So I crashed...Now What??

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HoldenCaulfieldNYC

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Hi Everyone,

I was flying my P3P the other day and was distracted by my daughter. Within that fraction of a second I caught the top of a tree and the P3P fell about 150ft. With my luck it landed on hard ground covered in rocks. The camera was almost sheared off. It is now hanging by a small cable. The shell is cracked in a few spots and popped open as well in a few places. I really enjoy flying and want to continue flying. What are my options? I was looking online and a replacement camera is going for about $500. At that point it would seem easier to buy something new. Anyone have experience having one fixed and how much did it cost? Would it be easier to try to sell the broken drone for parts along with the accessories (3 batteries, remote and a Nanuk 945 case). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks again.
 
Best advice I can give is to accept your mistakes and to try not to blame it on anyone else.... least of all your innocent daughter ;)
You may feel 'unlucky' in that your P3P landed on hard and rocky ground but that is generally what the earth consists of.... you probably wouldn't have faired much better if it had crashed into water :)
Consider yourself very lucky no harm, injury or loss was caused to a third party and learn from your mistake.
 
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HoldenCaulfieldNYC said:
Hi Everyone,

I was flying my P3P the other day and was distracted by my daughter. Within that fraction of a second I caught the top of a tree and the P3P fell about 150ft. With my luck it landed on hard ground covered in rocks. The camera was almost sheared off. It is now hanging by a small cable. The shell is cracked in a few spots and popped open as well in a few places. I really enjoy flying and want to continue flying. What are my options? I was looking online and a replacement camera is going for about $500. At that point it would seem easier to buy something new. Anyone have experience having one fixed and how much did it cost? Would it be easier to try to sell the broken drone for parts along with the accessories (3 batteries, remote and a Nanuk 945 case). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
I picked up a refurbished P3Pro with full warranty for $600. You can try selling off the AC to off-set the expense.
 
I would agree with Droner and LarBear, the cost of the camera alone is nearly the cost of a refurb. Unless you can get the camera replaced for a lot less than that, it makes more sense to go with a refurb.
 
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HoldenCaulfieldNYC said:
Anyone have any interest in purchasing P3P accessories like batteries, remote and a case.
Click to expand...

Why would you want to sell this stuff if you buy a re-furb or a used one?
I bought an open box P3P from DroneNerds last October and I could not be happier with that $509 deal.
Be patient, you’ll find one.
 
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Op, sorry to hear about your crash.

I've been rebuilding a crashed P3P and have spent many late nights on eBay. Repair is possible, but as is pointed out, the camera is the real killer. Much of the camera can be replaced fairly cheaply except the primary logic board. When you find damage on that level--and you might not through visual inspection alone--that's where the big money comes in and you should consider what's been suggested.

Pretty much everything else can be bought through eBay: Shells, motors, landing gear, and internal components. My repair is about going as cheap as possible and I plan to start a thread on it later today. It's a very impractical decision though, so unless you're a masochist with spare time...

Before you make a decision either way, look at repair as a two-part strategy: Flight-worthiness & camera. Drone repair is one thing, but the gimbal camera is entirely different (for now, I've removed mine and just intend to get the drone flying). I suggest you at least open the main shell to inspect the internals. Hard crashes can have devastating effects on the way DJI designed the P3 mainboard. Also, be honest with yourself about what you're able to do on your own as repair can get pretty involved and touch-and-go.
 
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JamesVG said:
Why would you want to sell this stuff if you buy a re-furb or a used one?
I bought an open box P3P from DroneNerds last October and I could not be happier with that $509 deal.
Be patient, you’ll find one.
Click to expand...

Best answer right there.

If you're planning on getting another p3p, keep the batteries and accessories you have; sell the RC on eBay or search for a seller offering p3p AC only; sell the crashed AC for parts or, if it were me, keep it so you'll have spare parts to use or sell; shop eBay everyday and - be patient!

Sorry for your loss...
 
ToxicGumbo said:
Op, sorry to hear about your crash.

I've been rebuilding a crashed P3P and have spent many late nights on eBay.

......
Click to expand...

Another good answer - didn't see that before I posted, but solid advice.
 
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ToxicGumbo said:
Hard crashes can have devastating effects on the way DJI designed the P3 mainboard.
Click to expand...

That's a good point that's often overlooked. It's not always about the damage that you can see, sometimes it's more about what you can't see that will kill you. Yeah, you could spend the money to fix the camera et al and get it flying again, only to have it go wonky or crash later on because of some hidden internal damage. Then, you'd have to spend even more money on a good flightworthy craft. Kind of like throwing good money after bad. Not trying to discourage you from the repair. Just think it over. Good luck with whichever choice you make.
 
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rexster314 said:
Sounds to me like a total loss. Not worth repairing. Move on to something else
Click to expand...
Well first of all let's see if the motors start up, let's see if the camera can still get a pic as but what's hanging on to the phantom is obviously the ribbon cable so it might still give a picture. At worst then yes, could be a write off.... But let's see if it can be fixed first. Saying it's a loss and to move on could be the worst advice on here. It could be a simple camera arm and ribbon cable replacement that's needed which shouldn't costs more then £40-£50
 
HoldenCaulfieldNYC said:
Hi Everyone,

I was flying my P3P the other day and was distracted by my daughter. Within that fraction of a second I caught the top of a tree and the P3P fell about 150ft. With my luck it landed on hard ground covered in rocks. The camera was almost sheared off. It is now hanging by a small cable. The shell is cracked in a few spots and popped open as well in a few places. I really enjoy flying and want to continue flying. What are my options? I was looking online and a replacement camera is going for about $500. At that point it would seem easier to buy something new. Anyone have experience having one fixed and how much did it cost? Would it be easier to try to sell the broken drone for parts along with the accessories (3 batteries, remote and a Nanuk 945 case). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

I had a tree incident ... P3P ... it rattled down through the branches ... hit the deck.

Sheered gimbal arm and destroyed gimbal motors.
Gimbal board broke away from AC frame
Camera was I believe undamaged itself - but separated from rest.
Plastic shell popped and split / cracked in 3 areas needing replacement.

Total bill came to about 330 Euros by DJI Service in Netherlands. I received it back as good as new and with their repair warranty.

The bill works out to about 1/2 price of a second hand P3P here in Latvia ... so for me - it was worth it.

I did consider repairs myself - but given the integrated nature of components of the P3 - I decided better to have DJI do the job instead of my spending money and still not fixing. They have the diagnostics and tools for the job.

You can always send it in and they give you quote for the job ... up to you to say yes or no.

Nigel
 

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