Spark dies during flight after shooting a pano`, no explination.

[Gabriel]

Hi

I was just flying my spark over a lake getting nice shots in tripod mode, as i was 130m from above and finished i turned tripod mode off, took a pano then decided to turn sport mode on and suddenly lost video signal, heard the RTH alert on the remote for about a few secs then i got a beep - beep - beep instead of a beep beep - beep beep RTH stype alert from my controller., i never seen it again as it would of normally returned, said 13mins of flight time left ...now what!
To add a few notes, i have already posted this at the DJI forums and most experienced pilots agreed that there was a malfunction, nothing shows other wise but as usual DJI has to look at the actual logs to be sure no one tampered them so my question is how does DJI replace a Spark under warranty only purchased 3 weeks ago with no care refresh...

i explained in the previous threat that i missed the first change to get care refresh during the first 48 hours but then was approved after a second video the day before this all happened., regardless i think our experience has been very un fair as we picked up over 3 mavic pros, 2 sparks while still debating between a phantom pro and inspire 2 for our amusement park shooting during the up coming spring., and we already returned 3 mavic pros with issues out of the boxes as well as one spark but that was because we decided to get the combo with remote after trying it.

We now discovered that mavic pros etc with issues where only linked to the batches in China where DJI is, the french retailer admitted to ordering them from China as well.

If anyone has experience with getting their fly away drones replaced and how long it takes, please explain what took place etc.

I add the links to the other thread and videos.

Thanks!

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=129076&page=2&extra=#pid1129450

https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/DONGAHV180H687GSUW4K/#

 

[DesertWindAero]

Hi

I was just flying my spark over a lake getting nice shots in tripod mode, as i was 130m from above and finished i turned tripod mode off, took a pano then decided to turn sport mode on and suddenly lost video signal, heard the RTH alert on the remote for about a few secs then i got a beep - beep - beep instead of a beep beep - beep beep RTH stype alert from my controller., i never seen it again as it would of normally returned, said 13mins of flight time left ...now what!
To add a few notes, i have already posted this at the DJI forums and most experienced pilots agreed that there was a malfunction, nothing shows other wise but as usual DJI has to look at the actual logs to be sure no one tampered them so my question is how does DJI replace a Spark under warranty only purchased 3 weeks ago with no care refresh...

i explained in the previous threat that i missed the first change to get care refresh during the first 48 hours but then was approved after a second video the day before this all happened., regardless i think our experience has been very un fair as we picked up over 3 mavic pros, 2 sparks while still debating between a phantom pro and inspire 2 for our amusement park shooting during the up coming spring., and we already returned 3 mavic pros with issues out of the boxes as well as one spark but that was because we decided to get the combo with remote after trying it.

We now discovered that mavic pros etc with issues where only linked to the batches in China where DJI is, the french retailer admitted to ordering them from China as well.

If anyone has experience with getting their fly away drones replaced and how long it takes, please explain what took place etc.

I add the links to the other thread and videos.

Thanks!

https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=129076&page=2&extra=#pid1129450

https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/DONGAHV180H687GSUW4K/#

How about posting the log file?

 

[Gabriel]

its

How about posting the log file?

already in the link https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/DONGAHV180H687GSUW4K/#

here is a 360 pano i had taken prior to this flight, you can drag the image around with the mouse pointer etc.

Google Maps

 

[DesertWindAero]

its

already in the link https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/DONGAHV180H687GSUW4K/#

here is a 360 pano i had taken prior to this flight, you can drag the image around with the mouse pointer etc.

Google Maps

I can't see anything that would indicate what went wrong. Click here to see another site's log info.

 

[Gabriel]

I can't see anything that would indicate what went wrong. Click here to see another site's log info.

malfunction?

 

[Richard Ruckert]

When I use tripod mode, my app crashes after canceling tripod mode mid flight. This happens every time I use Tripod mode The mode works fine, but the app crashes afterward. Obviously, the video feed is lost. When using my iphone 6, I am able to reboot the app and regain control. The app crashing gives me reservation about using the mode, but I really need that mode to keep the pan at a governed speed. This 'glitch' is nerve racking.
The first time it happened. I later viewed the video saved to the SD card and saw that the Spark was just hovering 100M away. Finally, it ran out of battery and returned to home; automatically. It was somewhat comical. That flight I was using my android tablet, and was not able to reboot; effectively.
Regardless of monitoring device, we should be able to hold down the return to home button on the remote to initiate the RTH, in an 'emergency'.

