P3s Pilot loses courage and becomes afraid of heights

[Sixseas]

I can't make sense of that flight data.
The data is quite scrambled and shows no height above 10 ft.
There are joystick input numbers that are 6 x the maximum possible and values in other fields that are obviously completely wrong.
There's no indication that RTH was ever initiated.

But if your drone spirals to the ground, the only possible cause is loss of either a prop or a motor.
Calibration or mis-calibration of a compass cannot cause that.
Interference or battery failure can't cause that and there's no indication of any battery problem.

Given the number of problems showing in the flight and the flight data, I'd write the drone off as unworthy, get a more modern model and start again.

Thanks for checking. Airdata also shows a maximum flight altitude of 10' after digging deeper is shows at 50' a speed and altitude alert were set. It also shows multiple mode changes in flight which I didn't make. I can't see the RTH was initiated either. I find that fascinating because when I waded into the swamp to fetch it I first saw a swatch it had cut where the P3S came down hot at a angle, I heard noise so located it by that. However, when I pulled it out of the cattails it was running hot my guess full throttle. Either the throttle was stuck wide open, or it was sill attempting a RTH. If I would have tossed it in the air it would have gone up like a bat out of hell, to who knows where. Amazing to me the motors didn't overheat during recovery but in my test flight last night everything appeared to performed perfect.

Thats good to know I can rule out compass calibration and battery failure. I did learn the control calibration can be used as a test tool to detect physical control failures. The old RC unit levers have little or no correlation between the calibration icon and lever position. Ill see if there is a reset method but its obviously bad. The new remote I barrowed for a biologist acquaintance, shows 100% correlation between calibration icons and control levers. She was doing aerial shots of seaweed growth over Silver Lake Wisconsin when she crashed into a tree and lost here P3S. I will see if she wants to sell it.

I could get a new drone but the DJI product line seems pruned for-profit targeting the photo platform market segment. The small photo platform drones are really nice. However, I went after the P3S because of its lifting ability, to pull up and over lite rope then pull up a safety line when working high. In the world of UAVs /civilian UAS the P3S is a respectable workhorse. Heavy enough to withstand harsh winds and gusts, rugged and with the power to perform light work tasks I guess more or less the workhorse of the product line up. In addition, it can video and FPV for recreational use so has alot of value to me in utility.

Thanks for your help, Im going to continue testing the P3S at increasing altitudes with the new RC unit. I don't want to wade out into the swamp again but I was very lucky. My wallet and driver license still stinks so bad if the HP pulled me over he would think I was sleeping with a polecat again, if TSA or CBP looks at my Global Entry card they will mark me as a sheep lover for sure.

 

[Billie Nelson]

Some of my most respected associates have cultivated cordial relations with polecats. They are all fine upstanding citizens.