Phantom 3 hit by kite, totally destroyed

LordEvil · Jul 8, 2016

Looks almost like it corrected itself twice after cutting the line. You can see then the kite sits on top of the drone forcing it to its demise.

bbfpv · Jul 8, 2016

Joey Migliaccio said:
Do I return it back to best buy since I just bought it a week ago?

And say what, exactly? I'm almost certain "I'd like to exchange this for one that wasn't run over by an 18 wheeler after I flew it into a kite, please" isn't going to work.

BigAl07 · Jul 8, 2016

I would try and find a new aircraft or just bite the bullet and get a whole new "system".

DJI or BestBuy are not at fault in any way. No need to climb those trees plus it wouldn't be "right" because neither were at fault.

In the big picture the operator of the aircraft is at fault due to lack of "See and Avoid" but really it's just crappy luck. Hind sight is always 20/20 but a better preflight risk assessment might have saved your aircraft. It's very tricky to navigate with other aircraft when you're flying "remotely" but add the aspect of tethered flight (kite) and your odds of incident are greatly enhanced.

Just glad it didn't cause a larger accident with the truck and other vehicles. This could have been REALLY bad all the way around.

aengland · Jul 8, 2016

Did I miss your upload of the crash if the camera was still working? You should definitely upload it.

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mrcrane2u · Jul 8, 2016

Joey Migliaccio said:
I just came back from the beach, after a stupid kite flew into my home lock path and wrecked my copter. I even tried to dodge it, seeing it racing towards me. I then watched helplessly as the kite and drone fell to the earth in a tangled mess and got hit by a SEMI TRUCK. The drone is unrecognizable but the camera and memory card somehow survived. I don't know what to do now, do I call DJI? Do I return it back to best buy since I just bought it a week ago?! What should I do please help!!!

Sucky it up butter cup,welcome to the world of drones where sometimes it's fun but always a learning experience. I had my first drone a standard lost it 6 weeks later never seen it again bought professional and much wiser now but still learning. Sorry for your loss .

Joey Migliaccio · Jul 8, 2016

Looking over the gimbal, it's unusable because the yaw axis is slightly bent. And no, I think the kite owner was in so much shock that he didn't come out and start yelling. Don't go near kites they can't avoid you and you can't dodge their erratic flight patterns. I didn't want to lose it in the water either. I have another phantom I bought off eBay but the video feed drops at around 300 ft away. Going to try to use my controller of my crashed phantom with it. See if it works then I don't have to send it back to the guy on eBay.

Joey Migliaccio · Jul 8, 2016

At that time, I was not looking at the screen. I was watching the drone fly back to me, I didn't even realize that the drone pulled the kite towards itself, I saw the kite descend, they almost touched mid air, and I thought the drone would go under the kite. But I didn't realize I severed the line, and what luck? The kite falls on top of the copter? And once it hits the road, it gets ran over by a semi truck? I have bad luck with all of these things. My first parrot bebop, wifi disconnected and almost flew through a window. Second bebop, lost wifi and flew into power pole. 3rd bebop, lost wifi and flew into a distant mountain. 1st phantom, 300ft video feed. Second phantom, got entangled in a kite and fell to the ground then got hit by a truck. Should I just not buy them until I talk to the thing that gave me 0 luck?

Joey Migliaccio · Jul 8, 2016

mmtphoto said:
Might as well start looking for just the bird, that's the worst I've ever seen...I'm interested in the circumstances though, how'd it end up going into the roadway? Is that a standard? Ouch...sorry, that really is bad-maybe credit card protection? The battery still looks alright, and the controller is worth something,

The actual battery that was inside the Phantom, is so smashed it almost exploded.

Dylan DeBrakeleer · Jul 8, 2016

This is absolutely brutal to watch, but even though you feel like the unluckiest person on earth right now, remember how lucky you are that the drone didn't go through someone's sunroof, hit someone on the beach, or cause an accident on the road, because that would cost a hell of a lot more than a new phantom! This is certainly the worst P3 accident I have ever seen.

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Joey Migliaccio · Jul 8, 2016

Now I at least feel lucky that nobody got hurt. People: fly your drone over the water, not over the beach. No kites to hit.

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dirkclod · Jul 8, 2016

You were lucky Joey .
I would stay away from those bebop's too .

richwoodrocket · Jul 8, 2016

dirkclod said:
You were lucky Joey .
I would stay away from those bebop's too .

+1 I've heard nothing but bad things about the bebops.
And also, I don't think there's anyone to blame but yourself for the phantoms. While it's really easy to get caught up in the moment and not see the kite line, it was still your fault. And buying a phantom on eBay that only flies 300 ft out is not the fault of DJI, since the previous owner probably did something to it. Don't let it discourage you from DJI. It was just an unfortunate series of events.

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dirkclod · Jul 8, 2016

richwoodrocket said:
+1 I've heard nothing but bad things about the bebops.
And also, I don't think there's anyone to blame but yourself for the phantoms. While it's really easy to get caught up in the moment and not see the kite line, it was still your fault. And buying a phantom on eBay that only flies 300 ft out is not the fault of DJI, since the previous owner probably did something to it. Don't let it discourage you from DJI. It was just an unfortunate series of events.

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Now I was just messing with Joey being what he said about his luck with those . I've never had one

Mark The Droner · Jul 8, 2016

You know what they say...? Fourteen's a charm

RedHotPoker · Jul 8, 2016

I thought it was 14 will get you twenty...

Years that is, behind reinforced steel bars. Chuckles

Sorry for your drone loss, that was a nasty fall and subsequent run over.

RedHotPoker

bkushner · Jul 9, 2016

Tough break..hate to see it.

Richard Gozinya · Jul 9, 2016

cdusher said:
I'd say YOU'RE very lucky no one was hurt. Certainly would not have been the fault of the kite.

Are u an attorney ?

Noodle · Jul 9, 2016

Did the truck driver try to sue you? No. You are lucky because he could. That Phantom + kite bomb could have caused a road accident.

Edit: Having said that, I am guilty of crashing my Cheerson CX-20 earlier today. Luckily I was cautious and just flew it at low altitude around a near empty park.

RedHotPoker · Jul 9, 2016

gringorio said:
If you'd been manually flying it (and actually knew how to do so) you could have avoided the accident: "after a stupid kite flew into my home lock path"

Live and learn. But hope you do actually learn how to fly a quadcopter rather than depending on buttons to do the flying for you ...

Aren't you being a little harsh on the OP? After all, he's already had a dandy bashing, so no need to rub Kosher salt into the wound. ;-)
You sound angry, as though you may have lost a drone or more of your own, in reflection, ;-) Speaking from personal experience I suppose. Hahaha
Please encourage, not discourage... ;-)

RedHotPoker

erkme73 · Jul 9, 2016

To the OP... What country are you in, and what payment form did you use to purchase the Phantom? Most credit cards provide some form of short-term accidental damage insurance. If you used Amex, for example, you may have 90 day theft and damage protection.