INAV Failsafe Configuration — Complete Safety Guide

Proper failsafe configuration is the most important safety feature of any drone. INAV offers one of the most sophisticated failsafe systems available, centered around GPS Return-to-Home. Here's how to configure it properly.

Failsafe Procedures

INAV offers several failsafe procedures:

• RTH (Return-to-Home) — recommended, aircraft flies back to launch point
• Landing — land immediately at current position
• Drop — motors off immediately (emergency only)

RTH Failsafe Setup (Recommended)

set failsafe_procedure = RTH
set failsafe_delay = 5
set failsafe_recovery_delay = 5
set failsafe_off_delay = 0

# RTH Altitude
set nav_rth_alt_mode = AT_LEAST
set nav_rth_altitude = 5000

# RTH Behavior
set nav_rth_climb_first = ON
set nav_rth_allow_landing = ALWAYS
set nav_rth_home_altitude = 5000

Low Battery Failsafe

# Warning voltage (per cell)
set vbat_warning_cell_voltage = 350
# Critical voltage — triggers RTH
set vbat_min_cell_voltage = 330
# Emergency landing voltage
set vbat_critical_cell_voltage = 310

set failsafe_mission_delay = 0

Testing Your Failsafe

1. Arm the drone in a safe, open area
2. Take off and hover at low altitude
3. Turn off your transmitter
4. After the failsafe delay, INAV should initiate RTH
5. Turn transmitter back on to regain control
6. Verify RTH altitude, climb behavior, and landing

Common Mistakes

• ❌ Not testing failsafe before long-range flights
• ❌ Setting failsafe to DROP — your drone will crash
• ❌ Too low RTH altitude — risk of hitting obstacles
• ❌ No GPS lock before arming — RTH won't know where home is
• ❌ Ignoring low battery warnings