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Inspire 1 Raw fell from the sky -- what the hell happened?

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HealthyDrones.com - Innovative flight data analysis that matters

I was flying near an island in Komodo National Park, Indonesia yesterday. Second flight, less then 3 minutes in, battery at 78%, drone starts falling from the sky (from 84 meters last recorded altitude) straight into the ocean. Controller unresponsive, everything happened in a matter of seconds. it was in line of sight, so I saw it falling, but pushing up on the left stick had no effect. No issues previously during the flight. It was falling straight without any sideways rotation or turning, and the propellers seem to be rotating (no idea if under power or not -- last transmission appears to be at 84m altitude). Based on what I saw, I can't imagine it was a bird strike or anything like that. It was well clear of the island and any vegetation, so it didn't clip anything. Wind was also quite mild. What the hell happened?

I was flying using the Autopilot app on an iPad Pro in focus mode (where the app controls the gimbal and camera only, not the aircraft. Focus strategy was on a point of interest 10 meters or so above the beach, since I was filming a fly-by.

The log file is linked to above. Anyone have any idea what the hell could've happened?
 
Hi
Sorry for your lost upload as steps below to Healy drone
And check in sensors tab what happen
Manual method - AUTOPILOT
The easiest way to upload from AutoPilot is to do it automatically.

If you need to upload manually, to get the flight logs from AutoPilot, you need to connect your phone or tablet to a desktop computer and download the files using iTunes.

In iTunes:
Click the icon to access your device
Click 'Apps'
Find 'AutoPilot' in the Apps list and click it
Under 'Autopilot Documents', click the 'flights' folder
Click 'Save to...' to save the log files to your computer
Older versions will also have 'flightrecorder' folder with log files
Upload the '.zip' files using this upload page


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Controls tab Is empty
This is another tab that is relevant
But it's empty



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
What does CSC stand for, Haakon?

If I'm interpreting the map correctly, the drone stopped transmitting data at 84m, which must've been around the time it took the plunge. If it was descending under power, I assume it would've continued transmitting on the way down, correct? Based on that, my working theory is that it suffered a sudden power failure and plummeted. Thoughts?

By the way, does anyone know if the Autopilot logs are similar in structure to the DJI Go logs? Do they contain the same data? Or different?
 
What does CSC stand for, Haakon?

If I'm interpreting the map correctly, the drone stopped transmitting data at 84m, which must've been around the time it took the plunge. If it was descending under power, I assume it would've continued transmitting on the way down, correct? Based on that, my working theory is that it suffered a sudden power failure and plummeted. Thoughts?

By the way, does anyone know if the Autopilot logs are similar in structure to the DJI Go logs? Do they contain the same data? Or different?

Combination stick command - kills the motors, gravity does the rest. An emergency stop function - initiated by both sticks being brought down and towards the centre - wondering why your healthydrones log shows no command entries? Did you edit it?
 
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Combination stick command - kills the motors, gravity does the rest. An emergency stop function - initiated by both sticks being brought down and towards the centre - wondering why your healthydrones log shows no command entries? Did you edit it?

Ah, thanks for explaining. I think this is unlikely -- as part of the fly-by, I was flying upwards and forward-left without yawing the aircraft. I was relying on Autopilot's focus mode to control the pitch and direction of the camera. Hard to see how I could've accidentally brought both sticks down towards the center.

The log is unedited. I uploaded the zip file obtained from the "flights" folder of the Autopilot app in iTunes when the ipad was connected to my computer. Not sure where the command entries should show up? I notice that in addition to the "flights" folder, the Autopilot app has an "engagements" folder with additional logs. Perhaps the command information is stored in there? Not sure how to upload it to Healthydrones manually.
 
