Prop flew off

[AlecW]

My technique is to hold the prop still applying gentle downward pressure as necessary and rotate the motor casing to lock it on.

I seem to get better tactile feedback this way than trying to hold the motor still and turn the prop.

Yeah I do that. Was just trying to figure out how one could come loose after it's properly secured.

 

[SAVA9E P4]

As said I fitted them all checking as I did, I then go round them all again to double check. All I can think of is I somehow dislodged one while picking it up to move it. I turned the bird off and rechecked everything and she was fine after that.


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[DrillRX]

I actually had a similar thing happen with my P4.

When installing the quick release blades, they CAN feel locked if you twist in the wrong direction. The time it happened to me, I did feel a positive lock but to my surprise the prop had jammed up on the lug because I had twisted it the wrong way when installing. Luckily (and I can't remember what the warning said exactly) It told me there was missing props or something to that effect. I had seen the same error when I started the motors without any props installed.

 

[Matchlock]

You really lost me here. What is there to "sync?" It's either ready to fly or it isn't, nothing has to "sync" with anything else.

Bud

Watched a Youtube video a day ago I think it was.
There was a dude saying to calibrate yer compass.
When you crank up yer Drone to let it run for a few seconds on the ground.
Then raise it about 6' Up and let it set for about 45 seconds before you take off.
This gives everything more time to Sync.

Don't know if this would of helped you or not.
And I am new to this so only listen to what I have learned with a grain of salt.


Hate to hear you had a problem.

 

[Matchlock]

Wow!! You made a mistake. The world will come to an end.

I don't see where you did a single thing wrong. Stuff happens, and if you hang around long enough it (or something else) happens to all of us. You checked it over after the incident and everything was just fine. What more are you expected to do? You did what you were supposed to do and that, as they say, is that.

Bud

As said I fitted them all checking as I did, I then go round them all again to double check. All I can think of is I somehow dislodged one while picking it up to move it. I turned the bird off and rechecked everything and she was fine after that.


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[Les Davidson]

That was unnecessary and unfriendly, and this is a friendly site. Please give that some consideration.

He was flying a drone, not an airplane with people in it. I have a PPL (no longer current), was fastidious about pre-flight, yet fly my P4 all the time without doing any checks (other than unpacking and setting up, FWIW as "pre-flight"). I put the props on and make sure they're secure once, then fly.

It's only an object, not a living being. The stakes are completely different.

True but people on the ground are Relyent on you doing pre flight checks


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[WingsThree]

That was unnecessary and unfriendly, and this is a friendly site. Please give that some consideration.

He was flying a drone, not an airplane with people in it. I have a PPL (no longer current), was fastidious about pre-flight, yet fly my P4 all the time without doing any checks (other than unpacking and setting up, FWIW as "pre-flight"). I put the props on and make sure they're secure once, then fly.

It's only an object, not a living being. The stakes are completely different.

Agreed....there could have easily been a weakening of one of the spring-loaded tabs on the hub that could cause a prop to depart. Overly judgmental and rude.

 

[42FrankZ]

True but people on the ground are Relyent on you doing pre flight checks


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Never made a mistake have ya?

Hint: I see the irony in this post.

 

[JCP10]

Took the P4 out today, put all the props on one at a time and checked them, then i checked them again, walked about 30 feet to my take off spot holding both drone and controller in one hand as it was slippy.

Started everything up then started the props to watch one fly 30 foot into the air and the P4 flip over.

Luckily everything was fine and no damage.

Moral of the story is check your props again just before starting them up.

I have had this happen to me TWICE now (after checking them carefully), which is why I wait a few seconds AFTER starting up.

 

[Skyler King III]

The real moral is you do a thorough pre flight check. Thank god you are not a pilot on my next airline flight.


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Its seems to me that many people that get P3s etc think they are toys. They just jump into it, willy-nilly. Yes, 1st RTFM and then do a thorough pre-flight.

 

[SAVA9E P4]

Lets get this straight guys, i put the props on checking as i went, i then checked them all agin and everything is fine. I moved it about 30 foot by hand being careful in the same way im careful with all mu photographic gear, its costs too much not to. I always use auto take off and let it hover in front of me then test all the controls while hovering before flying, i also set the camera up to ISO, speed etc. Im 51 years old not a child and this post was to make people aware that after all checks things can still go wrong.

 

[m0j0]

My location. As you can see I was in the middle of nowhere.

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Sava9e you do not have to justify or explain your actions to anyone. Including the Emperor of drone operators or the drone police. You had an oversight. I'm certain you learned from it thanks for sharing maybe someone reading this forum will learn from your experience.


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[Javier Ruiz O]

I had my first propeller fying alone last Monday. My log counts 110 P4 flights, almost 19 hours, and I have always double cheched propellers, both when mounting them and after warming up and receive the "Safe to Fly" advise. This time I was in a brand new artificial grass pad just installed at the RC Model Club. My propellers check consist in holding each engine, push the propeller down and rotate until the click announces the end. Then rotate the propeller on circular motion again both ways to "feel" the block ends. I have always done that.

