Phantom 3 Pulling Hard in Directions

[grahamcracker3]

Evening all...below is an email I just wrote to DJL support..thought I'd fish here to see if anyone has any answers. I've had the Phantom for about 4 weeks. Have gotten some wonderful footage...but it all seems to have gone awry ..
-------------
Good evening. A few weeks ago I received a Phantom 3. It's been a great tool and I've gotten some wonderful footage with it!

However, a few days ago I had started a flight and within a few seconds it started pulling hard to the left. So hard in fact I had to crash land it going full speed to the right to prevent losing in it in a river.

I had flown it just fine earlier in the day for quite a while. Now, admittedly, I did have a couple small low altitude collisions with the Phantom while learning the ins and outs of it a week prior, but it seemed to recover just fine.... other than some scuffed props. I thought maybe I caused some internal damage to the prop threads earlier that finally came back to get me, so I ordered a replacement set.

Tried the new props today and as soon as it was a couple feet off the ground it started wobbling and then drifting forward. Unfortunately, given even slow lateral movement I can't get it to land still enough to allow me to kill the props...so once again I watched as it slowly ate it in my small grass embankment and flipped over [I might add that this thing is rugged as hell. Haha tho I love it best when it's working properly].

Adding to the mystery is the fact that each of the 3 times I tried it it pulled in different directions. Once left, once to the right, and once forward.

I've calibrated the compass each time and am not in a place of high winds. Should I just send it back? I don't know what to do. I've checked through forums and can't seem to turn anything up.

Given regulations, I'm not actively saying that I was planning on commercial use...but as a video production professional, I had scheduled some gratis shoots for my clients that I'm now faced with postponing.

Kinda both bummed and also really worried I caused some damage to my new expensive toy. Any recommended actions would be GREATLY appreciated.
---------------
Thanks for reading... here's one of the clips I've captured [some modest post in Adobe SpeedGrade]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10102512477486826

 

[bobmyers]

I suspect that in one of the learning bumps, the IMU went out of calibration -- Check the values and see if they are within specs and if not, do an IMU calibration, a gimbal, calibration and take it out side and do a compass calibration. This may solve the issue for you if there is not other damage.

If all of these calibrations are performed and are successful. Take the Phantom off at low altitude-- 3 meters or so and see if it will hover and stabilize.

 

[ScottyT]

I would try moving the Phantom to a different take off point, and restart it.
I had similar when I was trying to take off from a heavily enforced concrete pier. Went off on its own at a meter off the ground and I had to grab one of it's legs and de-arm the motors.

Moved the take off point a meter or so over, checked the Mod values were sane, and took off and flew fine. Didn't recalibrate or do anything different other than moving the P3. The MOD values for the compass would be way out in certain locations, and often the app would throw up compass errors. Obviously because of the rebar within the concrete structure.

Allegedly you shouldn't need to calibrate your compass before every flight if you are within < 100miles of your last calibration.

Which firmware version? If you're not flying inside you might as well disable VPS also, so it doesn't come in to play.