Prop failure

SirJohn99 · Jan 19, 2019

Today was a beautiful day for flying. I wanted to get some good video of down town Saint Augustine. Family kept me at the house and I needed to discharge my charged batteries. I flew over the swamp behind my property for 10 minutes then I hovered close to the house. On battery 4 (my last one) at 61% charge I got a prop error on the ST 16. I quickly landed the h+. It was a little unstable some twisting and vibration on the way down. I could see a prop missing. I landed a little hard but I was impressed that I could control it with little effort. I lost a prop and the attaching hub in flight. The two screws backed out. I checked the other props and had a total of 4 loose screws. I have to call Yuneec CS and see if it’s covered in the warranty.

I will include some pics of my problem.

Phaedrus · Jan 19, 2019

Well, this is clear evidence that these screws are something we need to keep an eye on. Thanks for the heads up and the confirmation that the 5-prop mode works as advertised.

SirJohn99 · Jan 19, 2019

Just reviewed my history. It took me 82 seconds to land.

DCH · Jan 19, 2019

Those screws use red locktite and are somewhat difficult to remove without damaging the head. I am utterly amazed this happened. This is the 1st Typhoon Hex I have heard of loosing the adapter in flight. This is clearly a warranty issue.

You have to love the 5 motor mode! I will never send another camera in the air with a quad. Imagine the damage a quad would have suffered.

If you elect to replace the prop adapter and prop rather than wait for the warranty round-trip, be aware that even though the H and the H Plus adapters look identical, they are not. Either adapter will mount to either motor, but you cannot put an H Plus prop on a 480 adapter, however you can put a 480 prop on a Plus adapter, but it will be slightly loose.

Phaedrus · Jan 20, 2019

DCH said:
You have to love the 5 motor mode! I will never send another camera in the air with a quad. Imagine the damage a quad would have suffered.

Big 10-4 on that good buddy.

cbecker125 · Jan 20, 2019

Based on your experience SirJohn99 , I checked all rotor attachment hub securing screws. All tight. But, your experience points out the need to add checking these screws as a punch list item for regular maintenance.

Phaedrus · Jan 20, 2019

Allow me to recommend using the MIP hex wrenches. They are the best I have ever found. I have yet to strip out a allen head using them.

They ain't cheap, but the first time you mess up a hex head using a cheap wrench you'll wish you had them.

MIP Hex Drivers Metric/SAE | MIP Online

Amazon has them for a few bucks less.

SirJohn99 · Jan 20, 2019

cbecker125 said:
Based on your experience SirJohn99 , I checked all rotor attachment hub securing screws. All tight. But, your experience points out the need to add checking these screws as a punch list item for regular maintenance.

I agree with you about adding them to my punch list. Now that I’ve checked all of my screws it will become part of my post flight check.

daylight99 · Jan 20, 2019

Checked my H Plus and found the screws loose on three hubs. Each one was about a full turn loose

sam31149 · Jan 27, 2019

Hi guys I am new can you take a picture of the screws you talking about and post them ! Thx

CaptKirk · Jan 29, 2019

sam31149 said:
Hi guys I am new can you take a picture of the screws you talking about and post them ! Thx

Jchesky · Feb 19, 2019

Phaedrus said:
Allow me to recommend using the MIP hex wrenches. They are the best I have ever found. I have yet to strip out a allen head using them.

They ain't cheap, but the first time you mess up a hex head using a cheap wrench you'll wish you had them.

MIP Hex Drivers Metric/SAE | MIP Online

Amazon has them for a few bucks less.

What size is needed?

Phaedrus · Feb 19, 2019

2.5mm for the ST16/ST16S

To be clear, I was talking about the metric hex size for the screws on the back of the ST16 controller.

DoomMeister · Feb 20, 2019

Be sure to use a non permanent thread lock on the screws. It should help prevent future problems with backing out. The reason for non permanent is because the hubs do wear out over time and need replacement.

Phaedrus · Feb 20, 2019

DoomMeister said:
Be sure to use a non permanent thread lock on the screws. It should help prevent future problems with backing out. The reason for non permanent is because the hubs do wear out over time and need replacement.

And use very little making sure the excess does not run down into the motor windings.