We had a wierd issue like this with our Inpire 1 pro. We had just changed lenses on it and we took it to about 30 feet and it was way out of focus and the camera wouldn't respond to focus or calibration commands. Then out of nowhere if plummeted to the ground and broke to bits. I wasn't there but my partner and camera op were so confused as to why or how it could have happened. I believe DJI is actually going to fix or replace our I1pro. A friend of mine had a very similar problem with is I1 where it just stopped repsponding to the controller and dropped from the sky

That being said ever since I first flew that particular I1 it has had a lot of image transmit ion issues especially when recording and a few other wierd quirks. I really hope they just replace it cause it seems like it was a lemon from the start
 
Sorry about your loss, just want to ask are you 100% no other app was open with Autopilot ? DJI go was closed not just parked in the background ?

This does sound CSC related TBH the way it just stopped or a complete loss of battery power.

What FW were you on with the craft ?

Also what battery was it , Tb47 or 48 , looks to be TB48 from the capacity, I notice only 3 cycles I wonder if it's a pack failure as it's possible, these packs are very reliable but there will always be failure and if it does happen early in it's life is most likely or at the end.
 
Just looking at this I'm thinking battery as look at the cell deviation and the mass temp rise at the end of the flight.

9a113c4601da2c70e2222d064b584b15.jpg


882200500a894756ee32746b70005e51.jpg


Need to look further at the actual cell voltages, can you convert to CSV and post a link to the file ?
 
We had a wierd issue like this with our Inpire 1 pro. We had just changed lenses on it and we took it to about 30 feet and it was way out of focus and the camera wouldn't respond to focus or calibration commands. Then out of nowhere if plummeted to the ground and broke to bits. I wasn't there but my partner and camera op were so confused as to why or how it could have happened. I believe DJI is actually going to fix or replace our I1pro. A friend of mine had a very similar problem with is I1 where it just stopped repsponding to the controller and dropped from the sky

That being said ever since I first flew that particular I1 it has had a lot of image transmit ion issues especially when recording and a few other wierd quirks. I really hope they just replace it cause it seems like it was a lemon from the start

It's encouraging to hear that DJI is fixing/replacing your drone. I've now contacted them to submit a claim, along with the Autopilot guys to see if they can help interpret the log.

Sorry about your loss, just want to ask are you 100% no other app was open with Autopilot ? DJI go was closed not just parked in the background ?

This does sound CSC related TBH the way it just stopped or a complete loss of battery power.

What FW were you on with the craft ?

Also what battery was it , Tb47 or 48 , looks to be TB48 from the capacity, I notice only 3 cycles I wonder if it's a pack failure as it's possible, these packs are very reliable but there will always be failure and if it does happen early in it's life is most likely or at the end.

Mad-angler1, I used DJI Go briefly during the previous flight, but not during this one. Pretty sure I had closed it as this is my standard practice when switching between apps -- Autopilot won't connect to the drone if DJI Go is running first in the background, from my experience.

The battery was a TB48, and pretty new. I bought the Inspire at the end of June along with 3 additional TB48 batteries. Since then, I've only flown the Inspire less than 10 times in total. I experienced an issue with the x5r camera early on (accidentally dropped it while setting up the Inspire from <1m and had the gimbal crack) and had to send it to DJI for repairs ($1800 to fix!), which had the Inspire out of commission for most of July. This was only my third flight after getting the X5R back. It may have even been the first or second flight for this particular battery. Talk about luck...

FW Version for the craft was 1.9.1.10+

Just looking at this I'm thinking battery as look at the cell deviation and the mass temp rise at the end of the flight.

Need to look further at the actual cell voltages, can you convert to CSV and post a link to the file ?

I think you can download the CSV file directly from the HealthyDrones link in the initial post. I've also attached a zip file with the CSV & KML files since the forum doesn't allow me to upload a file with a .csv extension.
 

