Crashed Skydio2 and broke Gimbal

[Genypig]

Some background: I ride a motorcycle offroad and recently we decided to have the S2 follow us in the woods. It actually did decently well at first. I had it following my beacon and was going about 2-8 mph up a hill.
At first the S2 lost me, and I had to retrieve it. The 2nd time I attempted to have it follow us, it must have hit a tiny twig. It tumbled and crashed. The camera gimbal completely broke off and was hanging by its wire harness.

I was devastated... At the moment I had no clue why or how it crashed. We were lucky to find it in the first place. But when I got home, I watched the footage and saw what appeared to by a twig that must have hit the prop. What happened next was unclear because the video cut out, but I think it hit a puddle in the ground, bounced back out and then crashed into something else.

Anyway, I immediately started a support case with Skydio to see what it will take to get it repaired. I'm a novice to the Skydio world, so I'm trying to learn as much as possible about the process. What I have learned so far is that there is a non-refundable $150 fee for them to assess the repair. Then you pay anything from $200 - $850 in repairs. You get a refurbished drone in return. The gentleman I am emailing back and forth seems to be asking the same info over and over again, but I am hoping the process will move forward.

My 2nd thought is, if this process doesn't work out, maybe I should try to repair it myself?... I bought the entire kit used, 2nd hand from the original owner.

 

[DrtBkDav]

I had almost the same thing happen to me in Bali. Hit a twig and broke the gimble when it fell. (after several minutes of successfully navigation through the jungle)

They charged me in total $550 to repair it. It took about 2 and a half weeks.

The drone I got back looks and acts brand new.

Look around for some insurance in this case. It is asking a bit much to have it follow you through dense woods. It usually will make it but bad things can happen. This drone is the best in the business for avoiding obstacles, but it has it limitations.

 

[BlueHeeler]

Darn

 

[Genypig]

I had almost the same thing happen to me in Bali. Hit a twig and broke the gimble when it fell. (after several minutes of successfully navigation through the jungle)

They charged me in total $550 to repair it. It took about 2 and a half weeks.

The drone I got back looks and acts brand new.

Look around for some insurance in this case. It is asking a bit much to have it follow you through dense woods. It usually will make it but bad things can happen. This drone is the best in the business for avoiding obstacles, but it has it limitations.

Thanks for the info. It's good to know that your repairs were around $550. That sounds much better than the max of $850 they can potentially charge. And I agree, going through a dense forest is asking much. Of course, according to one of Skydio's ads, that is easy-peasy for the drone (the one where it follows a person on a mountain bike).

Anyway, lesson learned... I'll keep you all posted.

 

[Ridefreak]

It will follow you through a forest but there has to be a visible path through that about 6' in circumference and wires or small branches with no leaves are it's Achilles heel, they often aren't often seen in time to avoid at anything above a walking pace and sometimes not then. I ride in allot of woods on my motorcycle and the Skydio isn't the tool for filming that. Even if you didn't hit a branch unless it's got that clear path I described (and can see it) it tends to get caught up in the overgrowth trying to find a way out of a dead end branch-wise. Give it room to maneuver and it does pretty well following a MC.

 

[Genypig]

The cust support rep had me pay the $150 fee and I am going to be shipping them the drone soon. I'll update this thread on how much they determine the cost to fix is.

 

[Genypig]

So I shipped the drone to Skydio. It arrived on 05/11/23 and immediately, the following day, they evaluated the damage. They came back saying that they need to replace the Main Logic board and the gimbal assembly.

Not entirely sure how the logic board could have gotten affected by the crash, but the gimbal I expected.

The total damage came to $550, so minus my $150 initial payment, it comes to $400 pre-tax.

I guess it beats buying a new drone (which they're all backordered).

 

[BlueHeeler]

So I shipped the drone to Skydio. It arrived on 05/11/23 and immediately, the following day, they evaluated the damage. They came back saying that they need to replace the Main Logic board and the gimbal assembly.

Not entirely sure how the logic board could have gotten affected by the crash, but the gimbal I expected.

The total damage came to $550, so minus my $150 initial payment, it comes to $400 pre-tax.

I guess it beats buying a new drone (which they're all backordered).

Ouch !

I am assuming that you have had the Drone for some time & the warranty ran out or you bought it used, still a chunk
of change, but in the end I would have done the same.

 

[Genypig]

Ouch !

I am assuming that you have had the Drone for some time & the warranty ran out or you bought it used, still a chunk
of change, but in the end I would have done the same.

Correct, I bought it used 2nd hand, and it was out of warranty. If I were to purchase a new Skydio, I'd likely purchase the extra coverage.

 

[Genypig]

Wow, so they have already shipped out the replacement unit. So all in one day: evaluation, payment, and replacement unit shipped out.

I'm quite surprised, since they initially said it take 10-15 days for the technicians to look at the damage and evaluate repairs.

 

[Genypig]

I received the replacement drone this week.

Hopefully my experience helps someone else out if they break their gimbal. And HOPEFULLY your drone doesn't need a new logic board...