$65,169 repair bill as rogue drone operator in Palisades fire pleads guilty
February 3, 2025
An unauthorised drone operator responsible for damaging a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft during last month’s Palisades firefighting operations has pleaded guilty to the criminal offence, acknowledging his “reckless and illegal conduct” that engendered the crew and hampered firefighting endeavours.
On 9 January, as the wildfire continued to ravage the Palisades area of Los Angeles, Peter Akemann flew a drone more than 1.5 miles towards the fire before losing sight of the craft, explained the US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California. It then struck the leading edge of the port wing of a Canadair CL-415 ‘Super Scooper’ aircraft which was conducting fire suppression activities, taking the aircraft out of service “for a period of time”.
Agreeing to plead guilty to one count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft (which carries a prison sentence of up to a year), Akemann also filed a plea agreement consenting to “pay full restitution to the Government of Quebec, which supplied the plane, and an aircraft repair company that repaired the plane” (with repair costs totalling at least $65,169). He also agreed to complete 150 hours of community service in support of the wildfire relief effort.
At the time of the collision, the FAA had issued temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) against unauthorised drones. “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,” stated acting United States attorney Joseph McNally.
The FBI subsequently opened an investigation, assisted by the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, the FAA, the LA Fire Department, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CALFIRE); testimony to the seriousness with which the reckless behaviour – which potentially endangered lives in the air and on the ground – was taken.
“Lack of common sense and ignorance of your duty as a drone pilot will not shield you from criminal charges,” concluded Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.
The regulator also has the power to impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 “against any drone pilot who interferes with wildfire suppression, law enforcement or emergency response operations when TRFs are in place”.
