Controls reverse before crash

Over the past six months or so I’ve noticed something that I simply couldn’t believe and therefore put off to bad flying skills, interference or anything but a problem with the APM/Arducopter.

What happens is that while flying the copter becomes a bit unstable which increases but then I notice the reason it’s so difficult to correct is that the controls are reversed. So copter is diving left, I apply right stick and copter goes left more. As I said, it just seems so odd and it’s been very rare so I really didn’t think too much about it.

But after a crash tonight I kept my calm a bit more during the event and realised early on that the controls were indeed reversed so I managed to do a fairly soft ditch of the copter and avoid too much damage.

I had a look at the attached log and it sure looks to me that even though there is no pitch/roll in, that there is a lot of pitch/roll happening. I’m beginning to wonder if the issue isn’t that the controls are reversing but rather perhaps what is happening is that I’m no longer flying in simple mode and therefore the control is based on which way the copter is facing. I doubt the logs show this but I know what I experienced and this time I paid very close attention. This is about the fourth time I’ve seen this on different copters and I’m wondering if anyone else has had such an experience.

I know that everyone wants their logs analysed but I honestly think that there may be an unidentified issue here that’s been hidden for a while.

Are you saying that when the aircraft is flying towards you it lowers the left side as you look at it which is its right side in flight.

Then you add more right and of course it goes right harder!

If this is what is happening remember this little maxim

With the aircraft pointing towards you the joystick is pointed at the lower wing to lift it.

Try flying figure 8’s at slow speed from left to to right in front of yourself, this is a very handy exercise.

If that’s not what you are saying ask again!

[quote=“GaryMortimer”]
If that’s not what you are saying ask again![/quote]
I’m not that much of a noob Gary. :slight_smile:

What I’m saying is that in simple mode, which I’m flying in, the copter orientation is not a factor. Push the stick left, copter goes left.

But for some reason, and I’m not sure if it’s related to simple mode not working or not, when the copter becomes unstable when I push the stick left the copter goes right. The copter was too far away to tell what the orientation was at the time so I’m not sure if it’s a case of it dropping out of simple mode or some other issue. But now that it’s happened a few times I’ve become concerned about it.

I looked at the logs but my log analysis skills are still fairly basic. If I’m interpreting them correctly, at the end of the flight it shows no input to the sticks (even though there was) and the pitch/roll going up and down. Sure looks odd to me. But it would be helpful to have a better analysis of the log.

I’m wondering if this is a case of cpu or memory exhaustion in which case there wouldn’t be any evidence in the log. Or would there? Also, two of the instances (but they are about four months apart) where in the same exact flying location. Just recently someone told me that others have had odd things happen in that location so there could be some sort of interference there.