How to tell which motor failed?

[Ryan Weaver]

So I was flying last evening and my drone (DJI Inspire 1) spiraled out of the air and landed in a field. Fortunately no damage done (expect for nerves) since I flipped the landing gear down and it landed upright in soft ground. I did not hit anything. I had line of sight and I was over an open field at 330' AGL

Looking at the flight log in the DJI Go app, it threw an error code 'Motor Obstructed'
Today I did a short test flight flight and the motors all spin OK, and I can spin them all by hand.
How can I tell which motor failed?
Any ideas what caused it to fail? I am worried it will happen again...

 

[R Martin]

So I was flying last evening and my drone (DJI Inspire 1) spiraled out of the air and landed in a field. Fortunately no damage done (expect for nerves) since I flipped the landing gear down and it landed upright in soft ground. I did not hit anything. I had line of sight and I was over an open field at 330' AGL

Looking at the flight log in the DJI Go app, it threw an error code 'Motor Obstructed'
Today I did a short test flight flight and the motors all spin OK, and I can spin them all by hand.
How can I tell which motor failed?
Any ideas what caused it to fail? I am worried it will happen again...

Take it in and have it serviced.

 

[Meta4]

How can I tell which motor failed?
Any ideas what caused it to fail? I am worried it will happen again...

The flight data and that may have some clues.
Go to DJI Flight Log Viewer
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
Come back and post a link to the report it gives you.

 

[Ryan Weaver]

The flight data and that may have some clues.
Go to DJI Flight Log Viewer
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
Come back and post a link to the report it gives you.

Thanks for the suggestion! That is interesting information, but it doesn't say which motor it is that was obstructed.
However, the one motor is not making a funny noise, so I am no longer trying to find out which one it is.
Now on to replacing it...

 

[Meta4]

Thanks for the suggestion! That is interesting information, but it doesn't say which motor it is that was obstructed.
However, the one motor is not making a funny noise, so I am no longer trying to find out which one it is.
Now on to replacing it...

You haven't posted a link.
There's a very good chance that the data will give clues ... for those that can read the data.

 

[Florida Drone Supply]

Good luck with the repair and be sure to replace the ESC as well as the motor. We have lots of spare preowned parts for the Inspire 1 so if you find anything that doesn't look normal give us a shout.

 

[fotoaerialcom]

Just FYI, another rough way to quickly identify motor issues is to check temperature. It won't help you detect any and all issues but I always touch the motors after landing and if any one feels especially warm I always take a deeper look

 

[R.Perry]

Since you had a motor failure, I wouldn't fly it until you had it serviced especially if you are flying anywhere near people. I don't remember where I read it, but a drone that had been landing in gravel or dirt picked up gravel and it locked up the motor. I will only fly off and land on a clean mat.
Hope you find what caused the failure.