Attachments

  • CSV & KML FILE.zip
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Last edited:
For what it's worth - just had my inspire pro crash 10 seconds into flight falling 15 metres for seemingly no reason... Other than power failure.
Flight diagnostics were not conclusive but I've had DJI Europe agree to repair/replace under warranty thank goodness! So I wonder if there's an issue here?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Well.. a new development. After detailing the situation to DJI support and sending in the Autopilot logs, I received the following e-mail:

Justin Liao (DJI)

Aug 22, 15:52 HKT

Dear Andrei,

Thank you for your emails and sorry for replying late.
We are sorry to hear about this accident. But kindly be noted that since you were flying the drone with a third party app, it is not cover by the warranty.
We cannot help you further, please advise.
Best Regards,

Justin

DJI Technical Support


A disappointing position, but not entirely unexpected having read about some similar experiences from others on the forums. Since the position that Autopilot voids the warranty is pretty unsustainable on the whole, I replied accordingly, and CCed Autoflight Logic and DJI's legal department:


Hi Justin,

Thanks for your response. Could you please clarify your last message?

Is it DJI's position that it's warranty categorically does not cover flights flown with third party apps such as the iOS Autopilot app (herein "Autopilot")? Even where the root cause of the accident is a mechanical failure or battery failure which would otherwise be covered under DJI's warranty had the flight been undertaken using the DJI Go app?

If so, this position:



  • clearly contradicts the plain language of the warranty on your website ("Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under local consumer law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.") The warranty covers all "major failures" and does not carve out any exception for flights using third-party software in the 13-item list of exclusions in Section 2;
  • contradicts prior statements made by representatives of your company to Autoflight Logic, makers of the Autopilot app (CCed on this email) as published in the FAQ section of their website ("Simply flying a DJI aircraft using a third party app does not void the warranty. However, if the pilot crashes or causes damage that is not due to mechanical failure, then it’s their responsibility to cover at least some if not all of the estimated repair cost.")
  • is untenable in light of the facts that (1) Autipilot is an app that it's only made possible by DJI's own SDK (i.e, fights with Autopilot and other apps based on the DJI SDK are an anticipated and encouraged use of DJI's products) and (2) DJI actively encourages use of Autopilot by showcasing Autopilot on its website;
  • is legally unsustainable under United States federal law (15 U.S.C. § 2302(c)) and similar laws and case decisions around the world which stand for the principle that a warranty cannot be conditioned on use or non-use of third-party products where those products are not the cause of the warranty claim;
  • goes against precedent where DJI has honored its warranty in situations where a crash occurred while a drone was flown using DJI SDK-based third-party apps such as Litchi and Autopilot.
cleardot.gif



Thus, I hope this is not the position DJI is taking. Of course, should DJI, after performing a proper root cause analysis of the crash make a reasonable determination that it occurred because of Autopilot, then I could understand your inability to assist me further. However, the log and the series of events that occurred most likely suggests the aircraft crashed because of a battery issue or error.

I hope you can understand the source of my frustration given the situation and that we can proceed forward on a reasonable basis.

I'll keep you guys updated. I've been in touch with the Autoflight Logic team and they've been very helpful in interpreting the log. They've also think the likely cause was a battery failure, and that it should be covered under the DJI warranty. So we'll see. Any advice if I need to escalate regarding the Autopilot voiding the warranty issue further?
 
I suppose retrieval of the drone is absolutely out of the question?

I applaud your considered response to DJI and I await their response.

Well.. a new development. After detailing the situation to DJI support and sending in the Autopilot logs, I received the following e-mail:

Justin Liao (DJI)

Aug 22, 15:52 HKT

Dear Andrei,

Thank you for your emails and sorry for replying late.
We are sorry to hear about this accident. But kindly be noted that since you were flying the drone with a third party app, it is not cover by the warranty.
We cannot help you further, please advise.
Best Regards,

Justin

DJI Technical Support


A disappointing position, but not entirely unexpected having read about some similar experiences from others on the forums. Since the position that Autopilot voids the warranty is pretty unsustainable on the whole, I replied accordingly, and CCed Autoflight Logic and DJI's legal department:


Hi Justin,

Thanks for your response. Could you please clarify your last message?

