Crash and burn

[Wright511]

I was flying today for about a hour today on and off. I put in a fresh battery and did a recalibrate. I had been up in the air for about 4 minutes and all of a sudden I lost compete control. The drone made a sharp turn to the right and flew straight the the ground. It did not lose power. The question I have is my iPad has wifi and cell service. I was right outside my house so I may have been connected to wifi. If the wifi signal got weak could it cause it to respond this way. I don't have video I was in camera mode. Naturally, little bummed about the crash but more interested in why. It cracked the housing, dislodged the battery, broke a prop and the camera separated from the gimbal. I suppose, I'm lucky because this all started from about 90 ft. Nothing to do but pack it up and ship out for repairs. Any input would be appreciated.


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[brian bwin]

Whoa, that totally sucks. Hope you're able to get it repaired soon and the folks at Autel may have some explanation once they check out thebfkight data. Please let us know how your repair experience goes and what, if anything, they determine was cause of the crash!

I lost control once due to compass error (it happened right after takeoff) was there any warnings or anything going on? My controller was going crazy at that point. One thing that might have saved me was switching to ATTI mode, which I hadn't enabled but good to know for the future. Were you flying in the standard GPS mode or something else?

 

[Wright511]

Whoa, that totally sucks. Hope you're able to get it repaired soon and the folks at Autel may have some explanation once they check out thebfkight data. Please let us know how your repair experience goes and what, if anything, they determine was cause of the crash!

I lost control once due to compass error (it happened right after takeoff) was there any warnings or anything going on? My controller was going crazy at that point. One thing that might have saved me was switching to ATTI mode, which I hadn't enabled but good to know for the future. Were you flying in the standard GPS mode or something else?

I was in GPS mode and I realized I had lost control just seconds before it made a quick turn and headed for the ground.

 

[Chrizzz]

Someone tell me if I am wrong but wifi has nothing to do with flight operations. GPS is another issue. The radio talks to the craft. Wifi (cell service) is more app related. If you lost your app or cell service, you should still have control of the craft because they are independent. I had a fly away on my second flight, after reviewing my screen video (I use A-Z screen recorder app) I had a compass issues. The radio flashed this message several times but could not see it because of bright sun. As Brian said, I should have switched to ATTI mode and brought in down safe. Wright, good luck finding out the problem. Now I cala the compass every flight. 10 flights and never an issue after that. I highly recommend a screen record app to run behind the Star-Link app, and just got my sun shade from Autel so ready to fly.

 

[Wright511]

You are correct, I spoke with Autel and losing wifi would not affect signal. I probably will never know the cause due to the battery being dislodged at impact and the flight data did not having time to record. The tech said at this point it will be treated as a drone malfunction and serviced under warranty. I should have it back soon. I'll post additional info as I receive it.


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[Chrizzz]

Glad to hear the Autel guys are helping you out. Try to find a good screen record app, it's a good practice plus will help find it if it gets lost.

 

[Glazier]

I was flying today for about a hour today on and off. I put in a fresh battery and did a recalibrate. I had been up in the air for about 4 minutes and all of a sudden I lost compete control. The drone made a sharp turn to the right and flew straight the the ground. It did not lose power. The question I have is my iPad has wifi and cell service. I was right outside my house so I may have been connected to wifi. If the wifi signal got weak could it cause it to respond this way. I don't have video I was in camera mode. Naturally, little bummed about the crash but more interested in why. It cracked the housing, dislodged the battery, broke a prop and the camera separated from the gimbal. I suppose, I'm lucky because this all started from about 90 ft. Nothing to do but pack it up and ship out for repairs. Any input would be appreciated.


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Yeah sounds like compass interference. Happened to me to , luckily I was able to save it. Went crazy, shot acrossed the sky like a bat outa hell. But then I hit pause first then rth. It settled down and came home. I was 195 feet up doing a way point mission when it happened to me. Sorry to hear. Good luck with repairs, I'm sure they will treat you good. They always have for me.

 

[Wright511]

I just received confirmation from Autel that there was a error with the flight control system. They are sending me out a certified refurbished unit completely covered under warranty. Once again customer service is spot on. I don't know how anyone would consider another manufacturer.


