How to Fix Your Drone After a Crash

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Crashing is part of flying FPV. The skill that keeps you in the air is knowing how to find damage quickly and fix it properly. This routine works for almost any multirotor.

Right after the crash

1. Disarm immediately. If the props are blocked, the ESC can burn trying to spin them.
2. Unplug the battery as soon as you reach the drone.
3. Check the battery for dents, punctures or swelling. A damaged pack should be retired. See LiPo safety.

The inspection routine

Work through the drone in this order:

1. Props: replace any that are chipped, bent or cracked.
2. Arms: look for cracks and white lines, especially near the center and motor mounts. Flex each arm gently.
3. Motors: spin each one by hand. Feel for grit, clicks or wobble. Check that the bell isn’t loose.
4. Motor wires: look for cuts, crushed insulation and wires pulled from the ESC pads.
5. Stack: check for loose standoffs, cracked boards and burn marks.
6. Camera and mount: check angle and lens.
7. Antennas: VTX and receiver antennas often break or come loose.
8. Battery strap and pad.

Common fixes

Broken arm

Remove the motor, unscrew the arm, install a new one and remount the motor. Replaceable-arm frames make this a 15-minute job. Shop replacement arms

Bent motor shaft

A wobbling bell usually means a bent shaft. Many motors have replaceable shafts: remove the clip, pull the bell, swap the shaft and reassemble. If the windings are scratched, replace the motor.

Cut or pulled motor wire

Desolder the wire, trim back to clean copper, tin it and resolder it to the pad. If the wire is cut close to the motor, splice it with heat shrink or replace the motor.

Bad bearings

Gritty motors need new bearings, or the motor replaced. Bearings are cheap but fiddly to press in and out.

Damaged VTX antenna

Replace it before powering the VTX again. Powering a VTX without a working antenna can burn it out.

Camera knocked out of angle

Loosen the side screws, reset the angle and retighten. Check for a cracked lens.

Test after repairs

1. Do a smoke stopper power-up if you soldered anything.
2. Check motor direction and order in Betaflight with props off.
3. Hover in an open field and listen for unusual sounds.
4. After a short flight, feel each motor for heat.

Build a field repair kit

Replacing a motor step by step

1. Remove the prop and battery.
2. Desolder the three motor wires from the ESC pads.
3. Remove the motor screws and the old motor.
4. Mount the new motor with the correct screw length.
5. Cut and tin the new motor’s wires to the right length.
6. Solder them to the ESC pads.
7. Run the smoke stopper test.
8. Check motor direction in Betaflight and reverse it in software if needed.

Replacing an FPV camera

1. Note the camera angle and wiring.
2. Remove the camera screws and unplug or desolder the cable.
3. Install the new camera, connect the cable and set the angle.
4. Check the image and OSD before flying.

When not to repair

• A battery with physical damage: retire it.
• A flight controller with a lifted gyro or cracked board: replace it.
• A frame with a cracked main plate: replace it.
• Motors with burned or scratched windings: replace them.

Learning from crashes

Watch your DVR footage after a crash to see what happened. Was it a mistake, a failsafe, video breakup, a motor failure? Understanding the cause helps you prevent the next one.