Hey guys, I just got my first drone yesterday, the DJI Mini 3, and everything was going great until today. During a flight, around 1500m away from me, the drone started losing signal. I tried getting it closer, but even then, it kept losing connection. I pressed the ‘Return to Home’ button, but it ignored that and just started descending, even though I was still connected. Then it completely lost signal. After about 10 minutes of searching, I was able to briefly connect again, but by the time I got there, nothing. Now I’m out a drone, an SD card, and about 500 bucks. Anyone have any advice or suggestions on what I can do?
Man, sorry to hear you’re going through this. From what I can gather, keep searching the area, especially high spots. It might have dropped somewhere hard to spot. You could try pulling the flight log from the app or controller to see if it gives you an idea of where it might be. It could also help to post this issue on the Mavic forums for extra advice. If you have DJI Care, they might be able to help you out with this.
@Reese
Thanks for the reply. I’ll go check again tomorrow, but I don’t have high hopes. It landed in a pretty busy area, so if it was visible, someone probably took it. The whole thing with the drone ignoring my input is just so strange. Amazon didn’t want to refund it without the drone itself. I did reach out to DJI, but I’ve heard on this forum before that they rarely accept malfunction claims. Not sure what to do next, maybe the bank can help?
Sorry to hear about your drone. You can submit a flyaway case to DJI, and they should offer a solution. If there’s any doubt about the cause, they can also do a data analysis if the drone is within its warranty. Here’s the link: https://repair.dji.com/us/repair/flyaway.
Lol, so you’re thinking about getting the bank involved? How do you plan on doing that?
JacksonHarper4 said:
Lol, so you’re thinking about getting the bank involved? How do you plan on doing that?
[deleted]
JacksonHarper4 said:
Lol, so you’re thinking about getting the bank involved? How do you plan on doing that?
[deleted]
Honestly, you probably should just contact DJI directly and report the flyaway. Keep it simple, just say you lost signal and couldn’t retrieve it. Avoid giving too much extra info. It’ll help your case.
What was your lost signal setting? Did you have it set to hover, land, or RTH (Return to Home)? That might be important.
Vesper said:
What was your lost signal setting? Did you have it set to hover, land, or RTH (Return to Home)? That might be important.
It was set to RTH (Return to Home).
You were able to maintain line of sight from 1 mile away? That’s impressive, I can barely spot mine after a few hundred meters!
So, you didn’t have Return to Home on and decided to send your drone out beyond your sight? Then it disappears and you have no idea where it went? That sounds like a case of pilot error, not a malfunction. Karma’s got you.
@Morgan
What? I did have Return to Home on. It just didn’t work. That’s the problem. It’s called a MALFUNCTION. I know exactly what happened. And no, it didn’t just ‘disappear,’ whatever that means.
Will said:
@Morgan
What? I did have Return to Home on. It just didn’t work. That’s the problem. It’s called a MALFUNCTION. I know exactly what happened. And no, it didn’t just ‘disappear,’ whatever that means.
Where is the drone? You are responsible for it from takeoff to landing. If you don’t have it now, it’s gone. It could’ve crashed or anything. You sent it too far out of your sight, and that’s why it disconnected. That’s your fault, not a malfunction.
@Morgan
I’m not even going to argue with you. You’re not making any sense. Look up what a malfunction means before accusing me of being irresponsible. Drones are meant to fly distances, not just hover in front of me.
@Will
The range you’re talking about is under ideal conditions. If you were 1500m away, that’s pushing the limits. Most drones can’t handle that distance under normal circumstances. You’re a newbie, and you pushed your drone too far. Don’t buy another one until you learn how to fly properly.
@Morgan
I’m not sure what your issue is with the distance, but the drone is advertised to go 10km under good conditions. So no, I wasn’t exceeding its limits. The problem was the drone not accepting my input even though it was still connected. It malfunctioned, end of story.
@Will
If it was right in front of you, you wouldn’t have lost signal. Line of sight also includes radio signal. Sending a drone 1500m away from you is too far. It’s a stretch. You’re lucky if it ever worked that far.
@Morgan
Look, I did everything right. The RTH was set up properly, and I tested it. The drone malfunctioned, simple as that. I’m not going to argue with you anymore.
Will said:
@Morgan
Look, I did everything right. The RTH was set up properly, and I tested it. The drone malfunctioned, simple as that. I’m not going to argue with you anymore.
You lost it on your first day. I’ve been flying drones for years, and I’ve never had this happen. Maybe it’s time to take a step back and do some research before your next flight.
@Morgan
Your comments are so unhelpful. If you think this was a simple case of pilot error, you’re wrong. The drone malfunctioned. I’ve done my research and set everything up correctly. It’s unfortunate this happened on the first day, but I stand by my experience.