Fog is not as simple as I thought "Downward infrared sensor failure. Land as soon as possible."

[dougiefresh27]

Our area had a light fog, wind at 14mph and my intention was to get close to some trees at work, fly up to just above the tree tops and slowly pan down for a short intro clip. First, I was negligent in realizing that I am in a Class E surface extension airspace. I was watching the view screen to capture the shot I wanted then saw the "Downward infrared sensor failure. Land as soon as possible. " pop up.
I looked up and saw that the Spark was WAY higher than it said. It looked closer to 90-100 feet up.
I immediately pushed the left stick down and thankfully it responded and began decreasing altitude.
I'm guessing that the moisture in the air confused the downward sensor which is also why the ending altitude shows 50 feet below the surface.
My home point wasn't recorded until I was into this short flight, also a pilot error.

My hands were cold with 40 degree temps and this breeze. No excuse to rush things though.

So basically I went up, saw the error, began down, monitored lateral position and landed in my hand.

What are your thoughts on this flight?

Here is my flight log DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

 

[Spark 317]

Simple. Don't fly in the fog. ?

The Spark sensors may interpret fog as a solid object and may want to rise above it, just like when you put your hand underneath the Spark while hovering and it rises up a bit.

Also, when landing, the Spark will take it's sweet time because it thinks the ground is there and wants to make a soft landing like it normally does.

If you wish to fly in the fog, purchase an app called Litchi and it has the option of turning the bottom sensors off.

You'll be landing at full speed so be careful and have good stick control, or switch the sensors back on.

 

[dougiefresh27]

Our area had a light fog, wind at 14mph and my intention was to get close to some trees at work, fly up to just above the tree tops and slowly pan down for a short intro clip. First, I was negligent in realizing that I am in a Class E surface extension airspace. I was watching the view screen to capture the shot I wanted then saw the "Downward infrared sensor failure. Land as soon as possible. " pop up.
I looked up and saw that the Spark was WAY higher than it said. It looked closer to 90-100 feet up.
I immediately pushed the left stick down and thankfully it responded and began decreasing altitude.
I'm guessing that the moisture in the air confused the downward sensor which is also why the ending altitude shows 50 feet below the surface.
My home point wasn't recorded until I was into this short flight, also a pilot error.

My hands were cold with 40 degree temps and this breeze. No excuse to rush things though.

So basically I went up, saw the error, began down, monitored lateral position and landed in my hand.

What are your thoughts on this flight?

Here is my flight log DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com
View attachment 12537

I typically use Air Map to verify my location safety but it does not show these additional spaces.

 

[Spark 317]

In addition to AIRMAP, you can this site.

ArcGIS Web Application

www.arcgis.com

Zoom in the area and it will show the airspace around airports.

 

[dougiefresh27]

In addition to AIRMAP, you can this site.

ArcGIS Web Application

www.arcgis.com

Zoom in the area and it will show the airspace around airports.

No matter how far I zoom in on Air Map it only shows information within the 5 mile radius of the local airport. DBQ is the airport and my business address is 4655 Old Hwy Rd, Dubuque Iowa 52002 if you want to take a look.

 

[dougiefresh27]

In addition to AIRMAP, you can this site.

ArcGIS Web Application

www.arcgis.com

Zoom in the area and it will show the airspace around airports.

Ahhhh, once I enable all of the class E airspace and click on my location it does show Class E5. Tsk tsk on my.
Thanks for the information
Smarter every day!

 

[dougiefresh27]

Ahhhh, once I enable all of the class E airspace and click on my location it does show Class E5. Tsk tsk on my.
Thanks for the information
Smarter every day!

Is there an Android App I can use when I'm out in the field like this? I was just looking on my work PC but am not certain of a phone app

 

[DameEdnaBrown]

Use litchi to turn off downward sensors. Be aware that if these sensors are turned off the drone won't be able to sense the ground if let you it auto land

 

[RotorWash]

What are your thoughts on this flight?

You did well to do a hand catch, probably saved the bird from smacking off the deck. Had the same error before as well (under similar conditions) and when I attempted a standard landing it didn't wait at the 1ft mark like normal, just hit the deck and bounced up instead. Which makes sense due to the sensor error. Luckily my decent was slow so no damage to Sparky but it caught me off guard for a moment. I shan't repeat that mistake again! Live and learn.

 

[sharps45]

You were lucky-

Another hard lesson learned

I know you're not supposed to fly in rain and snow, but I figured fog would be alright. Well, if the fog is thick and the temperature is 11 degrees F the Spark ices up really, really, fast! I hoped to get up above the fog and get some shots of the city lights shining through the fog from...

sparkpilots.com