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[577-Jersey]

Ahh,the almighty pause button,now if you hit that pause will the craft remain in GPS mode?
Guess after hitting pause we should flip to ATTI mode if this happens?

 

[brian bwin]

Ahh,the almighty pause button,now if you hit that pause will the craft remain in GPS mode?
Guess after hitting pause we should flip to ATTI mode if this happens?

I'd assume hitting the pause button won't do anything since the X-Star can't hold position (toilet bowl effect) with GPS while experiencing a compass error. So your best bet is to switch to ATTI immediately to stop the GPS fighting with the compass and land safely.

 

[577-Jersey]

Thanks for the info.I will keep that in mind!!

 

[DroneDriver]

I just received confirmation from Autel that there was a error with the flight control system. They are sending me out a certified refurbished unit completely covered under warranty. Once again customer service is spot on. I don't know how anyone would consider another manufacturer.

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That is good news that they are taking care of you. Just confirming, they are replacing the battery too? After blunt force trauma like that, a lipo battery could be a ticking flash grenade.

 

[WildDoktor]

That is good news that they are taking care of you. Just confirming, they are replacing the battery too? After blunt force trauma like that, a lipo battery could be a ticking flash grenade.

+1!!

 

[ACJunior]

I was flying today for about a hour today on and off. I put in a fresh battery and did a recalibrate. I had been up in the air for about 4 minutes and all of a sudden I lost compete control. The drone made a sharp turn to the right and flew straight the the ground. It did not lose power. The question I have is my iPad has wifi and cell service. I was right outside my house so I may have been connected to wifi. If the wifi signal got weak could it cause it to respond this way. I don't have video I was in camera mode. Naturally, little bummed about the crash but more interested in why. It cracked the housing, dislodged the battery, broke a prop and the camera separated from the gimbal. I suppose, I'm lucky because this all started from about 90 ft. Nothing to do but pack it up and ship out for repairs. Any input would be appreciated.


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Eh! Glad you were able to get it resolved. This happened to me Sunday...compass went haywire / "abnormal" and crashed. Looks like gimbal is goofy, MAYBE one of the rotors has a problem. It just not right.

Can I ask how long it takes for Autel to get back to you? I called 3 days ago, left message. They called back about 20 min later - They emailed me a form to fill out and email back (12 questions, explain damage, brief description on what happened, etc). The rep sinply said "well, sounds like it needs to come back.

Said "Warranty Eval" - This is a first for me, first crash after buying it in early April. not sure how long this takes?
Thanks

 

[Robert Tannehill]

Whoa, that totally sucks. Hope you're able to get it repaired soon and the folks at Autel may have some explanation once they check out thebfkight data. Please let us know how your repair experience goes and what, if anything, they determine was cause of the crash!

I lost control once due to compass error (it happened right after takeoff) was there any warnings or anything going on? My controller was going crazy at that point. One thing that might have saved me was switching to ATTI mode, which I hadn't enabled but good to know for the future. Were you flying in the standard GPS mode or something else?

My drone just did the exact same thing last night ! I am totally bummed ,I've only had the drone for maybe 2 months
any luck on repairs or more ptoblems

 

[Wright511]

Eh! Glad you were able to get it resolved. This happened to me Sunday...compass went haywire / "abnormal" and crashed. Looks like gimbal is goofy, MAYBE one of the rotors has a problem. It just not right.

Can I ask how long it takes for Autel to get back to you? I called 3 days ago, left message. They called back about 20 min later - They emailed me a form to fill out and email back (12 questions, explain damage, brief description on what happened, etc). The rep sinply said "well, sounds like it needs to come back.

Said "Warranty Eval" - This is a first for me, first crash after buying it in early April. not sure how long this takes?
Thanks

It took me a little over a week to get it back. It was replaced with a refurbished model. I also received all the all the accessories that are in the case when purchased new along with a new case.


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[ProMapper]

It's marketing and sales that makes the first sale but it's Customer service that keeps em coming back, And telling their friends. With service such as Wright511 received why would anyone consider another brand?