Last updated on November 11th, 2024 at 07:57 am
Drone accidents are sometimes unavoidable. They can happen because of a mistake you make, but they can also occur because of something out of your control. Even among the most skilled drone pilots, accidents aren’t at all rare. Being prepared for a drone accident is as important as being careful with your drone. Because of this, we are here to inform you what to do when you crash your drone.
Recover The Drone
First and foremost, if you crash your drone in a populated area and cause harm to another person, you must notify authorities as soon as possible. That said, the next thing you should do should be drone retrieval. Depending on where you were flying it, this may be easier said than done. To retrieve your drone, you can use the GPS or any other tracking device you may have connected to it. First, remove the battery and inspect it for apparent damage when your drone is in hand. Anything, including dents and external or interior swelling, should not be overlooked.
Assess The Damage
As previously said, the first step after crashing your drone is to retrieve it. If you follow the proper drone flying procedure, you should have no problems with this. After you’ve recovered your drone, you should do a thorough damage examination. You should:
- Inspect the drone body: First, check for any apparent damage to the drone’s body. Then, check to see if all the parts are still intact. If that is not the case, try finding the parts that came off the drone.
- Inspect the propellers: Look closer at them to see if anything is stuck inside them. Depending on your model, you may need to open the drone to check if everything is in order.
- Check all the wires: Finally, when you inspect your drone for damage after a crash, ensure all the cables are still there. To do this, you must open the drone and look inside.
Insurance And Care Refresh
If you have a care refresh package with your drone, you can replace your broken drone. Care refresh doesn’t have a limit on how damaged the drone is. They will give you a new drone. This is the most significant benefit of having care refresh. However, to do this, you must have the body of your drone. If you cannot recover the body, you won’t be able to claim care refresh. With that said, with newer drone releases, DJI has included Flyaway coverage, which covers the drone even if you cannot retrieve it. There is an additional fee compared to the standard care refresh package, but it enables you to receive a replacement drone at a much lower price.
Having some form of insurance on your drone is always a good idea. If you don’t have a warranty or the warranty has expired, you will be responsible for the repair costs.
How To Go About Repairs
You don’t have to worry if the drone repair is beyond your abilities. There are many reputable repair shops out there that can help you out. The obvious thing you can do is return it to the manufacturer. But before you do that, you should check online to find out if your area has an authorized drone repair facility or retail partner. In most cases, contacting a nearby repair shop and seeing if they can fix your drone is a good idea.
Having said that, drone repair times when you send the drone to the manufacturer can be lengthy due to a backlog of drones waiting for attention. You can expect it to be kept on hold for an extended period. Because of this, there’s no harm in taking your drone to an unlicensed repair shop. These shops frequently offer competitive repair prices and are much faster than licensed shops.
Prevent Future Crashes
It would be a good idea to have proper pre-flight preparations to reduce the possibility of future crashes. This entails taking a few steps before each flight, such as:
- Examining your drone: Make sure there are no visible cracks, irregularities, or damage on the outside of the drone.
- Choosing the proper take-off and landing zones: Make sure the area where your drone will take off and land is entirely flat.
- Looking at the weather forecast: Bad weather can often come out of nowhere, so ensure the sky is clear before flying your drone.
- Being conscious of the battery’s life: Top off the battery on your drone before you fly it, even if you don’t plan on flying it for a long time.
However, the best way to avoid a drone crash is to hire a professional drone pilot to assist you. Suppose you intend to use your drone for purposes other than entertainment, such as taking aerial photos or videos of your home to sell it. According to the moving experts from promoversmiami.com, many clients do this to close the deal faster and move to their new homes. In that case, having professional assistance in mind is a good idea.
Final words on what to do when you crash your drone
Whether you fly drones for fun or business, you know what to do when you crash your drone. Now that you know what to do if this happens, you can relax knowing that there are steps you can take to get back to flying your drone sooner rather than later. However, you also know how to avoid a crash in the future.