Spark lost control

[TrooperDrone]

Lost almost all control of my spark this evening, was live streaming to Facebook using my iPhone (1st time using my iPhone and not the iPad) Spark was acting weird and didn’t wanna come back, was able to guide it to a soft crash in my neighbors backyard. Video attached. The spark sounded like it was surging and was spiraling as I brought it down. Only my 6th time flying it maybe, just got it on the 1st.

Any ideas what happened?

I switched from the GoPro Karma to the Spark and now I’m wondering if I wasted my money and should have just gotten the Mavic.

 

[msinger]

Any ideas what happened?

Check out your TXT flight log to see if it explains what happened. You can upload and view it online here. If you'd like other people to review and comment on your flight log, then please post a link back here after you upload it.

 

[TrooperDrone]

Check out your TXT flight log to see if it explains what happened. You can upload and view it online here. If you'd like other people to review and comment on your flight log, then please post a link back here after you upload it.

Trying to get it to upload to DJI Assistant 2 but it’s taking forever. Just seeing a gray circle spinning. I forgot to mention in the OP that I was using the RC Controller as well as my phone.

 

[MyLittleDrony]

I had issues with mine, I think the transmission tech in this drone is to blame.
Sadly mine is at the bottom of a lake now (my fault)

Its a great little drone in many ways, but I wished I had got the mavic instead.

ultimately no raw photos,
2 axis gimbal.
crappy range in the UK which seems to vary depending on location. I was trying to film my friends new car from above while being in the car, drone was only 30 meters above us and the transmission crapped out. Boring.
low bitrate video
Low additonal payload potential so next to no home mod potential.

Its great if you're new to this game, but having had drones for 4-5 years now and having quite a high end rig at home, I realized it was a drone I could take everywhere, but not one I wanted to.

I think DJI are on the right track and I look forward to seeing what they do with it next, hopefully they will put the mavic tech into it and then you'll have something which elevates itself from an impressive toy, to something with production, or prosumer potential.

 

[TrooperDrone]

Hope I did this right, here is the link. DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

As you’ll see on the flight log, to me, everything looks normal. I was flying in sport mode, wanted to fly back home and it started acting screwy. Instead of hitting RTH I hit land on accident, canceled the land and then initiated the RTH, when it got close enough to me I took manual control and canceled the RTH. Not sure what happened.

 

[Buddy411]

crappy range in the UK which seems to vary depending on location. I was trying to film my friends new car from above while being in the car, drone was only 30 meters above us and the transmission crapped out. l.

Well I can tell you what happened there...

 

[msinger]

As you’ll see on the flight log, to me, everything looks normal.

The stick movements certainly don't look normal. It looks like (and sounds like) you kept quickly moving the sticks to the far edge of the remote controller and then letting them go back to the center (over and over again).

Are you sure the issue wasn't just that the live video was lagging on your iPhone? Perhaps that was making you think your Spark was not responding to your controls. Did you try flying again since that incident (preferably where your Spark is in sight so you can see how it's reacting to your stick movements)?

 

[TrooperDrone]

The stick movements certainly don't look normal. It looks like (and sounds like) you kept quickly moving the sticks to the far edge of the remote controller and then letting them go back to the center (over and over again).

Are you sure the issue wasn't just that the live video was lagging on your iPhone? Perhaps that was making you think your Spark was not responding to your controls. Did you try flying again since that incident (preferably where your Spark is in sight so you can see how it's reacting to your stick movements)?

The stick movements were defiantly not normal because I was doing whatever I could to keep control of it, when I let off the spark would start to do its own thing and I would have to pull down on the downward stick, while I was doing that it was spiraling, I tried using other sticks to get it to stop but it did nothing, it came down in a slow spiral and had a soft crash. The whole time it was crashing it sounded like the drone power was surging. DJI just replied and they want me to send the drone in, this sucks because I’ve only had the thing since sept 30th.

I will be getting Drone insurance today and then I will try and fly it again at a park where if this happens I don’t have to bother my neighbor to get into their backyard.

I want to chalk this up to an iPhone/live feed error but I have no proof. I have always flown it with my iPad mini 4 and no live feed and never had any issues.

 

[msinger]

The stick movements were defiantly not normal because I was doing whatever I could to keep control of it, when I let off the spark would start to do its own thing and I would have to pull down on the downward stick, while I was doing that it was spiraling, I tried using other sticks to get it to stop but it did nothing, it came down in a slow spiral and had a soft crash.

Your flight log shows you were constantly on the rudder stick (mostly at the end). That was making your Spark spiral. I'm thinking there was a delay in the live feed (assuming you were watching that instead of looking at your Spark) that caused you to become disoriented.

 

[TrooperDrone]

Your flight log shows you were constantly on the rudder stick (mostly at the end). That was making your Spark spiral. I'm thinking there was a delay in the live feed (assuming you were watching that instead of looking at your Spark) that caused you to become disoriented.

View attachment 1501

It’s hard to explain what happened over text and it’s frustrating. Haha. I was on those sticks there at the end because it’s the only way I could get it to land, that may have caused the spiraling but still doesn’t explain why it fought me to come back, whenever I let off the controller it wanted to have its own mind.

 

[msinger]

but still doesn’t explain why it fought me to come back, whenever I let off the controller it wanted to have its own mind

Where exactly during the flight do you remember it wanting to have a mind of its own? What exactly was it doing during those times?

 

[TrooperDrone]

Where exactly during the flight do you remember it wanting to have a mind of its own? What exactly was it doing during those times?

Right at the end when I was trying to land it, i had let off briefly and it wanted to fly away so I got back on the sticks

 

[msinger]

At which second in the video above did that occur?

 

[TrooperDrone]

At which second in the video above did that occur?

It would have been around the 1:25 mark, that’s where you’ll hear me trying to regain control. It was right above my house at that point and I was trying to land it either in my back yard or on my roof but instead it went into the neighbors backyard. It didn’t want to land.

 

[msinger]

It didn’t want to land.

What did it seem like it was doing instead?

You were commanding the throttle stick with the same sporadic movements. The Spark looks like it was obeying your throttle commands.

 

[TrooperDrone]

What did it seem like it was doing instead?

You were commanding the throttle stick with the same sporadic movements. The Spark looks like it was obeying your throttle commands.

View attachment 1502

I’m wondering if there is something wrong with my controller then? I would have never commanded it to do what it did. I just added Drone insurance and will fly again today to see if it does it again.

 

[TrooperDrone]

What did it seem like it was doing instead?

You were commanding the throttle stick with the same sporadic movements. The Spark looks like it was obeying your throttle commands.

View attachment 1502

Flew it today, only went up about 50 feet though and everything seemed to be fine. It did however look like it didn’t wanna hover in one spot as easily as normal. No wind today. Used the iPad/RC instead of my phone/RC.

 

[Roy Talangbayan]

Right at the end when I was trying to land it, i had let off briefly and it wanted to fly away so I got back on the sticks

Was your Bluetooth off when you were flying with your iPhone?

 

[TrooperDrone]

Was your Bluetooth off when you were flying with your iPhone?

Not sure, flew it yesterday and today and had absolutely no issues. Going to chalk it up to a phone/RC communication issue and just stick to my ipad/RC.

 

[noooris]

You need to be sure. Bluetooth (especially on iphone) is your number 1 enemy. Make sure you switch it off in settings, NOT in the control center (since that only disconnects current connections keeping the radio on). Also format the SD card, often.