 

[clouseau]

From the flight log there's nothing to positively indicate that the Spark had malfunctioned.
Your RC signal strength, GPS, and compass was as perfect as it gets during the whole entire duration of your flight.
From your descriptions and sounds you say the remote controller had made, It leads me to think you had an immediate sudden loss of power, as if the battery had fallen off the Spark. Unfortunately I am not able to see your stick movements from the log, so it's makes it even more difficult to determine what exactly went wrong there at the end.

Hopefully DJI replaces it for you, because with what I can see, there's nothing that would indicate it was pilot error.

 

[Gabriel]

From the flight log there's nothing to positively indicate that the Spark had malfunctioned.
Your RC signal strength, GPS, and compass was as perfect as it gets during the whole entire duration of your flight.
From your descriptions and sounds you say the remote controller had made, It leads me to think you had an immediate sudden loss of power, as if the battery had fallen off the Spark. Unfortunately I am not able to see your stick movements from the log, so it's makes it even more difficult to determine what exactly went wrong there at the end.

Hopefully DJI replaces it for you, because with what I can see, there's nothing that would indicate it was pilot error.

Its what i see too but i always always always check the battery because of videos i have seen on youtube and the batteries hold on extremely tight at least on this Spark, i suspect a electro magnetic field but that is like saying a ghost did it, as perfect as my flight was it all took me by surprise, really.

 

[Gabriel]

When I use tripod mode, the app crashes afterward. Obviously, the video feed is lost. When using my iphone 6, I am able to reboot the app and regain control. The app crashing gives me reservation about using the mode, but I really need that mode to keep the pan at a governed speed. This 'glitch' is nerve racking.
The first time it happened. I later viewed the video saved to the SD card and saw that the Spark was just hovering 100M away. Finally, it ran out of battery and returned to home; automatically. It was somewhat comical. we should be able to hold down the return to home button on the remote to initiate the RTH, in an 'emergency'.

actually i flew up in tripod mode, then did a pano before switching to sports mode., i found stories like yours around the net though, good to know!

the only thing i can think of that possibly caused a problem is sudden wind, a electro magnetic field or battery dropping out which is impossible as i check the batteries i connect carefully after seen videos on youtube about it.

 

[Gabriel]

well, i got an email from DJI, either they did not read my email or they are pretending i am responsible for the malfunction or issue caused by their own software and hardware.


Name of (Support)

16 Jan, 02:17 CST

Thank you for contacting DJI Technical Support.

We understand that you're having an error with the remote control signal loss, But rest assured that you have the right person to help you out.

The possible causes to this issue are listed below:
1) The remote controller’s signal has been interrupted.
2) The distance between the aircraft and remote controller is too far.
3) The remote controller firmware has not been upgraded to the latest version.
The status indicator on the remote controller of the aircraft is green and the remote controller’s signal is lost.

In order for us to troubleshoot the issue that you are currently facing.
1.Check whether the remote controller firmware is compatible with the aircraft firmware.
2. Could you please try to log out and log in on your account in DJI GO APP.
3. Try to uninstall and reinstall the APP.
4. Once done, reinstall the APP. Please re-link your remote controller with your aircraft. For a video tutorial, please check this link.
DJI Spark - Linking the Remote Controller

5. Make sure that the beginners is disabled and set the max flight distance and altitude on the DJI APP.
6. Please fly your aircraft on a different location to check. It might be your current location that causes signal interference that results to distance limitation.

Note :
If image transmission signal is lost when the aircraft flies within 100 meters away, send the aircraft and remote controller back for repair.
If the image transmission signal is lost when the aircraft flies away more than 100 meters:
1) Check the position of the antennas for the remote controller. Distance should be greater than height during flight. Instruct customers to make sure the remote controller’s antennas are positioned parallel to and are pointed towards the aircraft.
2) Use a mobile device with a strong performance. Running the DJI GO app may cause high CPU utilization and make the mobile device emit heats, which will affect decoding of the app. With a mobile device with strong performance and encoding, the image transmission will be more stable.
Ensure that there is optimal signal transmission between the aircraft and remote controller. Adjust the position of the antennas on the remote controller for optimal signal transmission as shown below:

If ever the issue persist, please do not hesitate to contact us back.

Thank you for choosing DJI and have a nice day!


Best Regards,

 

[Gabriel]

Oh boy, this is un acceptable now, they are only offering 30% off on another purchase of an aircraft when it was not my fault, read below as they found no pilot error, they cant determine why the drone malfunction which it obliviously had a power failure with 62% battery.

