Automatic flight modes
Intelligent flight modes like Follow Me or Orbit can be useful for shooting videos, but since these modes are designed to fly automatically, a drone can still crash into undetected objects. Make sure to check the flight area first before launching a drone in an automatic flight mode, or just fly manual for more control.
Screenshot from Billy Kyle’s video.
Sport Mode
Some DJI drones are built with Sport Mode, which basically makes the drone go faster. Since drones have some form of screen delay, flying drones faster can be more dangerous. To avoid a crash, fly full speed when the area is guaranteed safe.
Batteries
Most consumer drones are designed to automatically fly back to home point or emergency land once a battery reaches a low level, but emergency landing in water is still considered a crash. Make sure to check the battery level to see if it is enough for a full flight.
Wind
Even though consumer drones are designed to withstand winds, flying against winds can drain batteries faster and reduce overall flight performance. If a drone slows down during a return flight because of wind, it might not make it back. Using Sport Mode or going faster can help the drone fly better in high winds, but be careful since this mode will also drain the battery faster.
Interference
Drones that are rated to fly for miles can only reach their full potential when there is little to no interference. Drones can easily lose their signals in cities or places with a lot of interfering signals like Wi-Fi, and if that happens, crashes are prone to happen. Some drones are designed with switchable operating channels, so make sure to check which channel is best for the local area before taking off.
Pilot error
Even with the most advanced features installed on the latest drone, sometimes a crash can happen simply because of pilot error. If a drone pilot gets nervous, mistakes can happen, so just practice flying and gradually increase the distance until confidence is gained.
Drone crashes
These top 10 reasons why drone crashes happen were first featured on Tony & Chelsea Northrup’s YouTube video.
