I've attached a link to a composite video as well the DJI Flight Record and an additional .info file (not sure of relevance). The composite video, 2:00 in duration, first displays the video that was retrieved from the sd card upon finding the P4 - you can witness the crash in it's entirety. The second half of the video contains 3 screens (1) the top left is the video capture from the sd card, (2) the top right is the video capture from an nvidia shield (the tablet connected to the RC, which natively captures the video being seen on the screen), and (3) the bottom center, shows a video of the DJI Flight Record - all synced to easier understand when the signal from the RC was lost and the subsequent events that followed. Lastly, a small clip has been added showing the current performance issues.
To provide an idea of context, my home point (and where I resided throughout the duration of the flight) is on a roadway, located just to the right of the tree line that is being shown in the middle of the screen. The road has an elevation difference of approximately 8' over the elevation of the field. I have an unobstructed, clear line of site over the extents of the field. This is my last shot of the evening, a slow forward pan over a ditch and across the far edge of a wheat field as an adjacent combine is harvesting. Upon capturing the shot, in GPS mode, I have the P4 pointed directly towards its home position. I change the flight mode from GPS to sport, shortly after the change of mode, the signal to the RC is lost. When you watch the video, you can see that shortly after the signal is lost, the P4 takes a downward trajectory, clearing some distance before hitting the wheat field. Having lost signal on numerous previous occasions, I maintained my position on the roadway when the signal first dropped, assuming the P4 would enter the RTH sequence and the signal would be re-acquired shortly. 5 minutes passes, nothing. Approaching 10 mins and now I am assuming something has gone wrong. I proceed walking into the field in the direction of the P4's last signal, thinking perhaps it was hovering and a closer proximity to the RC may re-acquire. Nothing. The field is 100 acres in size, the wheat growth is approximately 36-42" high, the time of day is +/- 8:50pm with sunset fast approaching.
The P4 was recovered. The search lasted just shy of 4 hours, well into the night. Rain started to fall, light to moderate, approximately 2 hours into the search (southwestern Ontario is supposedly on the verge of severe drought, of course it rains for the first time in weeks the night my P4 is lying in a field). To my surprise, the P4 did not have any immediate signs of physical damage (the shell, arms, propellers, lower armature, gimbal, etc.. all appeared to have been in good order). I cannot speak to the effect of the impact force on any of the internal components. The P4 was cleaned and let to dry for 36hrs, adjacent to a dehumidifier and light fan with desiccant.
My initial attempt to power up, the P4 would turn on in what seemed to be the usual fashion - audible and visual ques, gimbal extents check, prop twitch etc... The RC could not establish a connection to the P4. Multiple attempts without luck.
My subsequent attempts (this morning) have been hit and miss. The connection to the P4 from the RC had been established on a couple of occasions, of which, 2 of 3, the DJI Go App would identify my device as being a P3P. Turning off and on again several times I was able to get the RC to connect to the P4 and the DJI Go App to identify the device as a P4. I powered up and took off, maintaining a 4-5' hover as I begin to test several items. The P4 seems responsive to all movements (with light inputs in GPS mode), however, the gimbal and camera system have suffered some extent of damage that is prohibiting its function. See end of video for a capture of the gimbals response to yaw movements. In addition, the record ability in both picture and video will not engage.
In reviewing the flight record and videos, I cannot help but think that a component (hardware or software) malfunction was the result of the initial RC signal loss and subsequent downward pitch into the field. In all prior experiences with signal loss, the P4 would immediately cease its current operation and commence the RTH sequence.
To provide an idea of context, my home point (and where I resided throughout the duration of the flight) is on a roadway, located just to the right of the tree line that is being shown in the middle of the screen. The road has an elevation difference of approximately 8' over the elevation of the field. I have an unobstructed, clear line of site over the extents of the field. This is my last shot of the evening, a slow forward pan over a ditch and across the far edge of a wheat field as an adjacent combine is harvesting. Upon capturing the shot, in GPS mode, I have the P4 pointed directly towards its home position. I change the flight mode from GPS to sport, shortly after the change of mode, the signal to the RC is lost. When you watch the video, you can see that shortly after the signal is lost, the P4 takes a downward trajectory, clearing some distance before hitting the wheat field. Having lost signal on numerous previous occasions, I maintained my position on the roadway when the signal first dropped, assuming the P4 would enter the RTH sequence and the signal would be re-acquired shortly. 5 minutes passes, nothing. Approaching 10 mins and now I am assuming something has gone wrong. I proceed walking into the field in the direction of the P4's last signal, thinking perhaps it was hovering and a closer proximity to the RC may re-acquire. Nothing. The field is 100 acres in size, the wheat growth is approximately 36-42" high, the time of day is +/- 8:50pm with sunset fast approaching.
The P4 was recovered. The search lasted just shy of 4 hours, well into the night. Rain started to fall, light to moderate, approximately 2 hours into the search (southwestern Ontario is supposedly on the verge of severe drought, of course it rains for the first time in weeks the night my P4 is lying in a field). To my surprise, the P4 did not have any immediate signs of physical damage (the shell, arms, propellers, lower armature, gimbal, etc.. all appeared to have been in good order). I cannot speak to the effect of the impact force on any of the internal components. The P4 was cleaned and let to dry for 36hrs, adjacent to a dehumidifier and light fan with desiccant.
My initial attempt to power up, the P4 would turn on in what seemed to be the usual fashion - audible and visual ques, gimbal extents check, prop twitch etc... The RC could not establish a connection to the P4. Multiple attempts without luck.
My subsequent attempts (this morning) have been hit and miss. The connection to the P4 from the RC had been established on a couple of occasions, of which, 2 of 3, the DJI Go App would identify my device as being a P3P. Turning off and on again several times I was able to get the RC to connect to the P4 and the DJI Go App to identify the device as a P4. I powered up and took off, maintaining a 4-5' hover as I begin to test several items. The P4 seems responsive to all movements (with light inputs in GPS mode), however, the gimbal and camera system have suffered some extent of damage that is prohibiting its function. See end of video for a capture of the gimbals response to yaw movements. In addition, the record ability in both picture and video will not engage.
In reviewing the flight record and videos, I cannot help but think that a component (hardware or software) malfunction was the result of the initial RC signal loss and subsequent downward pitch into the field. In all prior experiences with signal loss, the P4 would immediately cease its current operation and commence the RTH sequence.
