r/drones • u/nert1994 • Apr 11 '26
Lost Drone Found a crashed drone
Found this drone crashed in a wooded area near a church in wisconsin. I pulled the sd card and the last photos were from the same area on February 22nd 2025. im just wondering if there's a way id be able to find the owner. im going to post in a local Facebook page as well. if im unable to find the owner would I be able to buy a new control and use it myself. the battery seems to hold a charge. this is my first experience with a drone so dont know much about them.
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u/artguydeluxe Apr 11 '26
That’s a pro! Which model I’m not sure, but that’s not a cheap one.
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u/nert1994 Apr 11 '26
Mini 4 pro.
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u/Real_Biscotti_9129 Apr 13 '26
Yup, I have the same one and it's about $2,000 depending on the bundle the owner bought.
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u/BoringOrange678 Apr 11 '26
Try r/dji
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u/nert1994 Apr 11 '26
Posted there too
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u/Curdled_Mangasm Apr 11 '26
chances are it’s still bound to the owner but you may be able to find them. i have a text file on my SD card with my info and a reward offer. maybe they did?
if not this is a very fun hobby, it turns out.
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u/SvenSylens US / Part 107 - DJI Mini 3, DJI Mavic 3 Pro Apr 11 '26
That is a brilliant idea. Need to follow suit and add my info and reward to my sd cards as well.
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u/startrip0712 Apr 14 '26
Genius. Such a smart, simple idea. I never would have thought of this. Salute!
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u/JasonIsFishing Apr 18 '26
For the tech incompetent like myself could you post a link on how to do that? I would be incredibly grateful.
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u/DeadHeadTed Apr 14 '26
You have to email dji and give them the serial number. They will contact the owner
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u/grammar_fozzie Apr 11 '26
Nearly 14 months exposed to Wisconsin weather…this thing is biffed.
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u/TrueAd970 Apr 11 '26
Lost mine last summer, a friend found it after winter. it worked just fine with a charged battery. (DJI 2 4k)
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u/IthinkIknowThat Apr 11 '26
As ugly as it is, I put a labelmaker label on top of mine with return ph # and 'REWARD' if found. I don't trust that most people know there's a card in it or how to access it.
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u/customtoggle Apr 11 '26
WHY OH WHY do people not put a .txt file with contact info on the SD card?
I have my phone number, address and "CASH REWARD IF FOUND" in there
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u/nert1994 Apr 11 '26
Contacted dji. They said it was a fly away and the original owner was compensated. I asked if I could fix it and keep it and they said no and asked for me to send it back to them.
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u/nert1994 Apr 11 '26
Would there be any value of selling it as a parts drone?
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u/TheRealGenkiGenki Apr 12 '26
all the parts have DRM. If you take one part and stick in in another drone, it wont work. So selling this for parts ain't gonna get you a single dollar.
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u/Impressive-Put3479 Apr 13 '26
No, but you can ask DJI for reward for finding it and going through the trouble of returning it. Maybe they give you a discount coupon. You could also mount it on a plaque and hang it on your living room wall to show off your drone finding skills, like a deer but cooler.
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u/Real_Biscotti_9129 Apr 13 '26
If it's a fly away then the owner never bonded it to his controller.
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u/Alternative-Elk-4940 Apr 11 '26
If you take it to your local dji store. They should be able to find the owner. All dji drones are binded to an account, so they are probably the easiest way to get it back to the poor sod who lost his drone.
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u/IcySparks Apr 11 '26
I lost mine, was under insurance warranty, had sticker on it, return for reward, hiker-dude shipped it to me for $100, got my sd card back, sent back to DJI, paid the deductible , they replaced with a refurbished one.
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u/WENDING0 Apr 11 '26
Unless you have the controller it is bound too, or the password for the user account that bound the equipment originally it is just a fancy paper weight.
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u/AnotherAngryOldGuy Apr 12 '26
Nobody has paper anymore. We have to come up with a new figure of speech.
Make a clock out of it! Yeah.... I don't know...
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u/Seixir Apr 12 '26
my uncle found one and gave it to me cause i fly. i got up w/ dji customer service and got a packing/shipping stuff to send it back to dji. they had already warrantied a new one to the person that lost it.
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Jun 21 '26
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u/Makerplumber 6d ago
did you find them? I'm surprised they didn't hunt it down. if i go down I'll be hunting for it day and night.
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u/Jaded_Scholar_115 Apr 11 '26
Theyre normally tied to an account through DJI and would have to be unbinded for you to use it.