Prop sheared off the propellor

[Matchlock]

If it was simply hovering at 8 ft. what could possibly have damaged the edges of both blades? It had to have hit SOMETHING!!

Bud

The drone was in the middle of a sports field hovering at about 8 feet. Nothing around for miles.


As you say separated from the hub. The tip broke when the blade hit the ground having watched it from about 20 feet away. It was the back left. The prop went as I applied power to climb almost at the point that the command was made.

 

[Andy9]

According to the scratched edges of the both blades it can happened only when the propeller hit something, most likely the ground.
I can not imagine that the Phantom can land normally with only half of one propeller, so it must felt down.
No mystery here.

 

[Safety71]

I too think it was a prop strike based on the missing tip and the leading edge damage of the other blade.

I have a P4 Advanced, and live in an area where the June bugs and other hard shelled insects exist. I can tell you first hand that you can shear a blade from striking one. I use only genuine DJI props. By the pics you did strike something airborne with the tip of the blade. This will transmit a stress force to the base of the blade to the hub a cause cracks and total severance. We saw this on a larger scale on our huey's in Southeast Asia and other areas when the blade tips struck birds and so on. Good luck and safe flying.