Inspire 2 crashed into a tree... then it rained

[SMD]

I was flying one of my I2s and during a complex maneuver I clipped a tree. Unfortunately it was a good 35 feet off the ground. At first It didn't look like it sustained much damage which was a miracle but it was trapped very high on a small branch. Fast forward to today. It was stuck in the tree all night and we went back for a rescue mission. As we were contemplating how to get it down a massive rainstorm hit. It was almost like a flash flood which continued for hours non stop. I'm going to send it in for evaluation and by miracle, repair. Any thoughts or experience with something like this? Is there any hope it can be repaired with potential heavy water damage?

 

[Dave Pitman]

I presume it was powered off when it got soaked. If so, you could put it in a small room with a dehumidifier running and in a few days it should be good as new. Do NOT power it up until you are certain it has dried completely.

 

[SMD]

I presume it was powered off when it got soaked. If so, you could put it in a small room with a dehumidifier running and in a few days it should be good as new. Do NOT power it up until you are certain it has dried completely.

It was powered on all night until the batteries finally ran out (while up in the tree). So it was powered off when we finally got it down. It wasn't close to my studio so it sat in my truck for hours. It's actually still in there. I haven't tried to power it up but it's as dry as it will ever be.

 

[Tenyouken]

But in all seriousness, DJI most likely won't touch that repair if they see that it has been water damaged.... More likely than not, they'll try to sell you a new drone, they may possibly offer you a hundred or two in credit for trading in the damaged drone if you're lucky.

Honestly, even if you think it's "dry", you're best bet at salvaging it is tearing down the drone to it's bare components and drying everything out completely for several days. The flight controller is going to be the main component you want to try and salvage and I would highly recommend drying that piece out as best as you can.

Best of luck to ya, mate! Let us know how it turns out for you!

 

[Droneted]

I would bet if u let it dry completely it will be ok. It has happened to me. I would say put it in rice but that’s a lot of rice. Rice works well with small objects.

 

[Dave Pitman]

Fresh water won't hurt electronics. Arcing and shorting while wet is the culprit. Moisture in lenses and sensors can lead to problems though. And, all bets are off with corrosive salt water. Put it in a small warm room with a dehumidifier for a good amount of time and I suspect you will be fine. If there is a problem after that, then involve DJI, otherwise count yourself lucky that it didn't get destroyed in the collision.

 

[GFields]

Put fresh batteries in and give it a shot. I bet it works fine!

 

[SMD]

But in all seriousness, DJI most likely won't touch that repair if they see that it has been water damaged.... More likely than not, they'll try to sell you a new drone, they may possibly offer you a hundred or two in credit for trading in the damaged drone if you're lucky.

Honestly, even if you think it's "dry", you're best bet at salvaging it is tearing down the drone to it's bare components and drying everything out completely for several days. The flight controller is going to be the main component you want to try and salvage and I would highly recommend drying that piece out as best as you can.

Best of luck to ya, mate! Let us know how it turns out for you!

There's no way I'm sending it back to DJI directly. I made that mistake once. I'm going to try to figure out this week where to send it. I guess it's really going to take a miracle for this one. I am concerned about the licenses. If I have to buy a new I2 I would have to have to pay for the license again even though I know DJI could transfer them but likely won't. I'll keep everyone updated as to what happens. Thanks for the advice!

 

[SMD]

I would bet if u let it dry completely it will be ok. It has happened to me. I would say put it in rice but that’s a lot of rice. Rice works well with small objects.

I'm letting it dry for several days before I send it to where ever I end up sending it for repair.

 

[SMD]

Fresh water won't hurt electronics. Arcing and shorting while wet is the culprit. Moisture in lenses and sensors can lead to problems though. And, all bets are off with corrosive salt water. Put it in a small warm room with a dehumidifier for a good amount of time and I suspect you will be fine. If there is a problem after that, then involve DJI, otherwise count yourself lucky that it didn't get destroyed in the collision.

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to do just as you suggested. Fingers crossed

 

[SMD]

Put fresh batteries in and give it a shot. I bet it works fine!

That's part of the plan once it dries out for a few day. Thanks

 

[GtoJon]

Dry it out, it will probably be fine! Put it over a forced air vent for a couple of days! Taking the covers off the unit will help too.

Cheers, Jon

 

[ajobmusee]

good luck wit this pall i hope it powers up.

 

[SMD]

Update: So my old pal is toast. We had some good times but in the end he just fell to pieces. That is after spending his last night 41 feet up in a tree. I ordered a new I2 and was very lucky because apparently they are back ordered BIG TIME. I took him out for his first flight today and he soared. Cheers

 

[Dave Pitman]

So my old pal is toast. We had some good times but in the end he just fell to pieces (literally).

Now I'm confused. Glad you're sorted, but stating that the craft only got wet, and now it fell to peices makes abosolutely no sense.

Anyhoo...carry-on!

 

[SMD]

Now I'm confused. Glad you're sorted, but stating that the craft only got wet, and now it fell to peices makes abosolutely no sense.

Anyhoo...carry-on!

I2 crashed into a tree. it was stuck 41 feet up and we were not able to retrieve it. After many hours we gave up and went home. The next day early in the morning we headed back to the crash location. When we arrived it started to rain. It was a severe storm with substantial rain for hours. Not much we could do so we went home again. Late in the day the storm passed so we went back to check out the aircraft. It had been up in the tree in severe rain for hours. I could see some of the damage it sustained when it crashed into the tree. As some point during or after the storm the I2 must have fallen out of the tree. We found it on the ground with a lot of damage. Add a few million gallons of water and there was nothing left to fix. Glad to have a new one

 

[Dave Pitman]

I caught a break because the aircraft wasn't heavily damaged

We found it on the ground with a lot of damage.

If you are ever questioned by law enforcement or have to give a deposition for some reason someday, I hope you are more consistent with your subsequent stories !