Dear Customer,
Thanks for your patience.
For your claimed case #############, we have already finished the analysis, and the result is as follows:
1. The aircraft was piloted under GPS mode, and responded to the pilot's control well; T=00:03, the aircraft recorded the Home Point: 48.4748211 -4.5286977;
2. T=06:28, H=165 m, D=84 m, Battery 62%, the aircraft was switched to Sport mode and the pilot pulled down the throttle stick fully, then the flight record ended. The last recorded coordinate: 48.4744183 -4.5277434.
With the record ended without any sign of abnormality, we could not verify what happened afterwards.
We truly appreciate your support for DJI. If you could not recover the product and consider to purchase another aircraft, we can try to especially apply for a 30% off coupon for Spark(Alpine White) without remote:
http://store.dji.com/product/spark
If you would like to accept the offer, please reply to my email for example “I accept the offer”.
And may I know when you place the order, do you want to ship the aircraft to France?
Should you have more questions, please feel free to let me know.
Best Regards,

 

[sinaus]

Oh boy, this is un acceptable now, they are only offering 30% off on another purchase of an aircraft when it was not my fault, read below as they found no pilot error, they cant determine why the drone malfunction which it obliviously had a power failure with 62% battery.

Dear Customer,
Thanks for your patience.
For your claimed case #############, we have already finished the analysis, and the result is as follows:
1. The aircraft was piloted under GPS mode, and responded to the pilot's control well; T=00:03, the aircraft recorded the Home Point: 48.4748211 -4.5286977;
2. T=06:28, H=165 m, D=84 m, Battery 62%, the aircraft was switched to Sport mode and the pilot pulled down the throttle stick fully, then the flight record ended. The last recorded coordinate: 48.4744183 -4.5277434.
With the record ended without any sign of abnormality, we could not verify what happened afterwards.
We truly appreciate your support for DJI. If you could not recover the product and consider to purchase another aircraft, we can try to especially apply for a 30% off coupon for Spark(Alpine White) without remote:
http://store.dji.com/product/spark
If you would like to accept the offer, please reply to my email for example “I accept the offer”.
And may I know when you place the order, do you want to ship the aircraft to France?
Should you have more questions, please feel free to let me know.
Best Regards,

By the way how was the weather that day? Just trying to figure out what actually happened. What was the KP index? Anyway will like to see someone be able to help in this regards (KP).

 

[sinaus]

By the way how was the weather that day? Just trying to figure out what actually happened. What was the KP index? Anyway will like to see someone be able to help in this regards (KP).

Pretty upset with DJI response to this issue. Sad to hear what happened to your Spark. I do have one too and therefore till now I hardly fly my Spark since learning from other pilots with all sorts of weird behavior. I AM SO SCARED TO FLY!

 

[Gabriel]

By the way how was the weather that day? Just trying to figure out what actually happened. What was the KP index? Anyway will like to see someone be able to help in this regards (KP).

Pretty upset with DJI response to this issue. Sad to hear what happened to your Spark. I do have one too and therefore till now I hardly fly my Spark since learning from other pilots with all sorts of weird behavior. I AM SO SCARED TO FLY!

the video cached on the phone and the flight data say it all, calm, beautiful and perfect for taking panos., this site even indicates the weather according to the flight data : Airdata UAV - Flight Data Analysis for Drones

this is totally un acceptable!!!

This is the log file uploaded ;
YouTube
and another site showing log file:
Airdata UAV - Flight Data Analysis for Drones

Here is a 360 Pano taken during the previous flight;
Google Maps
Google Maps

Some old shots of the area with a Mavic Pro:

Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps

 

[sinaus]

the video cached on the phone and the flight data say it all, calm, beautiful and perfect for taking panos., this site even indicates the weather according to the flight data : Airdata UAV - Flight Data Analysis for Drones

this is totally un acceptable!!!

This is the log file uploaded ;
YouTube
and another site showing log file:
Airdata UAV - Flight Data Analysis for Drones

Here is a 360 Pano taken during the previous flight;
Google Maps
Google Maps

Some old shots of the area with a Mavic Pro:

Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps

In this case it is very unfair. So sorry I don't know how to help and hopefully some one on this forum can give you better approach In this matter. Good luck.

 

[Gabriel]

sadly loosing trust here already..i expect to take responsibility if i did something abnormal, i see youtube videos of people flying to far, rth with less then a minute battery ending in force landings, getting to close to water and i never once attempted to take any risks, nothing in my flight data shows i am responsible for this aircaft disappearing like it became invisible, shuold i go on....im going to call them asap tomorrow and also speak to legal people for advise..im not letting this go!