Phantom Vision+ Hard Landing

[Nerius]

Tested max flight distance with a new antenna, few flights around, then wanted to test maximum distance, after about 800meters Phantom lost connection, started return home (attitude 30m, about 90 feet) fly back about 100 meters (300 feet) and suddenly this happens. Maybe battery malfunction (but connected phantom to computer, phantom app shows battery is OK, and when I found it, motors was still running) or one of the motors problem: started to spin at lower rpm ? But we can see in video, that it suddenly lost stabilization, then stabilizes and started quick descending. Bird hard landed about 700m away (±2000 feet) and in wheat field so it was troubling to find it. When I finally found it: all props were still running, but entangled in a wheat straws, a lot of heats generated, so body shell plastic near motors melted. By my approximations repair will cost at least to replace body shell, all motors, and motors ESC controllers and any additional problems if found. It powers, camera working.
So, any thoughts WHY this happens: battery used only less than 30 times, bird has about 50-70 flights, any crashes: this was the first one ?
Sound effects added by me .

Video:

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[MapMaker53]

Do you know if your Phantom a P2V+_v2 or P2V+_v3?
Have you opened it to see if one of the ESC wires had broken?

 

[Nerius]

It's latest version: Phantom Vision Plus V3.0. All ESC replaced to v.2.1 .

 

[RoyVa]

With one of the Motors dropping rpm and the other three trying to compensate you kind of get the effect you see with your crash. My first guess would be a problem with that motors motor controller (ESC) failure. Of course now you'll need a new body and motor and ESC's to get back in the air. If it had been a battery issue all motors and the camera would have stopped. After the crash it's hard to find the culprit since their is other damage. Check the ESC's and see if one has a wire from motor that may have had a bad solder joint and vibrated or broke loose. When I fly after every flight as soon as I land and power off I feal my motors to see if anyone of them is getting a lot hotter then the others. I also turn the props feeling for a tight or bad bearing. Those are my main concern as the motors keep her up where she belongs. I would suspect and ESC.

 

[phantom13flyer]

Which bird are you flying? Go Pro? Sound

 

[StevenQX]

This is a bird hit imo.

 

[Nerius]

Which bird are you flying? Go Pro? Sound

No. Sound added by me It's Phantom 2 Vision plus V3.0 .

 

[Nerius]

This is a bird hit imo.

It could be, but if props are undamaged (and they are undamaged) probability should be low. Also by my opinion, even after bird hit, Phantom should stabilize itself in the air. Of course, bird hit could done damage to one of motors with all the consequences.

 

[Nerius]

Do you know if your Phantom a P2V+_v2 or P2V+_v3?
Have you opened it to see if one of the ESC wires had broken?

All ESC are fine (visually of course) and wires are not broken. Of course, wires insulation are melted on motors side (motors was terrible hot when I found it), but not on ESC side.

 

[Nerius]

Maybe its one of the motors sudden fail... ?

 

[yorlik]

I would discount bird strike as it appears SOFT roll over taking about 1 second; not a BANG of some kind of impact... but my problem in diagnosing anything is it seemed to correct for a good few seconds BEFORE turning and beginning a non-fall descend.... weird.... almost like YOU did it in atti mode with sticks? weird.... did you flip S1 switch during this time?

 

[Nerius]

I would discount bird strike as it appears SOFT roll over taking about 1 second; not a BANG of some kind of impact... but my problem in diagnosing anything is it seemed to correct for a good few seconds BEFORE turning and beginning a non-fall descend.... weird.... almost like YOU did it in atti mode with sticks? weird.... did you flip S1 switch during this time?

Phantom was in "return to home mode", all auto, not controlled by me. I wanted to test max distance with a new transmitter antenna mod, so pushed bird to fly to max distance, then it lost connection with transmitter, started to return home, run about 100 meters (about 300 feet) and suddenly this happens. I did not touch transmitter, and S1 was in GPS mode.

 

[yorlik]

wow.

 

[rbhamilton]

Didn't look like a bird hit to me. If a drone could talk it would be saying "Houston we have a problem". Hopefully still under warranty? Good thing you found it so you have some video proof of the malfunction.

 

[StevenQX]

It could be, but if props are undamaged (and they are undamaged) probability should be low. Also by my opinion, even after bird hit, Phantom should stabilize itself in the air. Of course, bird hit could done damage to one of motors with all the consequences.

Yes if no damage on the props is strange because phantom should have leveled itself again. Seems more if the front motors loose power and were not able to turn as fast as needed. Have you looked if your motors are centered in the cover hole and if props are alligned on the whole perimeter?

 

[Nerius]

Dealer suggested to send video to dji to try get repair under warranty, also he (and a lot of others folks ) told me than it can take more than 3 months. Another problem is, that bird was bought from ebay, not directly from our country dealer, so he will not take any warranty repairs without dji approval. Decided not to wait and repair it right now at my own cost.
This is how it looks disassembled: