Welcome Inspire Pilots!
Join our free DJI Inspire community today!
Sign up

Inspire 1, my pain as it flew away

Joined
May 29, 2015
Messages
34
Reaction score
5
Age
43
Hello

It's funny. I don't usually register to forums as long as everything with is ok, but when something fails i feel the need to share my pain.


I wanted to get myself a multicopter with camera to use at work, really show that technology is useful and helpful in day to day tasks. So after good amount of research i decided to get an Inspire 1. Beautiful machine a has everyhting i need.

Got a rough start, hurried to get it in the air (following instructions and calibraration procedure according to the manual ofcourse) and ended up with a dent in my car and a couple props broken. You live and learn.

A day later flying was fun, but a sudden drop in battery from 30% to 7% resulted in autoland(on a good spot) again scared me. But i knew now never to fly below 30%, lesson learned and no damage.

But then there was the day i really didn't hope for. On a nice open field i get a few minutes of good flying, it's fun and i'm happy to show the machine to my collegues, would'nt this be great at work? i ask.

Untill it acts up, I no longer have full control and don't know what's going on. It spins and goes in circles. I just can't get it clode to me. I request it to come home and app says it's coming. But it's actually flying away further. Can't see it anymore, no image in app. Going home failed it says.

So i get in my car, go to the last place it recorded on map. I find it within 10 metres of that place, not in perfect shape anymore.

Damage: 3 props broken, battery had fallen off but was at about 50% capacity and functioning, camera was detached with torn cable. Frame was intact.

So i test the bird to see if it functions. Motors spin and respond, landing gear raises and lowers.

But the camera is not ok.It begins calibration, but with louder noice than normal and stops in wrong position. It also beeps and doesn't send image to app. Guess it's busted.

Contact the company that sold it, they tell me to contact the manufcturer(yes, the seller company is liable for for their products but i have time t discuss issue with DJI)

Now one week later i have had some contact from them, asking me to send .DAT files, flight record and video but no answer to what caused this. Maby next week?

Any ideas what might have been the issue?

Link to video(if this works) https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6...OG8&authuser=0
The spinning begins at 3.10

EDIT: Adding a link to pilot app flight record. It's still just from android app so no stick input visible but atleast it's something: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6m48rjeSTAqcDRqMkUzMVkwX1k/view?usp=sharing
 
Last edited:
I am sorry this happened to you. Can you post a video of the flight log in the app with the control inputs displayed?

Thanks
 
Oh my! My heart dropped watching that! You poor guy :( Did you at anytime flick to ATTI?

I had not yet enabled multi flight mode in app(as it is set off by default) and had no clue this would be required.

I am sorry this happened to you. Can you post a video of the flight log in the app with the control inputs displayed?

Thanks


I'm using an android device and i believe this is not available. I'll see if i can work something out
 
Consult Hello:

Did you keep up with all the DJI firmware upgrades? This includes the Inspire 1 craft, the RC's and the Batteries?

What was the firmware upgrade did you preform before this crash?

And did you do a IMM and compass calibration after the upgrades and at this new work location?

Looks like the compass and GPS were fighting each other. Also, did you ever see TBE? The toilet bowl affect in the past?

Sorry for your loss. I had this happen (Flyaway and spin off) on my phantom 2 V in 2013 and i notified DJI of it and they fixed it in FW later that month.

So what's FW are you at at this time of this Flyaway?

Let us know.

Best regards,
Steve
 
You can play it back and record it with your phone, and then upload it like any other video.

Thanks
On the Android app there is no option to show stick movement, i'll try to get my hand on some Apple product
 
Consult Hello:

Did you keep up with all the DJI firmware upgrades? This includes the Inspire 1 craft, the RC's and the Batteries?

What was the firmware upgrade did you preform before this crash?

And did you do a IMM and compass calibration after the upgrades and at this new work location?

Looks like the compass and GPS were fighting each other. Also, did you ever see TBE? The toilet bowl affect in the past?

Sorry for your loss. I had this happen (Flyaway and spin off) on my phantom 2 V in 2013 and i notified DJI of it and they fixed it in FW later that month.

So what's FW are you at at this time of this Flyaway?

Let us know.

Best regards,
Steve
Firmware was downloaded from Dji website May 24th, it was the one before this newest one with upgrade to battery. All parts conformed successfull in txt file

IMU calibration at home after update, compass calibration at flight site 10 minutes before crash

No TBE earlier, was 6th time in the air
 
Wow, seems these things have a mind of their own, some commit suicide and others just mess with your head...


I'm now looking at yuneec, a bit scared to trust the Inspire. IF it just wouldn't be so **** beautiful....
 
Inspire1 has far more advanced tech within, but I can see why you feel this way, I think I would feel same if it didn't come home, the gods where looking down on me that day


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: go fast
I have a few nano quads there a ***** to master but I feel with the practice I've had with them now I'm switching to ATTI soon on inspire, I do t want what happens to me to happen again


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: Markus DeBose
Consult, thanks for this feedback. sounds like the pilot computer crashed. Fly in ATT mode once you get the bird fixed for a few flights. Then always keep your figure on the att to manual mode if you see the bird going crazy. You mite also have a problem with the on board receiver. Just make sure you updated the RC as well.

