Solo took off and hit a building. 3DR says it's my fault

[EricB]

Can someone help me sort out what went wrong? Which Bin files should I upload from my flight logs? (I see 1 thru 9, but the crash didn't happen on the most recent flight.)

For background, I have my Part 107 but I'm a relatively new pilot. I've had Solo's slow baby settings on for the last 15 to 20 flights while I learn the sticks.

I was flying at my mom's place in rural Oregon earlier this summer. I launched from her pasture which is surrounded by trees. Solo was flying great and I basically just took it up a ways, looked around, then descended. As I neared the ground, Solo made a beeline for a workshop that was about 15 feet away. I didn't tell it to move in that direction. I also couldn't act fast enough to stop it. The video is pretty hilarious, actually. My whole family waves at Solo as it's graciously descended. Then it suddenly flies sideways for a few seconds and slams into the building.

This also wasn't the first time this has happened. Solo took off toward a building earlier this summer when a friend was flying and a similar thing happened in slow motion.

But during that Oregon crash, Solo's hdmi cable port very slightly ripped off the gimbal circuit board thingy. I've flown several times since then and I still get video feed, but the gimbal can't stabilize.

I submitted a ticket to 3DR several weeks ago, and after much hassle (Solo couldn't send the logs for some reason/Tech support went MIA for more than a week) I finally got a ruling today. 3DR says I didn't act to avoid an obstacle in time. I'd be grateful if someone took a look at my logs to help explain what happened. If this was operator error, at the very least, I'd like to know what I could have done different. My gut suspects this was a GPS issue.

Here's 3DR's email:

Thanks for your patience. We were able to get the logs and check them, finding the incident on the RECENT-9.BIN file.

We checked the sensors and motors and found no issues with them, they all were working correctly. We also checked the autopilot and found it was properly following the user inputs. It seems like the pilot was unable to avoid the obstacle in time while landing, the inputs show the pilot tried going forward just a second before the unit crashed (green line) and before that, it only instructed Solo to rotate (orange line).

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Since the logs show the unit followed the user inputs until the moment it crashed and the incident wasn't caused by a hardware malfunction, I'm afraid we won't be able to cover the damage under warranty.

In this case, I recommend you to reach the repair center and get a replacement Gimbal, you can find their information below:
CURRENT UAS
www.currentuas.com
Phone: 619-880-7827​

 

[Acroduster]

The beginning of the FAQ in the help section of this site gives the setup to not have this happen again.

 

[USMC86]

That's some poor advice; they suggest you contact Current UAS and when you look at their website, it says that gimbals are " sold out." So much for their " advice."

 

[EricB]

Acroduster: Not sure what your comment is referencing. But if you're asking if my B button is preset to "Fly Manual," i learned about that after this crash.

USMC: That was my thought!!!! And now I'm wishing I would have just assumed they wouldn't cover it and bought a new gimbal while they were cheap.

 

[USMC86]

ERIC-
B&H this morning are selling the Solo/Gimbal/Extra battery for $274!
Just a gimbal at this point will cost you between $150-$250. You can always sell the Solo and extra battery and just keep the gimbal.

 

[USMC86]

B&H are selling Solo ONLY for $244

YOU WILL GET A GIMBAL AND EXTRA BATTERY FOR AN ADDITIONAL $30!!!!!

 

[carpy]

Hi Eric, download Wookiee from Google Play Store and post your logs to the cloud so we can take a look at them.

 

[Acroduster]

Acroduster: Not sure what your comment is referencing. But if you're asking if my B button is preset to "Fly Manual," i learned about that after this crash.

Yes, that is what I was referring to. What you describe has happened to me before, but I have never crashed because I've been able to regain control by switching to manual. Also, landing and taking off in manual mode is recommended.

 

[EricB]

USMC86: I just jumped on that! That's a killer price. THANKS!!!!! So at least now I'll have useful video again. I was starting to think I'd gotten in just in time to get a cheap Solo, but too late to build up the necessary spares.

Carpy: Awesome. I'll download Wookie when I get home tonight.

 

[USMC86]

Eric- cool. glad I could help.

 

[USMC86]

Eric-
Just spoke to B&H and they are saying they made a mistake- the package states it comes with a gimbal , but when you look at what's in the box- it does not! I cancelled order and they took $50 off of the backpack package-
Solo/pre-installed gimbal/backpack for $349. Customer Service says that is the only way to get a gimbal from B&H at this point. So cancel your order now so you aren't disappointed tomorrow- barter and see what they can do for you. Sorry

 

[EricB]

I'll give them a call. Thanks.

Here's the flight log that 3DR converted from BIN and sent back to me. Initially, they'd given me the wrong date but it does now appear this is the proper flight log. I have no idea how to read it, however.

Any help would be graciously accepted.

 

[EricB]

FWIW - B&H gave me the Gimbal & Backpack combo for $350 because of the mistake. I tried to get them to just send me a Solo with their LAST gimbal, which is used for the $275. But they said the lowest they could go was ~$350 for that too. So I just took the backpack even though I already have one.

 

[just_bruce]

They didn't even offer me the backpack combo. I feel...like less of a man <sniff>

 

[EricB]

just_bruce: They just canceled your order? Bummer! You could call and hassle them. It took like 45 minutes of hold time over three calls. It seemed like this was the arrangement they'd settled on offering people. That $274 deal was up for a long time this morning so I'm sure we're not the only ones.

 

[just_bruce]

Enh. I'm just gonna see what shows up in the box. Who knows, might contain gimbally goodness. And no, I cancelled my order, they just offered nothing in recompense. But I wasn't that dependent on the deal.

 

[EricB]

Even after all my wrangling today, I'm still not positive what B&H is sending. I now have 5 order confirmations over 7 hours for different combinations of Solos, gimbal, spare battery and backpack.

 

[xman4242]

Even after all my wrangling today, I'm still not positive what B&H is sending. I now have 5 order confirmations over 7 hours for different combinations of Solos, gimbal, spare battery and backpack.

What did you get?

 

[3drphan]

I bought a solo assuming 3DR wouldn't help with anything as they are a tiny operation now with a few folks down in San Diego.

The SOLO is an owners maintenance drone now.

 

[EricB]

What did you get?

They sent me two Solos and a spare battery -- no gimbal. LOL I called and got put on hold forever, then told someone would call back. That never happened.

But I did end up buying an MRO-upgraded Solo with gimbal locally for $200, so all is well.

ON THE LOGS:

Can anyone tell me what the one I posted above means???