Fell out of sky

[scubagirl1961]

My son took his Karma to a church retreat this weekend. He got the drone for Christmas. We live in Ohio, so with the snowy weather, he literally has only flown it about 5 times. I have watched him fly it from our yard through our subdivision. He does a fine job with it.
So, he takes it up without videotaping. The battery was fully charged and he flew it for about 5 minutes. He says he had it on "auto return/land" or something like that (I'm not versed in Karma language). It was up maybe 100 feet. All of a sudden it just shot out and crashed. He and some of his friends were able to locate it and his GoPro Hero 5. Two of the arms and the gimbal were destroyed.

I went through the 20 questions, submitted pictures and serial numbers to GoPro yesterday. They also got the flight log. They said they have been reviewing the flight log and will get back to me within 2 business days.

I bought him the drone for Christmas from Best Buy (still paying on it!). I did not get the extra coverage on it either. We are both sick about this since this was not a cheap purchase!

I am here seeking guidance and advice. What are the chances of them either replacing the whole drone or at least the 2 arms and gimbal (which would cost about $350)?

I really appreciate any assistance you can offer. Thanks.

 

[flighttime90]

My son had a very similar thing happen to him this weekend. He got his for Christmas and has only used a handful of times. I've been in touch with GoPro and jumped through all the hoops with the info they needed. We did not have the GoPro extended warranty, so I am anxious to see what they do. The thing isn't even paid off yet. Got it at Best Buy and used the 18 month same as cash option. Did you hear back on your issue from them and how did they handle it? Thanks.

Once I sent it off I didn't hear anything relating to the case until the other day saying that the drone has been received and I will have the replacement by Thursday. However, throughout the process I tried to maintain contact with them in regards to what stage they were at and never could get an answer but im probably going to sell it soon as i get it back.

 

[scubagirl1961]

Once I sent it off I didn't hear anything relating to the case until the other day saying that the drone has been received and I will have the replacement by Thursday. However, throughout the process I tried to maintain contact with them in regards to what stage they were at and never could get an answer but im probably going to sell it soon as i get it back.

Did they say what caused your crash?

 

[member 1016]

Did you hear back on your issue from them and how did they handle it? Thanks.

It looks like GoPro handled the replacement under warranty, which should be the case for you as well. If you've already made contact with them and uploaded your flight logs, they'll reply when they reach a verdict. If it in fact lost total power during a flight, I have to imagine they will cover it.

Note- they're on about a month lead for replacements. My latest defective unit delivered to them on April 10th and a replacement has yet to ship out. Better pack a lunch.

 

[scubagirl1961]

It looks like GoPro handled the replacement under warranty, which should be the case for you as well. If you've already made contact with them and uploaded your flight logs, they'll reply when they reach a verdict. If it in fact lost total power during a flight, I have to imagine they will cover it.

Note- they're on about a month lead for replacements. My latest defective unit delivered to them on April 10th and a replacement has yet to ship out. Better pack a lunch.

That sounds encouraging... thanks!

 

[scubagirl1961]

Well... the response from GoPro was not encouraging at all. Anyone have any suggestions:

"Good day. Our team has finished reviewing the flight logs of the drone. Based on the flight logs, we noticed that the KARMA drone initiated the correct procedures and performed as expected.

We have seen on the flight logs that the drone was launched without obtaining GPS. There was no GPS signal prior to launch and throughout the entire flight. Logs also confirmed that the controller is still responding with the drone but during mid flight, the link was weak.

Launching Karma without GPS will not enable the drone to hover in its current position and hold it in place. This is the reason, why it would veer once they took off. Since there is no GPS Karma would not be able to return to the launch location or return to the controller because it "does not know its own location in space". Hence why GPS is important. We do see that you attempted to initiate an Auto Land command. By this time, it was too late for the drone to respond.

Loss of or lack of GPS is not a manufacturing defect but is a result of environmental effects such as a poor calibration, or lack of calibration, Wi-Fi interference, and even buildings. It is a common practice in the drone community to calibrate whenever changing flight locations because it allows the drone to fully synchronize to the surrounding geographical environment. It also gives the drone more time to obtain a GPS signal. In these situations, it is the user’s responsibility to take action in flying Karma without the position hold feature and land the drone manually and not rely on anything else.

While I am aware that we may have read similar occurrences just as what you have reported, we are treating each case individually based on the result of thorough investigation. I understand that this is not the best experience one has to go through. As I would hate to leave the situation as it is, I would like to request for additional photos that showcases the entire drone (that shows the damages incurred). Also, If you can provide me your best call back number so we can also talk over the phone and discuss a possible resolution."

