Prop Damage. Replace?

[120CCPM]

Common knowledge is that quadcopters cannot survive a motor failure, as four is the absolute minimum number of motors required to maintain control on a multirotor. While this is true, there are algorithms that can keep quads in the air even if severely crippled, usually by giving away yaw control:

As for the P3S, its current firmware is not sophisticated enough to compensate for a motor failure. Plenty of videos around of Phantoms miserably crashing into the ground, after losing a prop.

 

[120CCPM]

One more comment about this:

You might try to recover from this and land safely, but that would be a feat only an expert pilot might achieve.

I hardly doubt any pilot would be able to do much, should a P3S go into an out-of-control spin. With multirotors, it's the flight controller that actually keeps the AC in the air, by constantly adjusting the speed of each motor based on the feedback it gets from the IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit). Pilots are merely communicating their intentions (via RC) to the flight controller. This is particularly true in aerial photography drones (as opposed to racing quads, for example), where pilots are given a relatively small degree of control, compared to the actual capabilities of the AC.
Flight controllers are capable of compensating for manufacturing tolerances between their components (e.g. props, motors and ESCs) as well as changes in weight distribution (e.g. people adding lights or trackers), the same way they can react to external forces (e.g. gust of wind). While modern multirotors are incredibly resilient, they cannot compensate beyond a certain point: if the situation is so bad that a flight controller... loses control, there's nothing the pilot can do.

 

[solentlife]

" four is the absolute minimum number of motors required to maintain control on a multirotor."

Just a comment ... Multi Rotors are available in 3 motor form up to as many as you want. Four is the number required for a MR with 4 or more motors ... unless the remaining operating motors are arranged to balance each other.
ie A 6 motor unit in theory could fly on 3 ... etc.

But back to Phantoms ... lose or have faulty motor - its dead dog certain you will not save it.

Nigel