By KESQ:
A Culver City man pleaded guilty today to recklessly operating a drone that crashed into and damaged a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft battling the Palisades Fire last month.
Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, entered his plea to a federal class-A misdemeanor count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Sentencing was set for June 2.
As a result of the collision, the firefighting aircraft was taken out of service for a period of time and was not able to continue its firefighting mission, court papers show.
As part of his plea agreement, filed in L.A. federal court, Akemann agreed to pay full restitution to the government of Quebec, which supplied the plane, and an aircraft repair company that handled the necessary fixes, the document states.
Akemann also agreed to complete 150 hours of community service in support of the 2025 Southern California wildfire relief effort.
Federal prosecutors say Akemann flew the drone more than 1.5 miles toward the fire and lost sight of the remotely piloted unit. As Akemann was flying the drone, it collided with a government of Quebec Super Scooper carrying two crew members attempting to fight the blaze. The impact caused a roughly 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, court papers show.
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 that erupted last month.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that as a result of the collision, the government of Quebec and an aircraft repair company incurred costs of at least $65,169 to repair the plane.
“Lack of common sense and ignorance of your duty as a drone pilot will not shield you from criminal charges,” said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Please respect the law, respect the FAA’s rules and respect our firefighters and the residents they are protecting by keeping your drone at home during wildfires.”
Read the full story here.