 

[scubagirl1961]

It looks like GoPro handled the replacement under warranty, which should be the case for you as well. If you've already made contact with them and uploaded your flight logs, they'll reply when they reach a verdict. If it in fact lost total power during a flight, I have to imagine they will cover it.

Note- they're on about a month lead for replacements. My latest defective unit delivered to them on April 10th and a replacement has yet to ship out. Better pack a lunch.

Got this "not encouraging" response from GoPro...

"Good day. Our team has finished reviewing the flight logs of the drone. Based on the flight logs, we noticed that the KARMA drone initiated the correct procedures and performed as expected.

We have seen on the flight logs that the drone was launched without obtaining GPS. There was no GPS signal prior to launch and throughout the entire flight. Logs also confirmed that the controller is still responding with the drone but during mid flight, the link was weak.

Launching Karma without GPS will not enable the drone to hover in its current position and hold it in place. This is the reason, why it would veer once they took off. Since there is no GPS Karma would not be able to return to the launch location or return to the controller because it "does not know its own location in space". Hence why GPS is important. We do see that you attempted to initiate an Auto Land command. By this time, it was too late for the drone to respond.

Loss of or lack of GPS is not a manufacturing defect but is a result of environmental effects such as a poor calibration, or lack of calibration, Wi-Fi interference, and even buildings. It is a common practice in the drone community to calibrate whenever changing flight locations because it allows the drone to fully synchronize to the surrounding geographical environment. It also gives the drone more time to obtain a GPS signal. In these situations, it is the user’s responsibility to take action in flying Karma without the position hold feature and land the drone manually and not rely on anything else.

While I am aware that we may have read similar occurrences just as what you have reported, we are treating each case individually based on the result of thorough investigation. I understand that this is not the best experience one has to go through. As I would hate to leave the situation as it is, I would like to request for additional photos that showcases the entire drone (that shows the damages incurred). Also, If you can provide me your best call back number so we can also talk over the phone and discuss a possible resolution."

 

[member 1016]

I just re-read your full description of what happened and I have to be honest with you- I don't think GoPro is going to cover this under warranty. The original poster for this thread said their Karma dropped out of the sky (indicating a total power loss as though the battery disconnected). The experience your son had indicates that the GPS signal was already weak at some point (I see there's a mention that the Karma took off without GPS lock) and when the Karma loses it's GPS or compass bearing, it essentially loses control and begins to veer wildly. I had this happen twice in mid flight and it has essentially made me swear off the Karma for good.

I'm not pointing the blame at your son but I can almost guarantee you they're going to ask next if he calibrated the compass before take off. And if the answer is no, as it was when I crashed my Karma, GoPro will assume no fault with the drone and pass on the burden of repair to you.

I hope, I really do hope, they repair the drone and camera for you under warranty but I think it's more likely they will tell you to either buy the extended warranty and then pay the accidental damage deductible to replace the failed parts (around $300) or they're going to tell you to purchase replacement parts since it's outside of 2 months from the original purchase. If they tell you to just replace the parts, I strongly recommend just buying your son a Mavic Air or DJI Spark because it will cost nearly as much and they are much more reliable drones.

 

[member 1016]

ALL THAT SAID - I would take the phone call with them and politely ask if an exception could be made and have this covered under warranty. I know it's easy to lose our tempers on the phone with these folks- I have had my fair share of "so let me get this straight..." conversations with GoPro over the course of the last two months spent trying to get a working replacement for the Karma I crashed back in March but I've gotten a lot further by keeping my cool with them.

 

[scubagirl1961]

ALL THAT SAID - I would take the phone call with them and politely ask if an exception could be made and have this covered under warranty. I know it's easy to lose our tempers on the phone with these folks- I have had my fair share of "so let me get this straight..." conversations with GoPro over the course of the last two months spent trying to get a working replacement for the Karma I crashed back in March but I've gotten a lot further by keeping my cool with them.

Thanks for your input. I did have a conversation with a young woman for a while yesterday. She was very sympathetic and I got into more details about what happened. She did see that my son had a handful of "successful" flights before the crash. Since he just got it for Christmas and we live in Cleveland (snow and winter), he had not had many opportunities to fly it. He said that the controller normally asks or says to recalibrate and use the GPS, but on Saturday it did not. I told her that he did his homework and watched videos before using the thing. I have seen him fly it much higher and out of sight in our subdivision with no problem. She did reassure me that she would get back with me within 48 hours with an approval on a resolution.

