Hello everyone,
Just wanted to share my recent experience. I took my Spark out for a fly on July 4th (to shoot the sunset, fireworks, etc), and my bird got rogue. Everything was looking perfect, my GPS signal was fine, three days before this I did a firmware update, the compass was green, etc. The bird was fine!
I lift off, and while it was hovering I was waiting for it to record the home point. It did, everything was fine so I started going up to capture the surroundings. It was about 1 minute after that when my Spark started to move forward, I was like.. mmm this is very odd, and then it took off as if it was in Sport mode (or Sport+ if that even existed). I was using the DJI remote controller and watching everything on my screen. I lost GPS signal, so I manually brought the drone back, but it wouldn't come down. After I did everything in my power, the drone just took off again and this time I lost visual (my screen went black). At this point, I knew I was going to lose it, so I got in my car and start driving to see if I could get signal on my remote again.
I got signal, visuals were back, the drone crashed on grass. However, I had a Compass error issue on screen, and the GPS location when I pressed "Find my drone" was incorrect (I browse the place in an out, with people helping, for 3 hours).
I lost it! I had DJI Care Refresh and it wasn't going to do any good (you need to return the damage aircraft if you want to have it replaced).
After contacting DJI, and reading a lot of negative outcomes when this have happened in the past, I was completely hopeless that DJI was going to do something for me. I was wrong.
I contacted them just for the f^&*k of it, to see what they would say, to vent! They gave me instructions on how to pull fly records, etc. I did everything to the T, sent them all the information, explained everything, and I gotta say, the communication was very slow (this happened on July 4th, and it was just yesterday that they told me what the resolution was), but they finally told me that based on the investigation that they did, it looks like it was an aircraft issue and not pilot error.
They are giving me a 100% off coupon so that I could go online and purchase a new Spark. Not sure why they wouldn't just send me a new one. What sucks is that they do not have any colors available other than the white (I had the red), so I guess I'm going to have to settle for this.
If you have any words of wisdom on how to prevent this from happening in the future (thinking that the aircraft will function properly) please tell me. I don't want to lose this one too. I know the first one was not my fault, but I understand I don't have a lot of experience so I am sure I could have prevented this somehow (or at least I could have crashed it on purpose, safely, to just get a replacement and not go through days and days of explaining.
Anyway, I just wanted to share with everyone so you have some hope if this happens to you.
Safe flights!
Denan.
Just wanted to share my recent experience. I took my Spark out for a fly on July 4th (to shoot the sunset, fireworks, etc), and my bird got rogue. Everything was looking perfect, my GPS signal was fine, three days before this I did a firmware update, the compass was green, etc. The bird was fine!
I lift off, and while it was hovering I was waiting for it to record the home point. It did, everything was fine so I started going up to capture the surroundings. It was about 1 minute after that when my Spark started to move forward, I was like.. mmm this is very odd, and then it took off as if it was in Sport mode (or Sport+ if that even existed). I was using the DJI remote controller and watching everything on my screen. I lost GPS signal, so I manually brought the drone back, but it wouldn't come down. After I did everything in my power, the drone just took off again and this time I lost visual (my screen went black). At this point, I knew I was going to lose it, so I got in my car and start driving to see if I could get signal on my remote again.
I got signal, visuals were back, the drone crashed on grass. However, I had a Compass error issue on screen, and the GPS location when I pressed "Find my drone" was incorrect (I browse the place in an out, with people helping, for 3 hours).
I lost it! I had DJI Care Refresh and it wasn't going to do any good (you need to return the damage aircraft if you want to have it replaced).
After contacting DJI, and reading a lot of negative outcomes when this have happened in the past, I was completely hopeless that DJI was going to do something for me. I was wrong.
I contacted them just for the f^&*k of it, to see what they would say, to vent! They gave me instructions on how to pull fly records, etc. I did everything to the T, sent them all the information, explained everything, and I gotta say, the communication was very slow (this happened on July 4th, and it was just yesterday that they told me what the resolution was), but they finally told me that based on the investigation that they did, it looks like it was an aircraft issue and not pilot error.
They are giving me a 100% off coupon so that I could go online and purchase a new Spark. Not sure why they wouldn't just send me a new one. What sucks is that they do not have any colors available other than the white (I had the red), so I guess I'm going to have to settle for this.
If you have any words of wisdom on how to prevent this from happening in the future (thinking that the aircraft will function properly) please tell me. I don't want to lose this one too. I know the first one was not my fault, but I understand I don't have a lot of experience so I am sure I could have prevented this somehow (or at least I could have crashed it on purpose, safely, to just get a replacement and not go through days and days of explaining.
Anyway, I just wanted to share with everyone so you have some hope if this happens to you.
Safe flights!
Denan.
