Lost My DJI Mini 3 Pro… Need Some Help Finding It?

Seeking Help
1

I recently lost my DJI Mini 3 Pro drone while flying. I was about 350 meters away, doing a hyperlapse at a low altitude. When the battery reached 50%, I tried to bring it back, but it wouldn’t respond to most commands. The RTH button didn’t work, and it eventually auto-landed.

I’ve searched the last known location on foot and by air, but I haven’t found it. The area is tough to navigate, and I’m not sure if I’m missing something.

Has anyone had a similar experience or knows how to recover a lost drone in this situation? Any advice on why the drone lost control or how to use flight logs and GPS would be helpful.

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2

Sorry to hear about your drone. You can try these steps:

  1. Go to the Flight Controller Settings and tap ‘Find My Drone’. An aircraft icon will show up on the map so you can see the drone’s last known location. You can also share this location with a QR code.

  2. Use the PinPoints feature in the flight records and map views to generate location info, and share it through a QR code.

  3. Scan the QR code with your phone to get the location and then use the map interface to track your drone.

Also, you can file a flyaway case on the DJI website. If the drone is under warranty, you can get free data analysis. Link to the DJI flyaway page

3

@Amir
Wow, that’s some great customer service right there. A 3-minute response is impressive. Whoever wrote that response deserves a raise!

4

Sam said:
@Amir
Wow, that’s some great customer service right there. A 3-minute response is impressive. Whoever wrote that response deserves a raise!

You sure this isn’t a bot replying?

5

@Adley
Even if it is a bot, it’s probably set up by someone, and they deserve that raise. Can’t beat fast service like that.

6

Sam said:
@Adley
Even if it is a bot, it’s probably set up by someone, and they deserve that raise. Can’t beat fast service like that.

Haha, I treated it like a bot too! But yeah, I guess it’s easy to set something like that up.

7

@Corey
Right, it’s not hard. It’s just rare to see good customer service like that nowadays. I’m just happy to be helped so quickly.

8

Did you try canceling the hyperlapse and then using RTH (Return to Home)?

9

Aris said:
Did you try canceling the hyperlapse and then using RTH (Return to Home)?

RTH should cancel all the previous commands and make the drone come back to you.

10

Aris said:
Did you try canceling the hyperlapse and then using RTH (Return to Home)?

Yeah, I tried, but by the time I thought about using RTH, the drone was already done with its flight. I even turned off my remote controller and turned it back on, but nothing changed.

11

You should file a flyaway report as soon as possible.

12

Quirin said:
You should file a flyaway report as soon as possible.

I’m planning to, but I still have hope that I might find it.

13

Corey said:

Quirin said:
You should file a flyaway report as soon as possible.

I’m planning to, but I still have hope that I might find it.

File the report first, and if you find the drone later, you can figure it out from there. You might need to hand it over to them if you do find it.

14

Do you have any footage or recordings? Also, did you check the flight log?

Apart from physically searching the area, there isn’t much else you can do.

If the drone had 50% battery and was 350m away, you might’ve been able to walk to it while it was still in the air.

15

@Zion
I was flying in a mountainous area, on top of a hill. The drone was only 350m away, but the terrain was too steep and full of cliffs, so it wasn’t possible to walk there.

I do have the flight log, and I’ve been using the last GPS coordinates to help guide my search. I couldn’t find it on my first attempt, but I’m going back tomorrow with a trail expert to help me get to the location.