Then a few hours later the original technician I was working finally calls me back stating they can replace the gimbal and the propellers, but not the arms ($100 worth of parts). I asked him what if there is internal damage to the drone and then it still won't work. I also told him I had talked to another person at GoPro earlier in the day and he said that she would now be handling my case.

So.... I am hoping she gets back with me saying they will at least replace the whole drone and the gimbal.

I will keep you updated... thanks again for your advice and encouragement. I am trying to stay diligent with them...

 

[member 1016]

Glad to hear you're making progress! Are they replacing the camera as well?

I called in yesterday to get an update on my replacement and had to end up escalating to a Case Manager. They were very nice and even called me back when our call got disconnected. Woke up this morning to a notification that I'm receiving my replacement karma on Friday (finally!)

 

[scubagirl1961]

Glad to hear you're making progress! Are they replacing the camera as well?

I called in yesterday to get an update on my replacement and had to end up escalating to a Case Manager. They were very nice and even called me back when our call got disconnected. Woke up this morning to a notification that I'm receiving my replacement karma on Friday (finally!)

Surprisingly, the camera and battery/battery casing were not damaged! Thanks goodness! I am praying that they just replace the entire drone. It wasn't like he was being reckless and he was really being careful and following what he thought was a flight plan for a short (low height) flight. I'll keep you posted on what they decide. Glad for you getting your replacement Friday. How long did the whole process take you again?

 

[member 1016]

This is a bit of a long story but here's a loose timeline-

• I crashed the drone on March 10th (it was deemed my fault, so I bought GoPro Care for the Karma and paid the deductible to get a replacement)
• I received the replacement drone on or around March 29th, took it on its first flight and it lost compass bearing and I had to make an emergency landing. GoPro determined there was a defect with the drone and I shipped it back to them
• Defective drone delivered to them on April 10th
• After countless calls and finally escalating, I received a notification this morning, May 9th, that the second replacement is shipped and will deliver Friday

Full disclosure- I plan to take the drone to a park on Saturday just to make sure it flies without issue and then I'm selling it. I've already bought a DJI Spark and other than the camera not being nearly as good as the Hero 5 or 6, it's so much more stable than I've experienced with the Karma.

I think GoPro had a very promising drone here but it's quite obvious why they're leaving the drone market and there will not be a Karma 2.

 

[scubagirl1961]

This is a bit of a long story but here's a loose timeline-

• I crashed the drone on March 10th (it was deemed my fault, so I bought GoPro Care for the Karma and paid the deductible to get a replacement)
• I received the replacement drone on or around March 29th, took it on its first flight and it lost compass bearing and I had to make an emergency landing. GoPro determined there was a defect with the drone and I shipped it back to them
• Defective drone delivered to them on April 10th
• After countless calls and finally escalating, I received a notification this morning, May 9th, that the second replacement is shipped and will deliver Friday

Full disclosure- I plan to take the drone to a park on Saturday just to make sure it flies without issue and then I'm selling it. I've already bought a DJI Spark and other than the camera not being nearly as good as the Hero 5 or 6, it's so much more stable than I've experienced with the Karma.

I think GoPro had a very promising drone here but it's quite obvious why they're leaving the drone market and there will not be a Karma 2.

So, if I purchased the drone at the beginning of December, will they let me purchase the GoPro Care now? If they come back and say they can only replace certain things (i.e. Gimbal and propellers) and the drone itself does not work properly and, of course, I need to purchase 2 arms for the existing drone that will cost me $100, is it worth getting the GoPro Care (if they let me) and then paying the deductible? How much would the two of those things cost me? From what I see, the GoPro Care is $149 and the replacement cost is $159, which would total $308. It still sickens me to think about paying that, since I still owe over $600 on the drone itself

 

[member 1016]

If you plan to keep the drone and they will let you get GoPro Care, I guess you could make that purchase. They normally only allow you to get GoPro Care in the first two months. But also, if nothing is damaged internally on the Karma Core, you're only out $100 now for the wings.

Also I should add, I had them refund me the original GoPro Care purchase (or a prorated amount since I had it for a month) because I am selling the drone and moving on and I didn't want the extra step of transferring the warranty to whomever buys my replacement drone.

I hate to be so down on the Karma, especially in a forum of Karma enthusiasts, but I have severe doubts on how long this thing is going to be supported and / or keep flying.

 

[scubagirl1961]

If you plan to keep the drone and they will let you get GoPro Care, I guess you could make that purchase. They normally only allow you to get GoPro Care in the first two months. But also, if nothing is damaged internally on the Karma Core, you're only out $100 now for the wings.