Well, last Monday after initialising engines with the remote controller, I spent some 20 to 30 seconds setting the camera parameters and exposure, engines always idling. Instead of taking off as usual, going up quickly up to a couple of meters, this time I maintained the Phantom at land, accelerating revs progressively: I wanted to test how slow can the machine go up, due to the opportunity to have a totally clean and new plastic grass pad. I think that about very few centimeters above ground and probably not more than two seconds in the air, the rear right propeller flew off by itself some 3 meters height and 4 meters to the front. P4 landed perfectly stable, of course.
After inspections of the blocker and the propeller itself, and not finding anything abnormal, I inserted it again and double checked carefully as explained above. Nothing wrong, and the propeller seemed totally blocked both sides...
BUT IT WAS NOT: I then tested the propeller UP AND DOWN, and there it was!!! I was able to pull up the propeller without gyrating it. Was not obvious and it was needed a bit of vertical force, but it separated! After re-inserting propeller and checking carefully all of them I flew two complete batteries without any problem.

LESSON LEARNT: I have incorporated to my pre-flight check list to double check each propeller both ways pnce they habe been inserted: ROTATION (left and right) AND VERTICALLY (up and down), this last vertical checkings without exerting much force, only to chek a possible vertical unblocking. When correctly installed, each propeller will move some millimeters down against the springs by exerting a very light push-down force.

Hope this could be useful to somebody and save from a crash.
Pls. Excuse the text length, and also my non-native english.


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[NoBiffBetter]

Yes, I agree.

Do you preflight you car every time before you drive? Inspect the tires for damage that could cause a sudden blowout? Until it happens...

The risk of you having a mechanical failure when driving that results in harm to others is substantially greater than any similar risk with a small drone being flown for hobby purposes. The point here is reasonable standards based on risk. We don't think it reasonable to "pre-flight" a car every time we use it for a multitude of reasons that we all agree justifies the risk.

The nature of how a car is used, or a regular aircraft, is what induces the risk, and therefore the importance of risk mitigation. In the case of the drone, the risk is so tiny that it's unreasonable to hold someone to a standard designed around the risk of carrying actual people up in the air.

If you simply can't understand this important distinction, well, you're going to have a tough time making friends in a social world

You are one of those ppl who come in my shop for a flat repair once a week. Cuz you never check you tire pressure.. Heck, just drive it till the wheels fall off! I'm just joking with ya. I do however agree that it's importaint to always go over your quad before flight... Going over your vehicle every time you drive and going over your quad are two totally different things. Why? Cuz the drone being MUCH smaller takes much less time to look at and go over.. Also, if you have an issue with your vehicle .. You just pull over to avoid further worsening whatever issue it is that you may be having .. But with a drone, quad, plane or anything else that flys, it is much more importaint to check over, because if there is an issue, you can't just pull over.. Instead it crashes! Falls to the ground like dead weight and it's ruined..

This is why you cannot compare looking your car over with looking a quad over..

Why do you think the army looks over their jets/planes before EVERY flight with a fine tooth comb? How about airlines? Every singe time before that plane takes off it goes through a rigorous check up.. Again, why? Because If there is an issue in the air.. It's a goner!

You can't make pit stops when your in the air, it's just that simple. THUS why it is VERY important to look your quad, plane, helicopter, hexicopter, chopper, jet, octicoptor, airliner, you name it.. Before every flight.


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[Xenomorph]

I had my first propeller fying alone last Monday. My log counts 110 P4 flights, almost 19 hours, and I have always double cheched propellers, both when mounting them and after warming up and receive the "Safe to Fly" advise. This time I was in a brand new artificial grass pad just installed at the RC Model Club. My propellers check consist in holding each engine, push the propeller down and rotate until the click announces the end. Then rotate the propeller on circular motion again both ways to "feel" the block ends. I have always done that.

Well, last Monday after initialising engines with the remote controller, I spent some 20 to 30 seconds setting the camera parameters and exposure, engines always idling. Instead of taking off as usual, going up quickly up to a couple of meters, this time I maintained the Phantom at land, accelerating revs progressively: I wanted to test how slow can the machine go up, due to the opportunity to have a totally clean and new plastic grass pad. I think that about very few centimeters above ground and probably not more than two seconds in the air, the rear right propeller flew off by itself some 3 meters height and 4 meters to the front. P4 landed perfectly stable, of course.
After inspections of the blocker and the propeller itself, and not finding anything abnormal, I inserted it again and double checked carefully as explained above. Nothing wrong, and the propeller seemed totally blocked both sides...
BUT IT WAS NOT: I then tested the propeller UP AND DOWN, and there it was!!! I was able to pull up the propeller without gyrating it. Was not obvious and it was needed a bit of vertical force, but it separated! After re-inserting propeller and checking carefully all of them I flew two complete batteries without any problem.

LESSON LEARNT: I have incorporated to my pre-flight check list to double check each propeller both ways pnce they habe been inserted: ROTATION (left and right) AND VERTICALLY (up and down), this last vertical checkings without exerting much force, only to chek a possible vertical unblocking. When correctly installed, each propeller will move some millimeters down against the springs by exerting a very light push-down force.

Hope this could be useful to somebody and save from a crash.
Pls. Excuse the text length, and also my non-native english.


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Interesting advice and good to know. I've never thought of also checking a vertical fit to the props.

I, like a few here, also do the csc command to start up and let the aircraft idle before I slowly raise it up and leave it stable for about a minute before I fly. I also do an entire directional check before I take off to make sure the aircraft is responsive.

But accidents happen so we learn from them. Great advise on a vertical check!

 

[Javier Ruiz O]

Thank you, Xenomorph. Also a great advice of yours: to perform a slowly raise up, then leave stable some time and do the three directions (plus yaw) checks prior to the proper flight.


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