LOS ANGELES (AP) – The pilot of a drone that crashed into a firefighting plane, leaving a gaping hole and grounding the aircraft during the deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanour count of unsafely operating a drone, federal authorities said.
Peter Tripp Akemann faces up to one year in prison, and a judge will determine his sentence, acting United States (US) attorney Joseph McNally said. As part of the plea agreement, he will have to complete 150 hours of wildfire-related community service and pay USD65,000 in restitution for the damage to the plane, McNally said.
Akemann appeared in court and will remain out of jail under court supervision during his case. He has not yet entered his plea.
Authorities say Akemann launched the drone from the top of a parking structure in Santa Monica on January 9 and flew it more than 1.5 miles toward the Palisades Fire before losing sight of it. It then crashed with the Super Scooper that was carrying two firefighters. The planes can scoop 6,000 litres of water in just seconds. The wind-driven blaze in the upscale Pacific Palisades began on January 7, destroying or damaging nearly 8,000 homes, businesses and other structures and killing at least 12 people. Drone operations were prohibited in the area at the time due to the firefight. The conflagration was fuelled by dry Santa Ana winds and has scorched at least 94 square kilometres of land. It was 98 per cent contained.
In a statement handed out to the media, defence attorney Glen Jonas said Akemann was “deeply sorry for the mistake he made” and “accepts responsibility for his grave error in judgment”.
Federal authorities emphasised it was the responsibility of drone owners to know the rules, and there would be consequences for breaking them, especially as Los Angeles gears up to host several major events in coming years, including the World Cup, the Super Bowl and the Olympics.
“The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has very strict guidelines about registering drones and where drones can be flown. The onus is on the pilot, if firefighters are putting out a fire with aircraft that should be a clue,” said the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office Akil Davis.
