So... My worst fear came true over the weekend.

[Jaxsorento]

I would like to have Yuneec look at any info on my ST-16 controller to help figure out why my drone ditched into a lake but I'm going to ask the experts here for their input first.

I was flying around videoing some dragon boat racing when I got ONE single low battery vibration from the controller so I flipped the switch to HOME. I was expecting to see the H rise up and fly back but instead what I got was a slow descent that kept going so I initiated a full throttle UP in hopes of keeping the H dry. What I got instead was a splash and the drone was lost.

This all happened with only ONE vibration which was the FIRST low battery warning. There are typically a few vibrations (I think) at this first warning then a bit of a delay then at the second low battery (critical) warning the H is supposed to lower the landing gear and land wherever it happens to be. I never got to the second warning (which I never wait for anyway because I usually already have the H on the ground) and the landing gear never lowered as it should when it lands on it's own.

After looking at the video of the crash on the controller it appears that the drone spiraled a little more than 360 degrees as it descended from about 50 feet into the lake. The drone was less than 300-400 feet from it's take off spot so returning after the first low battery warning should not have been a problem.

Please tell me the files needed so that someone can tell me what happened.

Thanks in advance!

 

[AH-1G]

Of course you need to up load your telemetry to figure this out.
How windy was it.
First battery warning and hitting the home button puts the drone into speed mode in which could have drained it completely.
You had 14.9 volts when first battery warning came on?

 

[Steve Carr]

Please tell me the files needed so that someone can tell me what happened.

Plug the ST16 into your computer using the USB charging cable. Go to internal storage and then the Flightlog Directory, then telemetry. Find the telemetry file with the highest number and copy it to your computer. Add a .txt to the end of the file name and then you can upload it here.

 

[MarkC]

Sorry for your loss. This is why I don't fly over water. It makes me VERY nervous. I feel your pain.

 

[Steve Carr]

Please tell me the files needed so that someone can tell me what happened.

@Jaxsorento, did you see my post above regarding the telemetry?

 

[Jaxsorento]

Here is the file (I hope, it looks all jacked up to me).

Also a snapshot of the ST-16 using the UAV toolbox app and the last image before it became a submarine.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Jaxsorento]

@Jaxsorento, did you see my post above regarding the telemetry?

Yes I did and thank you.

See above where I posted the data/pics.

 

[Jaxsorento]

BUMP.... anyone able to take a look at my data?

Thanks

 

[Ty Pilot]

I'm sure Steve will be able to read near exactly what happened, but as an observation; when your battery is low - at first warning level and you gave full throttle - if the battery is old or in a weakened state, that could have brought the battery to a critically low level and possibly caused the aircraft to shut down. I feel your pain and hope you find out for sure. I fly over water quite a bit and make sure to never be over water at low batt1, in fact as a rule of thumb, on the ground before that warning.

Raising altitude with out closing distance is using up precious battery, I know hind sight is 20/20 but the best hope should this happen again or to anyone; is a direct route to the shore and if that includes decent - do it as this will save critical battery

 

[Jaxsorento]

I'm sure Steve will be able to read near exactly what happened, but as an observation; when your battery is low - at first warning level and you gave full throttle - if the battery is old or in a weakened state, that could have brought the battery to a critically low level and possibly caused the aircraft to shut down. I feel your pain and hope you find out for sure. I fly over water quite a bit and make sure to never be over water at low batt1, in fact as a rule of thumb, on the ground before that warning.

My concern is the video from the controller showed it do what I would call a death spiral (about 540 degrees of spin) into the water. The batteries only had about 10 flights on each of them. I've had only one other instance (not typically how I fly) where I got the first low battery warning and had plenty of time to watch it come back, lower the landing gear and land on its own.

Rename the attached file to MP4 to view the final video.

 

[Ty Pilot]

Hmm, yeah that does sound strange, hopefully Steve can see something that can perhaps help you out.

 

[Jaxsorento]

So no one wants to help me decipher the data I posted above???

 

[Steve Carr]

So no one wants to help me decipher the data I posted above???

The telemetry file you posted above isn't usable. It may be the encrypted file.
Go back to the ST16 and go to FlightLog directory and then Telemetry to get the correct file

 

[wings]

Also,many of us who have been flying the H or Q for that matter do not wait for the first warning to land. We land before that, maybe about 14.5V on the ground, thereby protecting the battery and preserving its life.

 

[FlushVision]

Also,many of us who have been flying the H or Q for that matter do not wait for the first warning to land. We land before that, maybe about 14.5V on the ground, thereby protecting the battery and preserving its life.

Yep. Going below the first warning can sometimes cause the H to do some strange things too. 14.5v is a good figure to aim for.

 

[Jaxsorento]

The telemetry file you posted above isn't usable. It may be the encrypted file.
Go back to the ST16 and go to FlightLog directory and then Telemetry to get the correct file

Here are the files (I hope). I was able to view/save them in Excel so I'm including them also.

Thanks!

 

[Steve Carr]

1 I believe is low battery, not sure about 33.

The total distance traveled is 16,620' or about 3.15 miles. Time in the air is about 15 min with an average speed about 13 mph.
It appears the aircraft simply ran out of battery power. It would have been prudent to land at 14.6 volts and most certainly be positioned to over land close to the landing zone. In this case the limited power remaining in the battery was consumed to climb from 8m to 18m causing the battery voltage to drop to 14.1 v. At that voltage there is was not enough power to return causing it descend.

The more you fly, the more you realize how important it is to glance at the battery voltage and plan your flights to be close to home once the voltage dips below 15v. As the voltage drops below 15, very conservative flying will extend the flight time and allow you to move into landing position.

Feel free to submit the telemetry to Yuneec. They often have a different perspective.

This was the last 20 sec of the flight.

 

[Jaxsorento]

Good news! Evidently Yuneec found something in all the data I sent them or they felt sorry for me... either way, I got an email last night saying they are sending me a new drone!

 

[wings]

Great!

 

[Steve Carr]

Good news! Evidently Yuneec found something in all the data I sent them or they felt sorry for me... either way, I got an email last night saying they are sending me a new drone!

Fantastic. They have covered many incidents such as yours, especially when the flight count is low. I'm glad they decided in your favor. It's possible they saw something in previous flights that were of concern as well.
Happy flying!

On your first flight, remember to let the H sit for 13 minutes to allow time for the GPS to update.