One Drone Collides With Super Scooper, Creating a Hole in the Wing

Three drone pilots have been arrested for conducting unauthorized flights near firefighting efforts in southern California. The most significant incident left a Super Scooper air tanker grounded with a hole in its wing.

So far, fires in the Los Angeles region have scorched over 40,000 acres of land. They have left 12,000 structures destroyed and 24 residents dead. Aircraft and organizations have come together nationwide to assist in the firefighting efforts, but are being slowed by the rising number of unauthorized drone flights.

California authorities have confirmed at least 40 unauthorized drone incidents during the fire, forcing firefighting teams to put operations on hold and endanger more lives. In a recent meeting, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna noted that three drone pilots have been arrested for their actions.

The primary incident occurred on January 9. A small, privately-owned drone crashed into 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 remains grounded and out of service.” It was put on priority for repair, with the hopes of getting the aircraft back into the fight 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."

Just one day after this incident, more unauthorized drones flew over the Palisades wildfire. Firefighting aircraft were again forced to leave the area, further delaying containment efforts.

FMI: www.fire.ca.gov