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Testing 2nd new Q500, 2 crashes back to back.

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Im floored.
Lost 1st Q500 to a flyaway after 2 weeks.
Chalked it up to an anomaly, but had so much fun I doubled down and purchased a 2nd Q500, it arrived on Thursday, spent Friday night setting it up and went to fky today.
Wanting to build my confidence in the model again, I went to my test field.
Let the Q and controller idle for a good long time and then set it up 20 feet to test out the controls, real good like. Its a soccor field and Im at the 50 yard line (so to speak) and Im moving left to right in front of me, watching it lose a little altitude with each pass and me manually raising it back up.
I hover ar 20 feet for a second and she starts rising up on her own then back down, I raised it back up to 20 feet and it just dropped to the ground.
Minor crash, battery popped out, camera eires broke.
Came home, connected to gui, everything checks out, I wired the gimbal and try again. Id chalked it up to prop-wash and set out again, not to be discouraged.
I get there and the Q won't initialize, I search google, find my answer, tilt and rebind. Everything is good.
I go back to the same test and its a repeat performance. Only this time it begins to take off in the air up higher and I hit the kill switch. The birds legs go up in the air and it falls on its back from 20 feet. DONE.

I will attach telemetry and attempt to retrieve video of the last flight.
 
Open a case with Yuneec CS and send them the telemetry, for analysis to determine if this incident qualifies as a warranty repair.
 
Open a case with Yuneec CS and send them the telemetry, for analysis to determine if this incident qualifies as a warranty repair.

Thank you for the suggestion, I currently have one open for my first Q500 and should hear back any day now.

This forum has been very helpful to me, I feel terrible having to call upon the greats yet again, but attached is the flightlog for my 2nd Q500...I cant believe Im 3 for 3 in my last 3 flights, FFS!

[edit]Also, video cuts out after 35 seconds, nothing to see really. This also happen with the 1st Q flyaway corrupt video file.[/edit]
 

Attachments

  • FlightLog2zip.zip
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The fact that you have a previous case open is significant... at least on this board, I don't think there has been a posting about 2 consecutive cases by a single individual, being determined to both be pilot error. Odds are at least one of these should result in repair/replacement. Please keep us advised... ?
 
Maybe dumb questions, but while you're waiting for a review of the latest flight log:

Were you using the same flight controller for all these flights?
Have you looked at the Hardware Monitor to see if all looks good on the controller(s)?
 
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I admit its not a great feeling being one of the consistents.
But with my head held high i did submit my flightlog for peer review, first time seemed to clear me.
And I am flying in a safe manor, especially after the last incident.
These tests were not the confidence boosters Id hoped for.
Im an open book though, can handle humility and dont have to be right.

Maybe dumb questions, but while you're waiting for a review of the latest flight log:

Were you using the same flight controller for all these flights?
Have you looked at the Hardware Monitor to see if all looks good on the controller(s)?

No sir, not the same controller...I havent even begun to field test any items from the first kit. Its all isolated awaiting review.
I did test the hardware monitor thuroughly, 3 times if I recall.
Id like to think I went over everything with a finetooth comb before my first flight, I purposely waited 2 days as to take my time and review everything.
After todays 1st crash I was even more thorough, everything got recalibrated via gui and the device rebound. It set idle for 10+ minutes, great gps...I recall seeing 18 and 12 satellites. Wind 10-12mph. Ive flown these fields before several times.
[edit]...and damnit! Ive spent weeks reviewing crash/flyaway posts and videos, I set out to learn from the last and to fly safer.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I can understand the frustration. The good part, you're hanging in there. Sooner or later, the answer will be found, be it easy or be it complicated. But only for those who continue to search.
 
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Angle. But this should be evident w the telemetry.
Also, it literally came down and touched the ground and went back up...on its own.
 
Last edited:
Now I'm a little bit lost. What was the initial problem? I understand it went up not down. Then the motor cut button was pressed. Exactly why?

br HE

At 20 feet up it was changing altitude on its own.
I didnt mention the toilet bowl I had seen, hoping someone might see it in the telemetry.
The 2nd flight it repeated the same behavior...it nearly touched the ground at this point I hit the kill switch, Id had enough...but the kill switch didnt happen right away and it was already launching itself back up in the air.
So at about 20 feet it went legs up and fell backward on itself.
Again, I didnt mention a couple of things, thinking they might be evident in the telemetry, but to me it sounds like the ecs issue that had been described to me previously, but Im just a newb looking for someone to tell me what went wrong...because everything about these 2 flights was wrong, and if this is normal then I need to pursue other options. But if Im in the wrong I intend to learn from it.
Also please note, I had a flyaway disconnect a couple weeks ago...I wasnt about to let that happen again, previously I could have put people in harms way, this time while testing i wasnt gonna be that afraid.
 
Toilet bowl effects are not seen in flight logs. But in both flights I can see the unmotivated changes at altitude. It's not clear why the sensors are incorrect but at the same time there are suspicius gaps in telemetry around one second but up to 3s. This unusual if it happens so often in a short time period.

Speculations:
- One explanation may be that flight controller is very busy and sending telemetry with lower priority will be postponed.
- Heavy load for processor in flight controller can be caused by too many wrong values from sensors that occupy the estimator too much.

What would I do?
- check sensors in GUI
- accelerometer calibration, easy to do
- check sensors again
- There was a process to calibrate the barometer somewhere in the forum. I do not recall were I have read it. It was something with refrigerator (cooling down the system). I hope someone else remember.

If it helps? I don't know. This also may be a HW fault and needs replacement.

br HE
 
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What would I do?
- check sensors in GUI
- accelerometer calibration, easy to do
- check sensors again
- There was a process to calibrate the barometer somewhere in the forum. I do not recall were I have read it. It was something with refrigerator (cooling down the system). I hope someone else remember.

If it helps? I don't know. This also may be a HW fault and needs replacement.

I checked everything as suggested even before my first flight...it crashed.
I went home to check diagnostics again on gui, everything checked out and all calibrations were performed again.
I did however do a test on the ecs's that I couldnt complete in time, at this point I did see a barometer error, I had to restart gui to do the ecs test and on reboot I never saw the barometer error again.
Went back to the field and wtched it crash again. This bird is cooked, there is no 3rd time for this unit.
"It may also be a WH fault"
...I dont know what this means?
Wiring harness??
 
I checked everything as suggested even before my first flight...it crashed.
I went home to check diagnostics again on gui, everything checked out and all calibrations were performed again.
I did however do a test on the ecs's that I couldnt complete in time, at this point I did see a barometer error, I had to restart gui to do the ecs test and on reboot I never saw the barometer error again.
Went back to the field and wtched it crash again. This bird is cooked, there is no 3rd time for this unit.
"It may also be a WH fault"
...I dont know what this means?
Wiring harness??
Did you every find out what went with your Drones ?
 
Did you every find out what went with your Drones ?

On the 2nd one, no, I never submitted a ticket w Yuneec on that one. I gave up hope of any kind of warranty, thinking because they were referbs.
BUT...BOTH ebay sellers took each back and issued full refunds, NO questions asked.
 
On the 2nd one, no, I never submitted a ticket w Yuneec on that one. I gave up hope of any kind of warranty, thinking because they were referbs.
BUT...BOTH ebay sellers took each back and issued full refunds, NO questions asked.
Thanks, I've been flying a Q500 for 3Yrs. and was wondering what the problem could have been. I've not had any major problems at moment ! It is a problem less aircraft pretty much not to do but set it up & Fly. Enjoy Your flying ahead, & Be Safe...
 

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