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Flight Plan. No errors in it by the user but the drone crashes: does Anafi take responsibility?

Giuseppe99

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This is my second time to write to this forum. I am not new to drones, I own a Dji Mavic Mini (more than 70 flights) and a Parrot Anafi (more than 50 flights) and a few days ago I launched my Anafi in its 3rd flight as described in a Flight Plan. The drone, despite all safety margins, never completed the flight and never returned to the last point (close to departure). The video and control connection to the controller were lost at about 60 meters distance only. I did not get any GPS Trace or any info or statistics about the mission. I asked the Parrot Support for the Gps trace but in all the emails we exchanged they never actually answered my questions or provide any support. My impression is that Parrot Support is a FAKE, a legend, something that does not exist, at least this is my experience in Italy. The only point reported in the Support emails is "user error", "drone crash". My only purpose was to retrieve the drone SD card to understand better what happened for myself and for Parrot technicians. Nothing. How can Parrot Support make these statements without providing any proof, any documentation, any supporting data? From my side I supplied them the details of the Flight Plan, wind speed, the original and decompressed Android communication log file for the flight that proved that the drone behaviour was erratic after a couple of minutes. Did you go through the same experience?
 
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Luckily for you, this is no problem as you were flying visual line of sight and you could easily see where the drone crashed or dropped out of the sky!

so just get to the drone and retrieve the SD card: problem solved :)
 
Luckily for you, this is no problem as you were flying visual line of sight and you could easily see where the drone crashed or dropped out of the sky!

so just get to the drone and retrieve the SD card: problem solved :)
If the drone behaves all of a sudden erratically it is quite impossible to follow it below a certain height. It is even worse if it lost connection with you. Impossible of you get no data / gps trace or info from the drone or from Parrot Support. Once I was lucky to get after a while a gps trace that allowed me to pin point the tree where it crashed. We were 4 people looking for it in the tree with no success since it is black like any shadow and at that point it was not emitting any sound or wifi. Only by chance, the first person that was present casually at the time of crash focused more on the spot where the sound was emitted in the first hours and we found it in a very hidden point. In my case Parrot Support affirmed in this new case that it was a user error according to an investigation. I asked for any documentation of any nature for this affirmation / investigation and didn't get until now after 2 weeks any response whatsoever. Until today, there is completely no doc about this flight interrupted abruptly by radio disconnection.
 
Yes parrot support can be a challenge.
Were you able to to retrieve and review the json flight log
Is it possible that a prop broke causing the erratic behavior
 
Yes parrot support can be a challenge.
Were you able to to retrieve and review the json flight log
Is it possible that a prop broke causing the erratic behavior

he said it already crashed before so broken prop is very likely
 
"Crashed" is a big word, for eg. if the drone takes off from a pad on the ground but when it returns home hovering at 2 meters height and you land it in your hand turning it upside down to stop the motors, as someone recommended on youtube, Freeflight 6 records this end of flight as a "crash". Probably if the drone took off by hand it won't consider it a crash if you land it in your hand. Coming back to your question, I indeed retrieved and reviewed the .json file and the last recorded data in it was good as far as I can tell. I had just replaced the propellers carefully with original ones and tested it in a complete, few minutes flight and again in the failed flight before starting the flight plan. My best guess is that the drone does not really comply with the declared specifications, a wind gust intensity much lower than the declared has turned it upside down, interrupted the communications abruptly and the drone falled from the sky. If you are able to read the log file I can attach it.
 
Have you used the ShowAnafiLog software, h-elsner/showanafilog , written by a member here to view the .json file?

If you would like people who are experienced at reading the output of the software then you could attach the .json log to a post.
 
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Attached are the only files I got from my smartphone i.e. Android log file original compressed, decompressed file by me plus the Flight Plan. The first few minutes of the flight were dedicated to testing functionality (drone response to remote control commands) at a height of about 2 meters after I replaced the propellers. Afterwords, I started the flight plan attached. The drone lost video connection at about 60 meters away only from departure point but continued to feed the Android log file until it reached 105 meters height. According to the flight plan (geofence disabled), it was supposed first to go up 50 meters and from there to travel also horizontally to reach 100 meters height and then continue with the plan. Which is what it did except staying still at least 5 minutes at 105 meters height before stopping feed of the Android log file. No other info afterwards on my phone or by Anafi Support despite several attempts from my side.
 

Attachments

  • Decompressed 676ce957-a53f-4746-96a9-921bde69b9b8.txt
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  • savedPlan.json
    16.3 KB · Views: 3
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This is my second time to write to this forum. I am not new to drones, I own a Dji Mavic Mini (more than 70 flights) and a Parrot Anafi (more than 50 flights) and a few days ago I launched my Anafi in its 3rd flight as described in a Flight Plan. The drone, despite all safety margins, never completed the flight and never returned to the last point (close to departure). The video and control connection to the controller were lost at about 60 meters distance only. I did not get any GPS Trace or any info or statistics about the mission. I asked the Parrot Support for the Gps trace but in all the emails we exchanged they never actually answered my questions or provide any support. My impression is that Parrot Support is a FAKE, a legend, something that does not exist, at least this is my experience in Italy. The only point reported in the Support emails is "user error", "drone crash". My only purpose was to retrieve the drone SD card to understand better what happened for myself and for Parrot technicians. Nothing. How can Parrot Support make these statements without providing any proof, any documentation, any supporting data? From my side I supplied them the details of the Flight Plan, wind speed, the original and decompressed Android communication log file for the flight that proved that the drone behaviour was erratic after a couple of minutes. Did you go through the same experience?
Parrot support is fake I personally do not believe they are employed by Parrot directly and they will literally have no access information that would help anyone contacting them. I misplaced a drone a few months back it was my fault they tried ignoring me what I needed was the last known GPS they did not have that I was trying to be polite and the more there written words became arrogant which was great because They had described Parrot as a criminal organised group then my tone changed and told them get my data or all the last 4 to 5 e mail which you have admitted that parrot is an on going criminal enterprise. They sent me all the data within 1 hour.I have mis placed another I have said nothing about the last time but this I have told every bank stock market with get a written report of their actives .And what is so shocking Is that Parrot Anafi is designed elegant but the company is run like a fraud
 

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