Idiot civilian drone operators flying flying over the Palisades wildfire crashed their attention-machine into a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft meant to fight said deadly fire. The Canadair CL-415 was struck on the nose and wing by a consumer drone Thursday, which left the plane grounded and in need of urgent repairs.
Canada loaned two Super Scooper aerial firefighting planes to California to help tackle the historic blazes that are currently ripping through Los Angeles. One of the planes is now grounded, however, after someone decided that one of the worst fires in LA history was actually a great time to get their drone in the air, reports CBS News.
The plane hit a consumer drone in the skies above LA at around 1 p.m. Thursday and sustained damage to its wing, reports the Los Angeles Fire Department. Thankfully, no injuries were reported as a result of the collision, but the reckless act of the drone pilot means officers in LA are basically fighting the fire with one arm tied behind the back, as CBS explains:
The collision, which involved a Canadair CL-415, happened at around 1 p.m. according to Los Angeles Fire Department Public Information Officer Erik Scott.
“Quebec 1 sustained wing damage and remains grounded and out of service,” Scott said.
The Super Scooper suffered a hole in its wing because of the drone strike, according to Los Angeles County Fire officials. It’s unclear how long the aircraft will be inoperable.
All aircraft fighting the Palisades fire were temporarily grounded as a result of the collision, putting a halt in an operation where minutes count, adds CNN. The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating the incident, as per CNN:
The FAA underscored late Thursday that it “has not authorized anyone unaffiliated with the Los Angeles firefighting operations to fly drones” in restricted airspace put in place over the wildfires.
“The FAA treats these violations seriously and immediately considers swift enforcement action for these offenses,” the agency said.
It obviously goes without saying that you shouldn’t be flying a drone over a natural disaster like this. If anyone is found to be flying a drone over a wildfire, they will face pretty harsh consequences that includes fines of up to $75,000 or a 12-month prison sentence.
Firefighting aircraft are one of LA’s best defenses against the advancing fires, which have so far burned more than 80,000 acres and claimed the lives of 10 people. To find out more about the tools being used to tackle the blazes, head here to find out what the red liquid is that firefighting planes drop, or here to see some of the biggest aerial firefighters in the world.
