace with new one...Call your local FAA office and report incident..You will be surprised how friendly and helpful they can be..Aircraft must be recovered to evaluate damage and cause..They must return it...FAA only will onmy make you file accident report if you do $600.00 dmg or more..Other than that police should help you recover aircraft..Hope they know at least that much..I fly s& r in all weather so crashed a few..I was refused access to property once.Called police explained what happened..He came back with drone unharmed..They have no right to hold it..Make police report!!!!..Once you do that then small calm court..FAA..will tell you where to download the laws regarding down aircraft..FAA laws override the possession of something on someone's property..You can't pillage an accident scene,they don't have the right to even touch it..Because they can cause more damage, and that is interference with crash investigation..Go file police report asap...

 

[Meta4]

Clicking that doesn't give them what they want..They need Mac data files and I can't seem to get it to them.You need to access a file from what you used to fly it..You need to connect that to computer...Then hire a computer need to get the file they want..They don't tell you that in warranty description..My p4 disappeared 7th flight.no warnings the file showed I was going up and forward..according to file it's still in that spot climbing..only 1,000 feet away..

I've re-read your comments a few times and the only thing I can suggest is that either you or the DJI people you talked to are confused - maybe both.

If there's such a thing as a Mac data file, I don't know what it is and haven't run into it in 4 years of this.
If you have lost the drone, the only data you can give them is the DJI flight record stored in the app.
The way you send that to them is to click on the cloud icon on the flight record page (synch the files) - You have to have an internet connection to do that but there's no need to connect anything to a computer.
Then go to their online support and start a chat etc, etc just as I told you back in the thread you started: Dji warranty is a hoax

I have had DJI replace a lost Phantom myself this way and helped many others get help the same way.

If you want some independent help to see if the cause can be determined ...
Go to DJI Flight Log Viewer
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
Come back and post a link to the report it provides and someone might be able to analyse it and give you an understanding of the cause of the incident.

 

[Helihover]

So glad you found it! That's great.
So here I am, a raw noob, jumping into this with both feet, taking chances I have no business taking, but so far, so good. Yesterday was a day not the best for flying, and I was trying to see if I could get by using DJI GO 4 on a cheap Android tablet. What a 3 ring circus! Because of all the mist at higher elevations, I soon realized I wasn't going to set any new distance records, and let it return to home after a few cancellations thereof. So it's on it's way back, the tablet locks up and all of a sudden I hear "Landing" and it's no where NEAR! So I hurry up and try to switch tablets. Looking back I have to admit this is all quite hysterical - both literally and humorously - fortunately, in truth and even in the back of my mind, I knew there was no reason for it to land as there was plenty of battery life left, and in fact, in another couple of minutes I heard the wonderful drone of the drone. I only have a bit over 3 hours flying time and think I need a good serving of some humble pie before I REALLY screw up! I have a P4A and keep trying mods to get further. The signal amps are on the way, but I've got to learn to take it easy! I love and am in total amazement of this tech, but I know that it's got to have it's limits, and I need to, if not quit pushing it, at least not to push it so hard. But I am getting addicted to the adrenalin rush of remote controlling an expensive toy that is out of sight. Oh, I forgot, I'm not supposed to say that! Merry Christmas and happy hovering to all!

Flying BVLOS is one of the most dangerous things you can do with a drone. Especially when you don’t have a clue what you are doing. It’s also against FAA regulation.

It’s also something you don’t want to be bragging about on a public forum.

Please go study the FAA guidelines so you have a better understanding of the regulations and what your NOT supposed to do with your drone.

 

[With The Birds]

unfortunately possession is indeed 9/10 of the law.
under what legal rights were you flying over her house?
how much did you pay her?

Unfortunately you don’t know folklore from reality. Theft by find is a prescribed common larceny offence in most jurisdictions.

 

[JohnRich]

I was flying my P4advanced today. At some point it was 400m away and once I pressed the RTH button it lost connection and never returned. I couldn't find it either. Very strong wind conditions. The log stated in the end the GPS connection was weak, just before I lost contact. I can't seem to open the attached file, I get weird characters so any advice on how to open this would be welcome... Gutted...

Drone Pilots should consider attaching a Tractive.com "Tracker" to the fuselage of their drone. Weighs only 35grams 1.2 oz
Go to tractive .com to see product. I use them to trace my two dogs who sometimes chase deer, their position shown on a background of Google earth. Battery lasts 2 - 3 days on a charge. Live tracking activated from a smart phone. It works well for me. Maybe worth a try. Cost is about $ 50 for the unit and about $50 per year for the phone connection.

 

[Russ43Phantom]

It’s your drone, and it’s your money. In my case, being conservative regarding wind conditions is rule #1. That means I don’t like to fly with winds over 15 mph and if there is a need to capture something that can’t be captured later, I might fly in stronger winds, BUT rule #2 is always fly up-wind first if you must fly in wind. Sometimes you best decision is to come back another day to fly in better conditions.

 

[Boefinator]

Unfortunately you don’t know folklore from reality. Theft by find is a prescribed common larceny offence in most jurisdictions.

Yep, here in California we have a specific offense, Misappropriation of Lost Property, Felony or Misdemeanor depending on value of property. Ignorance of the law is 9/10ths of the problem in our society

 

[ShadowCrabb]

Did you have your name or cell or "reward" posted anywhere on your quad? It seems odd that one would immediately think of holding your quad hostage unless they had done something like this before OR are just evil.

 

[beakeru2]

26 years in Law enforcement and I can say that is theft. No different than if your dog wandered out of your yard and your neighbor snatched the dog up and refused to give it back. Possesion is NOT 9/10 of the law, Ownership is ownership.

..agree stay safe brother

 

[doktorinjh]

It's worth noting that OP was flying and lost their drone in Sweden, so some of the laws likely don't apply. All good information, but might not applicable to their situation.