I have had my Inspire 1 since Jan 5th, the FW that DJI loaded when i received this bird really sucked! And since i only flew no more then 10 feet at a time, i did not crash but the bird was NOT stable and i documented this to DJI and here on the forum and code got better.

As of today's flight, 250 FT and keeping with in a 1/4 mile, all went well with one TB48 used from 100% down to 18% and filming all the time and NO issues.

Yes, I did do a RC cal last UPGRADE, then i did the IMU today and Compass and it went 100% a-ok.

So then that, i am planing to fly this weekend and heat up the bird, then we will see how it performs.

Keep in touch and hope you get back flying soon!

Best regards,
Steve .
 
It really is a shame there was no warning of these issues from DJI, it would have been simple to send out an email when a new owner registers their inspire.

I just followed instructions given in the manual, thinking that would be enough. Usually it is as most companies don't want to risk their reputation.

Atleast i can be at ease knowing there is a big chance this is not pilot error, seeing so many others suffer exactly same symptoms.

I was actually planning on flying a little without the camera just to see evrything else is ok, but can't find propellers in any shops...
 
I know i have a very early production Inspire 1, and had lots of issues once I received it. But I could see that it was software issues for the most part. Although, I thought I had a bad master RC, the controller. last November, I purchased (Pre-order) the duel RC version and received the Inspire 1 and the Master RC on Jan 5th.. then in February, the second RC.

At first the Master RC was fine. Then AFTER one of the first FW upgrades, i was looking the connection to the Inspite1's Video and Telemetry information but not STICK control to the Inspire 1. The second RC was received and i upgraded it to match and that RC never had a problem.

Since I live in the N.E. US, Winter was upon us and I used this time to fly very low and test out the Inspire 1 over the snow encase i had to land fast. Given I was testing this bird before putting it into my film work, it was basically grounded.

From Jan to March, i almost thought of selling my Inspire 1 and cut my losses, but given my experience with DJI, and working with DJI, i gave the inspire 1 a three month chance to get it a close to the Phantom 2's i own and seen the some issues at first but corrected over time by DJI.
It's my opinion that DJI like other companies, don't always tell you all of the changes they made and why.

Today, i still fly my Phantom 2 Vision and Vision Plus, and i always keep up with DJI firmware releases and that's worked for me.

So given that, keep the faith, i know it's all at our expense now but you have a 1 year warranty so keep documenting your issues and push DJI support to help replace or fix your inspire 1. I am hoping DJI makes good on what they said about the inspire 1 that made us all pay $thousands of dollars for this bird. I will really say, if i knew the Phantom 3 was coming out, i think i would have waited and purchased two for the price of the Inspire 1. But yes, the inspire 1 is becoming one hell of a BIRD now based on several hours of flight time over the past 30 days and after this new
Inspire 1 Firmware v1.2.1.06 dated posted on: 2015-05-26..

Just keep documenting and file a support ticket to DJI on any and all of your issues. I am sure DJI will help you overtime.

Hope these words make you feel better... it sucks to loose or damage your Bird with no fault of yours. I almost lost my first Phantom 2 Vision on 2013 after loosing all control like you did on the inspire one, but i was lucky, after 20 minutes it cam back and landed on it's own and landed on the spot it took off and i was NOT present when it did. I was in my car a mile away looking for it and when i returned it was sitting on my driveway waiting for me. I was shocked!

Since then, I built the DJI F450 and F550 and those never gave me any problems and always keep them upgraded.

So with that, stay positive and keep in touch.
Best regards,
Steve
 
Thank you Steve, this was very good info to have. I'm willing to give it some time, especially when there is no other product even close to the awesomeness of the inspire.

What surprises me with the way my inspire crashed is how it lost altitude by tilting to the side. As if some force was pulling it into that tree. Had it not done this it might have just kept circling untill the battery was dead or connection had been restored.

Do you know if there is a list of firmware releases and what the updates would have been for?
 
Hi Consult, you are welcome.

In reference to your question, Do you know if there is a list of firmware releases and what the updates would have been for?

The only thing for sure is based on DJI's published release notes that they posed this month. But i can tell that they did not list all the changes in the previous upgrade. One in particular, they fixed the RTH value to now stick/save after a power cycle once set by the pilot. Also I noticed features added for the Phantom 3 some work on the Inspire 1 as new features stated in the notes.

After reviewing your video, i am also thinking you mite have a ESC control issue on one of the Motors that's hard to find unless you have access to the logs and can decipher them, but I am sure only DJI engineering can... the gun shot approach is reload the FW and keep the Inspire on the ground with the Motors running and use up one battery flight time and see if you have issues. You can always say low to the ground, say 3 feet or 1 meter and let the backwash from the prop wash stress the bird and it's motors and see how it performs.

My background is BSEE, and I always look for ways to pretest new HW/SW designs, like a DVT, design verification test, before i hit the sky!


Keep in touch.


Best regards,
Steve
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
22,277
Messages
210,655
Members
34,321
Latest member
powerdry