Collision Grounded the Super Scooper Amid Crucial Palisades Firefighting Efforts

A 56-year-old California man recently pled guilty after he flew his drone into a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft. The incident forced responders to temporarily ground all nearby aircraft and take the damaged plane out of service.

California authorities have reported at least 40 unauthorized drone incidents during the Palisades Fire, which scorched over 23,400 acres of land and left at least 12 residents dead.

On January 9, 56-year-old Peter Tripp Akemann sent his small drone towards the flames to assess the damage. Instead, after leaving Akemann’s line of sight, it ended up in the wing of Quebec 1, a CL-415 Super Scooper specifically designed for firefighting. The aircraft can ‘scoop’ up upwards of 1,500 gallons of water to dump on fires.

The collision led to all aircraft responding to the Palisades Fire being temporarily grounded. According to LA Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott, Quebec 1 “sustained wing damage” and was out of service for approximately five days. It was put on priority for repair with hopes to get the aircraft back in the air as quickly as possible.

“These fire suppression efforts using aircraft is probably the most effective tool that our firefighters have against fighting these fires to help contain them,” explained Akil Davis, FBI assistant director of the Los Angeles field office. “When you take one plane out of commission like that, it’s going to impact the speed in which the fire grows, it’s going to cause loss of property, potentially loss of life, and it’s a danger to everybody all around.”

Now, Akemann is paying for the three-by-six, drone-shaped hole with up to a year in federal prison. He pled guilty to one count of unsafe operation with an unmanned aircraft.

The agreement was announced in a press conference on January 31 by Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. He was speaking with Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

Davis noted that there is "no evidence that the defendant intentionally caused this collision, however, flying drones in a restricted area could cause a catastrophe,” but that "lack of common sense and ignorance of your duty as a drone pilot will not shield you from criminal charges."

FMI: www.fire.ca.gov