Recreational/hobbyist UAS pilot reported controllability issues flying their UAS and believes the GPS module or remote controller are possible causes.

Date: 2023-03 · Aircraft: Ruko F11 Mini

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control

Synopsis

Recreational/hobbyist UAS pilot reported controllability issues flying their UAS and believes the GPS module or remote controller are possible causes.

Narrative

This is a portion of the information I sent to the manufacturer. They did send me a replacement drone. Which the issues are reduced by a good 10 fold however I still don't have complete control. I still can't land on a 25×25 landing pad because the drone likes to wander it is a GPS drone. I discovered NASA reporting online and felt this was a good way to report what this drone is doing. Simple terms I had a loss of control event.I am having some problems with my F11 mini drone. I had hoped to make a video and explain it in there but the weather for the next week is bad. Flying outside I will start up and everything is running well. I will fly for a long time and all of a sudden it is like somebody else is fighting me for the controls.What happened the last time was with no increase in wind the front props pitched up sending me to the rear. I counter acted that with full right stick forward; front pitch remained up and back pitch raised as well. This allowed me to inch forward at the same time the drone ascended a good 20 feet in the air with my fingers not even touching the yaw/elevation stick. I did manage to get it back to a safe landing area. I re-calibrated compass and gyro with the start up procedure again. I armed the props; took off and hovered at 10 feet for 1 minute and it was all good again. Needless to say this is an unsafe flight condition and it is a reoccurring problem. The exact problem changes but overall it remains very similar.I have also noticed I can't land within arms reach of my 25×25 landing pad outside; however; inside in ATTI (Attitude) mode I have no problem landing within 1 foot. I also ran it for 15 minutes inside on ATTI mode and it was rock steady and responsive to controls. Outside it feels like the GPS is dealing with a very heavy lag and it doesn't agree with my control inputs I'll roll left several feet; then it will push me to the right where my last stable position was. I have been flying the drone for quite some time now and these have been issues the entire time; however; I've flown it enough where I know its a problem that isn't going away by itself.

NASA callback

The reporter indicated they believe the issue is with the remote controller but they have no way to verify it.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.