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Trying To Learn From Near Death Experience

Joined
Mar 29, 2019
Messages
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Age
62
Hi all

Looking for advice on how to interpret a recent near lose of my H.

Unremarkable day. Sever clear, no wind, good battery, 20 sats locked, good Kp, country location. System checks in hover after T/O all good. H holding position within +/-1/2 meter.

Flew out 600 meters directly away from me. Nominal performance of camera and drone. Turned 90 degrees to start box pattern. Then problems started.

Drone dud a wobble/dip and began steady drift west for about 100 meters. Post flight analysis or telemetry data shows batt, gps good. FsK_rssi goes orange to red to black ( no bars at all) then recovers to red.

RTH selected and drone rotated to home bearing and climbed to RTH altitude of 60 meters. Achieved 29 mph ground speed ( nominal)

At about 300 meters out' the drone experienced either a prop failure or a bird strike. Video on the ST16 showed the drone spinning but maintaining altitude and course/ ground speed to home.

Seconds later, the drone commenced a rapid descent from 60meters. Lost video at 39 meters. Lost telemetry at 16 meter altitude. Analysis showed descentcrste of 10meters per second over last 2 seconds.

Crash site was in a swampy brush area. No easy access. Took 3 hours to get to the last lat/log position and back and included wading a cross a waist deep stream.

Fortunately, the drone was within a meter or two of its last telemetry signal. Even better, it landed on a thicket of bullrushes keeping it out of the swamp. Nothing got wet.

4 props were destroyed. 3 were on the side the drone tipped over to and both blades were gone. 1 on the high side was missing only 1 blade. The top cover vinyl skin had a s or mark on it a beam the skin bladed propeller.

Pulling the video card shows the drone crashing. After the accident,it continued to record 15 mins of bullrushes at 90degree angle until the battery ran out.

I have since replaced all 6 props and test flown her in all modes.

To my questions:

The FSK_rssi issu concerns me. I was in the middle of nowhere, 60 meters up, and had LOS. I'm not sure if I have drone or ST16 antenna issuebrewing.

The telemetry file did not show any motor errors due to the prop failure. In a past prop failure, the telemetry clearly indicated a prop/motor failure and the drone did RTH (although flying like a drunk sailor).

The only error codes recorded in the telemetry file are very short durationvompass errors ( 5 total averaging 1 sec each.....most shortly after takeoff and one immediately as telemetry was lost as the drone dropped below the tree line.

And damage?
1) setof props
2) cracked lower gimbal base
3) displayed CG03+ body alcove

All easy fixes

Any thoughts? Advice on the FSK issue?

20200520_134757.jpg
 

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Reactions: Pablo de la Fuente
Hope your not using the Cheap Aftermarket Props, they are notorious for Breaking Mid Flight and if 1 snaps off the others follow suit, Genuine Yuneec Props have the Word "YUNEEC" imprinted on the Top of Each Propeller.
 
Props were OEM. I suspect one may have had pre-existing damage. It had a different fracture surface than the ones sheared on the ground.

I retired the remaining two "good" props out of caution.
 
I suspect one may have had pre-existing damage.
That is entirely possible. Periodically I examine the props and flex each blade looking for cracks like you describe. Thankfully your H found a soft landing spot even though it was a difficult retrieval.
 
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Reactions: Mike Irish

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