Lost connection, lost Spark. What next?

Lanron · Sep 26, 2017

I was inspecting a roof and the Spark went of on its own, flew into a tree then crashes on to the sidewalk and breaks the body. Sent it in to DJI and this is their response...

Cristian （Support）

9月26日 CST06:18

Hi Ron,

Thank you for contacting DJI Technical Support

Thanks for bringing this issue to our attention. We are constantly working to improve your DJI experience and your input is crucial to doing so.

Upon checking the case the unit was deemed as a non-warranty case due to a pilot error.

Please check the analysis below for more details.

User stick command error FLY046 1. Unit was in P-GPS mode and was responsive to RC input; 2. At t=275s, relative height=7.3m, unit recorded external impact, then fell. 3. User commanded full pitch forward then full yaw left before impact. Unit was turning to the left putting obstruction outside of detection zone. 4. User did not allow enough time for the unit to change direction before impact. Conclusion: User stick command error. Impact in air.

You're patience and understanding is highly appreciated on this matter.
Best Regards,

I don't mind paying for the DJI care but I know how to fly, have been using a drone at least twice a day for 3 years years now and don't crash. The Spark may have received a signal from some other source or who knows but they keep saying pilot error. I went back to using either my Mavic or the Phantom due to never having this issue.

mavicpilot · Sep 27, 2017

I am sorry to hear about your Spark!

I just wanted to add my one experience with my Spark going completely out of battery (or RTH when low).

I was shooting a party and I had it hovering over an unused deck area (no people). I took over in the middle of the table and it just hovered around (RC connected) while I was off flying my MP.

I heard the beeping, let it go, and then make sure I was in the area. It started going down (about 5 feet from the HP). It continued down and found the edge of a high chair (maybe 1/4" width) and decided that was a wonderful landing pad. LOL

Point is, the MP and Spark certainly seem to have different programming as my MP will at least move a bit if running low on battery. Admittedly, I have never tried landing my MP on a table, but the few test flights (RTH flights) were pretty spot on.

Blue Baron · Sep 27, 2017

mavicpilot said:
Point is, the MP and Spark certainly seem to have different programming as my MP will at least move a bit if running low on battery. Admittedly, I have never tried landing my MP on a table, but the few test flights (RTH flights) were pretty spot on.

You are jumping to conclusion here.
The Spark lands within 1 feet of take off. But it takes what is called "precision landing". Same for the MP. However, conditions for precision landing vary between MP and Spark. They are in the manual ... For instance, if you didn't ascend high enough, it cannot precision land.

mavicpilot · Sep 27, 2017

Blue Baron said:
You are jumping to conclusion here.
The Spark lands within 1 feet of take off. But it takes what is called "precision landing". Same for the MP. However, conditions for precision landing vary between MP and Spark. They are in the manual ... For instance, if you didn't ascend high enough, it cannot precision land.

Interesting. So, I only went between 20-30 feet from my takeoff height. So, I guess I never reached that ascension point, but given the marketing you would think anything over 8' should be high enough?

Blue Baron · Sep 27, 2017

mavicpilot said:
Interesting. So, I only went between 20-30 feet from my takeoff height. So, I guess I never reached that ascension point, but given the marketing you would think anything over 8' should be high enough?

Spark manual page 16. Why didn't you read it before leaving your aircraft unattended when landing?
There you find you must vertically take off at least 7 meters (23 ft) to enable precision landing.

mavicpilot · Sep 27, 2017

Blue Baron said:
Spark manual page 16. Why didn't you read it before leaving your aircraft unattended when landing?
There you find you must vertically take off at least 7 meters (23 ft) to enable precision landing.

Sorry, I am not sure if I am supposed to take that as a attack or troll. I read my P1, P3A, and my MP manual. At some point, you assume that DJI follows some rudimentary steps and you figure you do not need to study it for the exam. Oh wait, I bet 99% of people do not even bother reading the manual.

In any case, and as I had mentioned, I was next to it to see what was going to happen and caught it landing incorrectly. So, I may be taking your statement off base.

Even for us that read the manual (b0xed) DJI likes to change the rules for v1.1, v1.2, ... v2.0 and so forth. So, do you really read each rendition the manual each revision or go version?

The Spark is a toy, sold as a toy, marketed as a toy. For someone that has over 200 hours (and that is not much I will admit) in DJI products in just about 4 years (bought the P1 soon after launch), I feel I can say that.