Man agrees to plead guilty for flying drone that damaged firefighting
aircraft in LA wildfire
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[February 01, 2025]
By JAIMIE DING and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The pilot of a drone that crashed into a firefighting
plane, leaving a gaping hole and grounding the aircraft during the
deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, has agreed to plead guilty to a
misdemeanor count of unsafely operating a drone, federal authorities
said Friday.
Peter Tripp Akemann faces up to one year in prison, and a judge will
determine his sentence, acting U.S. attorney Joseph McNally said. As
part of the plea agreement, he will have to complete 150 hours of
wildfire-related community service and pay $65,000 in restitution for
the damage to the plane, McNally said.
Akemann appeared in court Friday and will remain out of jail under court
supervision during his case. He has not yet entered his plea.
Authorities say Akemann launched the drone from the top of a parking
structure in Santa Monica on Jan. 9 and flew it more than 1.5 miles
toward the Palisades Fire before losing sight of it. It then crashed
with the Super Scooper that was carrying two firefighters. The planes
can scoop 1,500 gallons (6,000 liters) of water in just seconds.
The wind-driven blaze in the upscale Pacific Palisades began Jan. 7,
destroying or damaging nearly 8,000 homes, businesses and other
structures and killing at least 12 people. Drone operations were
prohibited in the area at the time due to the firefight. The
conflagration was fueled by dry Santa Ana winds and has scorched at
least 36 square miles (94 square kilometers) of land. It was 98%
contained as of Friday.
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In a statement handed out to the media, defense attorney Glen Jonas said
Akemann was “deeply sorry for the mistake he made" and “accepts
responsibility for his grave error in judgment.”
Federal authorities emphasized Friday it was the responsibility of drone
owners to know the rules, and there would be consequences for breaking
them, especially as Los Angeles gears up to host several major events in
coming years, including the World Cup, the Super Bowl and the Olympics.
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FBI Assistant Director Akil Davis, center joined by Acting U.S.
Attorney Joseph T. McNally, second from right and other officials,
discuss court filings related to the Palisades Fire investigation
outside the U.S. Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, Jan.
31, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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“The FAA has very strict guidelines about registering drones and
where drones can be flown. The onus is on the pilot, if firefighters
are putting out a fire with aircraft that should be a clue,” said
Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los
Angeles Field Office.
The Super Scooper, which was owned by the government of Quebec, was
grounded for several days. The pilot was able to land the aircraft
despite a hole in the left wing caused by the collision with the
drone.
Davis said there was no evidence Akemann intentionally caused the
collision.
“Lack of common sense and ignorance of your duty as a drone pilot
will not shield you from criminal charges,” he said.
The fire in the hilly Los Angeles neighborhood, home to Hollywood
stars like Jamie Lee Curtis and Billy Crystal who lost houses in the
fire, forced thousands of people from their homes, and knocked out
power to tens of thousands.
Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire.
Officials have placed the origin of blaze behind a home on Piedra
Morada Drive, which sits above a densely wooded arroyo.
Another wind-whipped fire that started the same day in Altadena, a
community about 35 miles (56 kilometers) east of Pacific Palisades,
killed at least 17 people and destroyed or damaged more than 10,000
homes and other buildings.
The Santa Ana winds have turned seasonal wildfires into infernos
that have leveled neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles, where
there has been no significant rainfall in more than eight months.
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