Is it DJI's position that it's warranty categorically does not cover flights flown with third party apps such as the iOS Autopilot app (herein "Autopilot")? Even where the root cause of the accident is a mechanical failure or battery failure which would otherwise be covered under DJI's warranty had the flight been undertaken using the DJI Go app?

If so, this position:



  • clearly contradicts the plain language of the warranty on your website ("Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under local consumer law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.") The warranty covers all "major failures" and does not carve out any exception for flights using third-party software in the 13-item list of exclusions in Section 2;
  • contradicts prior statements made by representatives of your company to Autoflight Logic, makers of the Autopilot app (CCed on this email) as published in the FAQ section of their website ("Simply flying a DJI aircraft using a third party app does not void the warranty. However, if the pilot crashes or causes damage that is not due to mechanical failure, then it’s their responsibility to cover at least some if not all of the estimated repair cost.")
  • is untenable in light of the facts that (1) Autipilot is an app that it's only made possible by DJI's own SDK (i.e, fights with Autopilot and other apps based on the DJI SDK are an anticipated and encouraged use of DJI's products) and (2) DJI actively encourages use of Autopilot by showcasing Autopilot on its website;
  • is legally unsustainable under United States federal law (15 U.S.C. § 2302(c)) and similar laws and case decisions around the world which stand for the principle that a warranty cannot be conditioned on use or non-use of third-party products where those products are not the cause of the warranty claim;
  • goes against precedent where DJI has honored its warranty in situations where a crash occurred while a drone was flown using DJI SDK-based third-party apps such as Litchi and Autopilot.
cleardot.gif



Thus, I hope this is not the position DJI is taking. Of course, should DJI, after performing a proper root cause analysis of the crash make a reasonable determination that it occurred because of Autopilot, then I could understand your inability to assist me further. However, the log and the series of events that occurred most likely suggests the aircraft crashed because of a battery issue or error.

I hope you can understand the source of my frustration given the situation and that we can proceed forward on a reasonable basis.

I'll keep you guys updated. I've been in touch with the Autoflight Logic team and they've been very helpful in interpreting the log. They've also think the likely cause was a battery failure, and that it should be covered under the DJI warranty. So we'll see. Any advice if I need to escalate regarding the Autopilot voiding the warranty issue further?
 
Reading through, man that sucks.
I was about to ask where DJI/Warranty would stand when using a 3rd party flight app, I guess we now know.
Did you recover the Inspire from the water?
 
Hi just thought, but perhaps the battery was not pushed fully in? It is just possible to start the Inspire without the battery fully clicked in. In that state, it can disconnect, or with the high current going through the reduced contact area, they fuse and the bird goes dead in the air.
 
Hi just thought, but perhaps the battery was not pushed fully in? It is just possible to start the Inspire without the battery fully clicked in. In that state, it can disconnect, or with the high current going through the reduced contact area, they fuse and the bird goes dead in the air.

Hmm the possibility of something weighing over 500 grams magically rising up, against both gravity and the friction that it takes to insert the battery in the first place, far enough - over 10mm - to disconnect the power.

Completely implausible
 
Part of the analysis of faults is to find the simplest explanation that fits all the known facts - it's called 'Occam's Razor'. Please try this yourself - place the I1 battery in the bird, but do not press down until it clicks into place, you will find that the battery sits proud of the fully-fitted position by about 3mm. This more than halves the contact area for the battery connections to the bird. Switching the battery on will power the I1 and the ESCs will beep-beep-beep,beep as normal. DO NOT pull the battery up and DO NOT start the motors by CSC in this state, carefully power down by switching off the battery. It is entirely possible to fit the I1 battery into the airframe and not click it into place - its weight alone is insufficient to make it positively self-locate. Perhaps as part of the sequence of getting prepared for flight, the Pilot just failed to push the battery home until it clicked. A bit of negative-G by manoeuvring or a gust could then easily separate the battery from the bird, or, through over twice the current going through the available contact area, these burnt out.
 

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