P3P Shell cracked while flying !

Kolibri@Aiman · May 27, 2016

Hi all.

I really love my P3P, and have had it for exactly a year, without any crashes, hard landings or anything else. I mostly hand catch/launch.
2 days ago, while flying my P3P, the Phantom started making a weird sound, and acting very weird.
I landed right away, and checked my bird..
Unfortunately, the shell had cracked. :/ I really don't get how this can happen while flying very slowly. I check it before every flight, and the cracks were definitely not there before I took off.
I'm glad I got it down in one piece.
Now the question is what to do. I've never opened it up before. Is it hard to replace the shell ?

Thanks in advance.
Here's some pics:

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robinb · May 27, 2016

It needs to go in for repair.

Amty lolo · May 27, 2016

Kolibri@Aiman said:
Hi all.

I really love my P3P, and have had it for exactly a year, without any crashes, hard landings or anything else. I mostly hand catch/launch.
2 days ago, while flying my P3P, the Phantom started making a weird sound, and acting very weird.
I landed right away, and checked my bird..
Unfortunately, the shell had cracked. :/ I really don't get how this can happen while flying very slowly. I check it before every flight, and the cracks were definitely not there before I took off.
I'm glad I got it down in one piece.
Now the question is what to do. I've never opened it up before. Is it hard to replace the shell ?

Thanks in advance.
Here's some pics:

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The shell is easy to change and dont cost much. Aboit 70$ USA. But there is 2 things u should be careful befor starting it. First u get good and not china screw drivers kit (screws weak easy to be ruined) second thing take pictures for every part before u disassemble it so u dont forget some screws and end up with a dozen of screws u dont know where it belongs. I did it countless times. Easy but it needs relaxation. U can see many videos on utube showing how to do it.
Goodluck

rene van der meer · May 27, 2016

Although it is (just) one year old, I would contact DJI to see whether it is covered by warranty.

marc312 · May 27, 2016

Kolibri@Aiman said:
Now the question is what to do. I've never opened it up before. Is it hard to replace the shell ?

Check out this excellent tutorial:
Phantom 3 Professional Rebuild

alokbhargava · May 27, 2016

It looks two screws got loosened over period of time and resulted into increased vibrations and further loosening and more vibrations and so on .....

As there are no spring/ lock washers, this is likely to happen in long run unless one checks the screws periodically.

Try to fix the shell by yourself before buying the new one. Check if DJI still covers it under free replacement.

kenjancef · May 27, 2016

alokbhargava said:
It looks two screws got loosened over period of time and resulted into increased vibrations and further loosening and more vibrations and so on .....

Should the screws be checked/tightened periodically to prevent this?

DirtyBird · May 27, 2016

I actually backed off a hair or two on my screws and I haven't had any problems with stress fractures and I fly like a bat out of hell!

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mediccj · May 27, 2016

Can you shine a light under the arm where it's cracked and take a picture? I'm curious if that is the new or old style

Wibble · May 27, 2016

It could be expansion of the shell in warm weather. If the screws are too tight something has to give. This happened to another poster on here - his shell cracked in the car!

RiskFactor · May 27, 2016

OP....did you by chance ever balance your props?

mrgoodwrench · May 27, 2016

mediccj said:
Can you shine a light under the arm where it's cracked and take a picture? I'm curious if that is the new or old style

From the above pictures, the OP appears to have the old style motors so it should be the old shell as well. I would definitely see if DJI would cover this under warranty for you before attempting to repair it yourself.

From the damage I see, the OP was lucky to get that bird down in one piece.

Trackman1 · May 27, 2016

Maybe it just cracked from the inside out. Making it appear like it`s just happened. But actual going on for a while.

mrgoodwrench · May 27, 2016

Trackman1 said:
Maybe it just cracked from the inside out. Making it appear like it`s just happened. But actual going on for a while.

I would agree with that speculation. Some of those hair line cracks are very hard to see. Being aware that they are an issue, I spotted mine very early and almost required a magnifying glass to see at first. It gradually gets worse...... and worse..........

Kolibri@Aiman · May 29, 2016

Thanks for all your replies.
I really wasn't aware that this was an issue, before I looked it up a few days ago. And now I'm also learning that there's an old and new version ? :/ How do I make sure that the shell I buy, is the new one ?
I've taken a few pics as requested.
RiskFactor, no I never did. Am I supposed to ?
I think I'll contact DJI, and hear what they say about it.

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Kolibri@Aiman · May 29, 2016

Wibble said:
It could be expansion of the shell in warm weather. If the screws are too tight something has to give. This happened to another poster on here - his shell cracked in the car!

:/
This might be it. It was in my car the day before, for several hours, and it was like 20 °C that day. Didn´t really think about it affecting the drone. But i checked the drone before launching it. And i´m 100% sure there was no visible cracks. Very strange.

Kolibri@Aiman · May 29, 2016

So i just had a chat with DJI support.
They couldn´t give me an explanation on why it happened. They didn´t sound like they knew anything about more shell versions. I was just told that it was out of warranty, and that i could order a new one from their shop. I was suggested to contact the EU department by email, as they might have different policies in my area.
I think i´ll just forget about it, and order a new shell myself.
Customer service is very important to me. I might invest in something else than DJI next time.

SLAYYER · May 29, 2016

Amty lolo said:
The shell is easy to change and dont cost much. Aboit 70$ USA. But there is 2 things u should be careful befor starting it. First u get good and not china screw drivers kit (screws weak easy to be ruined) second thing take pictures for every part before u disassemble it so u dont forget some screws and end up with a dozen of screws u dont know where it belongs. I did it countless times. Easy but it needs relaxation. U can see many videos on utube showing how to do it.
Goodluck

What do you recommend for screw drivers that arent cheap china ones? I have to take apart my shell to re seat the top shell after my tumble tonight. I tried fixing at a friends house but 3 of the 4 screws that are in the deep holes on the bottom of the drone would not come out and I am afraid they will strip and then I will be screwed and probably wont be able to get it apart without further damage.

HWCM · May 30, 2016

http://amzn.com/B0006O4ADI I use these on all of my RC stuff. You will have some larger sizes that you wont need, but you may need them on a future project. These are made of hardened steel, so the tips wont round out as easily as the cheaper stuff. They also have a nice handle to grip on to.

SLAYYER · May 30, 2016

HWCM said:
Bondhus 10687 Set of 7 Balldriver Screwdrivers, ProGuard Finish, sizes 1.27-5mm - Ball Hex Set - Amazon.com I use these on all of my RC stuff. You will have some larger sizes that you wont need, but you may need them on a future project. These are made of hardened steel, so the tips wont round out as easily as the cheaper stuff. They also have a nice handle to grip on to.

I'm confused because these are "ball driver screwdrivers"

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