The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that a drone hit and disabled a firefighting aircraft flying over the Los Angeles fires.
The FAA is investigating an incident in which a drone hit and disabled a firefighting aircraft flying over the Palisades area, which was devastated by the Los Angeles fires. The incident occurred on Thursday (9).
“It is a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands,” the agency said in a statement.
“The FAA has not authorized anyone not affiliated with the Los Angeles firefighting operations to operate drones in the (temporary flight restrictions),” the notice continued.
The incident could result in a fine of up to $75,000 for any drone pilot who interferes with firefighting operations.
The FAA has imposed several flight restrictions because winds are exceeding 113 km/h, as well as to ensure that fire suppression aircraft can operate safely.
According to Erik Scott, spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, a Super Scooper aircraft, Quebec 1, was hit by a civilian drone. No one was injured. The aircraft is used to drop water from the skies to extinguish the flames.
The Los Angeles fires started on Tuesday (7) and have already destroyed more than 80 square kilometers of the region.
Photos: X @ArashMarkazi. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