Also I should add, I had them refund me the original GoPro Care purchase (or a prorated amount since I had it for a month) because I am selling the drone and moving on and I didn't want the extra step of transferring the warranty to whomever buys my replacement drone.

I hate to be so down on the Karma, especially in a forum of Karma enthusiasts, but I have severe doubts on how long this thing is going to be supported and / or keep flying.

Ha! no worry about the bad press on the Karma. The only reason I got our son the Karma is because he already had the GoPro Hero 5. I'm beginning to wonder if I made a bade choice... you would think for the price that it would be a little bit more reliable.

 

[member 1016]

Yeah I got the Karma because I had a Hero 6, which I still think is an amazing camera.

I think if you can get the drone repaired and back in the air, you should be fine. I have learned a few things, the Karma being my first drone and all, and so I'll share them here-

1. You're going to crash your drone. There's no avoiding it and either it will be a costly repair (up to and including the price of the drone itself) or it's a manufacturing defect covered by warranty. Either way, it's a stressful situation considering it could cause harm to another person or property
2. Weather and environment will effect your drone. I'm probably over cautious but I now calibrate the compass whenever I change takeoff locations with any drone (the first thing GoPro support has asked me on multiple drone failures is whether this was done). I would also check KP Index to see if there's any high readings (there are apps that do this, I use one from PolarPro)
3. Not all drones are created equal and cost of the drone does not always equate to reliability. My $250 refurb Spark has so far been way more reliable than the $600 Karma I bought in February. I have had one disconnect incident where the Spark completely lost transmission to my remote- I actually thought maybe it lost power and fell into a lake but I actually had just lost line of sight to the drone from the controller. Next thing I saw was the drone pop up to a safe height, all on its own, and then fly directly back to my launch point

Anyways, I don't want to belabor these point any further. I think for the most part, the Karma is a good drone and in your situation, sticking with it for now is the best option. Let us know if you need any more guidance!

 

[scubagirl1961]

Yeah I got the Karma because I had a Hero 6, which I still think is an amazing camera.

I think if you can get the drone repaired and back in the air, you should be fine. I have learned a few things, the Karma being my first drone and all, and so I'll share them here-

1. You're going to crash your drone. There's no avoiding it and either it will be a costly repair (up to and including the price of the drone itself) or it's a manufacturing defect covered by warranty. Either way, it's a stressful situation considering it could cause harm to another person or property
2. Weather and environment will effect your drone. I'm probably over cautious but I now calibrate the compass whenever I change takeoff locations with any drone (the first thing GoPro support has asked me on multiple drone failures is whether this was done). I would also check KP Index to see if there's any high readings (there are apps that do this, I use one from PolarPro)
3. Not all drones are created equal and cost of the drone does not always equate to reliability. My $250 refurb Spark has so far been way more reliable than the $600 Karma I bought in February. I have had one disconnect incident where the Spark completely lost transmission to my remote- I actually thought maybe it lost power and fell into a lake but I actually had just lost line of sight to the drone from the controller. Next thing I saw was the drone pop up to a safe height, all on its own, and then fly directly back to my launch point

Anyways, I don't want to belabor these point any further. I think for the most part, the Karma is a good drone and in your situation, sticking with it for now is the best option. Let us know if you need any more guidance!

Thank you so much! Your advice, tips, and encouragement have helped immensely while waiting on their decision. I'll let you know what they end of up doing... have a great day!

 

[DJinPA]

I had a similar experience this past week, with good customer service results. The drone complained about compass interference, and told me to move or recalibrate. (Lesson learned, ALWAYS calibrate). I moved it a short distance and was cleared to fly. I took the drone up about 100 feet and got a "loss of GPS" message, and advised to land manually. When I did so, the drone didn't respond to instructions, and the controller told me there was a loss of signal and the drone would land in place. Except it didn't. It just flew away! Never to be seen again! I uploaded the logs, which were reviewed and determined to be a compass malfunction, and GP has sent me a new drone with a new camera, expected tomorrow. Great customer service. I just hope the second one doesn't have the same issue!

 

[member 1016]

It's unfortunately becoming a common experience. Mine didn't fly away but it started drifting erratically. Luckily I chased after and was able to get it under control for a quick landing. Looking at the footage, it seemed the drone was tilted in it's flight constantly banking to the left. This meant that if I told it to gain altitude it was doing so at a diagonal away from me (I was to the right of the drone and trying to clear obstacles as I brought it back to me).

Man, I get a replacement tomorrow and I'm almost scared to even fly it 10 ft above ground lolol!

Edit: I too was getting a compass error and GoPro reviewed the flight logs, determining there was a defect.