Jan. 31 (UPI) — A California man has agreed to plead guilty to recklessly operating a drone that crashed into and damaged a “Super Scooper” firefighting aircraft during the deadly Palisades fire near Los Angeles, prosecutors announced Friday.
Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, of Culver City, Calif., was set to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft carrying a sentence of up to one year in federal prison during an appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles, according to the Justice Department.
Akemann is accused of launching his drone from the top floor of a Santa Monica, Calif., parking garage on Jan. 9 and sending it toward the raging wildfire in neighboring Pacific Palisades, where it collided with a Canadian government-owned CL-415 super scooper aircraft carrying two crew members who were attempting to fight the blaze.
Prosecutors said the impact punched a hole in the aircraft’s left wing, forcing firefighters to take it out of service for repairs in the midst of their frantic efforts to contain the massive fire, which killed 12 people and injured at least four others, including one firefighter, while consuming nearly 23,500 acres.
Akemann flew his drone despite temporary flight restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration in the wildfire area, demonstrating with authorities called a “lack of common sense” and “ignorance of duty.”
“This defendant recklessly flew an aircraft into airspace where first responders were risking their lives in an attempt to protect lives and property,” said acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally. “This damage caused to the Super Scooper is a stark reminder that flying drones during times of emergency poses an extreme threat to personnel trying to help people and compromises the overall ability of police and fire to conduct operations.
“As this case demonstrates, we will track down drone operators who violate the law and interfere with the critical work of our first responders.”
Akemann has agreed to complete 150 hours of community service in support of the 2025 Southern California wildfire relief effort, officials said.
