Why did my drone skip RTH and force land?

I charged my DJI smart flight battery just before the flight, but it had been sitting unused for a while before that. Everything seemed fine during preflight—over 20 satellites, RTH updated, and the checklist looked good. But mid-flight, it skipped RTH and went into a forced landing. Has anyone experienced this? Any tips?

Did your battery sit unused for a long time? In cold weather, it’s always a good idea to give the batteries a fresh charge on the day of your flight.

Jesse said:
Did your battery sit unused for a long time? In cold weather, it’s always a good idea to give the batteries a fresh charge on the day of your flight.

I charged them just before the flight, but yeah, they did sit for a while before that.

Did you have RTH set? Always do a safety preflight check.

Devi said:
Did you have RTH set? Always do a safety preflight check.

If the battery drops to 10% or below, it skips RTH and goes into a forced landing procedure.

Devi said:
Did you have RTH set? Always do a safety preflight check.

I had more than 20 satellites and updated the RTH location during preflight. It just skipped RTH mid-flight.

Was it a knock-off battery or an official DJI one?

Parker said:
Was it a knock-off battery or an official DJI one?

It’s an official DJI smart flight battery.

Parker said:
Was it a knock-off battery or an official DJI one?

Was your RTH set to a safe height to avoid obstacles? Either way, that’s so unfortunate. I’d be sick if it happened to me.

@Parker
Yes, everything was set and double-checked after hovering for a bit. It even updated RTH before takeoff.

Cold batteries can cause voltage drops. If you don’t warm them first, the drone can shut off mid-flight. I had a similar issue with my old Phantom.

Keir said:
Cold batteries can cause voltage drops. If you don’t warm them first, the drone can shut off mid-flight. I had a similar issue with my old Phantom.

How do you warm a battery?

@Julius
I keep my drone on the passenger seat with the seat warmer on. For larger jobs, I use a heated trailer for all my equipment. It’s a lifesaver in Minnesota.

I go up about 25 feet during preflight to let it update everything before flying.

I’ve used knock-off batteries and never had any issues with them.

Cold weather can drain the battery quickly once you’re in the air. It’s definitely something to watch out for.