A man from Culver City, California has agreed to plead guilty to recklessly operating a drone that crashed into and damaged a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft fighting the Palisades Fire earlier this month, the United States Justice Department announced on January 31.
Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, pleads guilty to one count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, which carries a prison sentence of up to one year in prison. As part of a plea agreement, Akemann also agreed to pay full restitution to the Government of Quebec, which supplied the plane, and an aircraft repair company that repaired the plane. The Justice Department said it cost at least USD 65,169 to repair the plane. Akemann will also complete 150 hours of community service in support of the 2025 Southern California wildfire relief effort.
According to a Justice Department statement, while the wildfire was burning in and around Pacific Palisades on January 9, Akemann drove to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and parked his vehicle on the top floor of the parking structure. He then launched a drone and flew it towards Pacific Palisades to observe damage caused by the Palisades Fire.
Akemann flew the drone at least 2,500 metres (more than 1.5 miles) towards the fire and lost sight of the drone. As Akemann was flying the drone, it collided with a Government of Quebec Super Scooper carrying two crewmembers attempting to fight the blaze. The impact caused an approximately 3-inch-by-6-inch hole in the left wing. After landing, maintenance personnel identified the damage and took the aircraft out of service for repairs.
At the time of the collision, the Federal Aviation Administration had issued temporary flight restrictions that prohibited drone operations near the Los Angeles County wildfires.
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Department of Justice – United States
Image: FBI
