Man Admits Flying Drone That Hit Firefighting Plane

UPDATE Jan 31, 2025 1:31 PM CST

A California man has agreed to plead guilty to flying the drone that took an aircraft fighting the Palisades Fire out of action earlier this month. Prosecutors say Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, KCAL reports. Akemann will avoid prison time under the plea deal, but he will have to pay full restitution for the damage to the Canadian "Super Scooper" aircraft and carry out 150 hours of community service in wildfire relief, the AP reports. The drone strike on Jan. 9, two days after the fire erupted, damaged the aircraft's wing and put it out of service for several days.

Jan 10, 2025 8:14 AM CST

An aircraft fighting the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles was taken out of action Thursday after it was hit by a drone that wasn't supposed to be there. Authorities say the Canadian "Super Scooper" aircraft was damaged but landed safely after a drone strike in restricted airspace, CNN reports. "Quebec 1 sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service. There were no reported injuries," Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott said in a post on X. Scott said the FAA is investigating the incident.

"We would like to remind everyone that flying a drone in the midst of firefighting efforts is a federal crime and punishable by up to 12 months in prison or a fine of up to $75,000," Scott said. In a statement, the FAA said nobody unaffiliated with firefighting operations has been authorized to fly drones in restricted areas, KTLA reports. "When people fly drones near wildfires, fire response agencies often ground their aircraft to avoid the potential for a midair collision," the agency said.

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The CL-415 firefighting plane is one of two that the province of Quebec sends to California every year, CNN reports. On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted video on X of one of the planes in action, reports CTV News. "Neighbours helping neighbors," he said, using the spelling more common in Canada and the one more common in the US. In another post, Trudeau said 250 Canadian firefighters are ready to deploy to the US and the Canadian military will help move personnel and equipment. (More California wildfires stories.)