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Just crashed my I2 - what should I check before another flight.

Joined
May 16, 2017
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West Michigan
Learned the stopping distance in sport mode the hard way. It is a long distance! Smacked my I2 into a pile of sand and two props broke. Snapped right off. No damage to the airframe but sand everywhere. Used light compressed air to blow all that off and out and now I am wondering if there is anything else to check over. Any ideas? The good news is that only the red props broke and yes they were the ones that rattled. (mixed blessing I guess) Can I monitor the temps of the motors to see if anything is tweaked?
 
Did you have a gimbal mounted camera attached?


I haven't done what you have so I have no experience in this but I would personally do the following:


1 - full visual inspection of the entire RPA & the batteries, looking for any obvious damage to the air frame or parts. Pay attention to the arms for cracks as well as loose screws, any cables that are visible are not damaged

2 - turn the motors and note any resistance to movement (like sand in the motors). If there isn’t you'll need to take the prop mounting plates off and clean it out

3 - get rid of the White props, you have spares so just write them off

4 - power up without the props on and systems check, re-calibrate IMU, Compass, Gimbal (if required), check GPS connections, take note of the battery levels, any cell imbalances (if the batteries are damaged - you'll need to dispose of them safely)

5 - Cycle the landing gear (without the props on) and check movement

6 – In a safe space (without the potential of other people walking into the area) Props on and power up, then command motors on, leave running on the ground. You may want to anchor the landing gear down and do a throttle up power test. Take note of any sounds or vibrations that aren't "normal"

7 - If all is OK, do a low hover test, then slowly expanding the envelope to include turns and forward/backward flight


After that you’re going to have to take the plunge and start operating it as normal however I caution in the first few flights to ensure you are in a safe flying area (I know we always have to keep our distance from people but it’s even more important in this case – including your safety).
 
Thanks, good info - I did toss the other props. Figured they would have some kind of stress fractures. I blew out a small amount of sand from one of the motors and they all spin clean now. I had the X4S camera on and was luck enough to have it facing the opposite direction of impact. That I'm sure saved a scratched lens. Test flight this evening -
 
Thanks, good info - I did toss the other props. Figured they would have some kind of stress fractures. I blew out a small amount of sand from one of the motors and they all spin clean now. I had the X4S camera on and was luck enough to have it facing the opposite direction of impact. That I'm sure saved a scratched lens. Test flight this evening -

Get a good visual on the landing gear worm gear to make sure there is no sand on it. Lubing it with Tri-Flow Synthetic Grease is always a good idea.
 
Just as a caution - double check the prop mount plates & locks for fractures too as they may have had a shock via the props.

I ploughed my P4 into a treetop last weekend resulting in a tumble and various bits of damage to it - new body, landing gear and UV filter :(. Lost a prop too and although there didn't appear to be any damage to the prop mounts/locks I decided to replace them all too in case of any hidden stress fractures - like the props, they're only a few bucks for a pair, so thought I'd just replace them anyway. It's not worth wrecking the aircraft again for the sake of a few $$/££'s.
 
The torque the blades must transmit to the mounting plates and locks must be tremendous . It was like 4 weed wackers plowing into a sand/gravel pile at the same time. I'm surprised the motors didn't shear off. I've checked all the items mentioned above and am really happy with the integrity of the airframe. I did not expect this. I will replace the mounts and locks also as a precaution.
 

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