LA firefighting aircraft grounded after drone collision

A drone collided with a firefighting aircraft Thursday while fighting the Los Angeles wildfires. Even though flight restrictions have been in place to ensure safe operations, a drone was still flown in the area that was not authorized by local officials.

The FAA has implemented two temporary flight restrictions in the LA area to support firefighting operations both on the ground and in the air. A common tactic for fighting a wildfire is to drop water and fire retardant from helicopters and airplanes at low altitudes, a risky operation if other low-flying aircraft like drones are in the area.

On loan to California are two Canadian “Super Scooper” aircraft that can fly along the ocean and scoop up to 1,500 gallons of water to then be dropped on fires. This has been an annual agreement between the Canadian government and California to support each other during wildfire season.

Despite the flight restrictions and low-flying aircraft, photographers haven’t been able to stop themselves from breaking federal laws and flying their drones over the fires to capture “the shot” for social media. While drones have become a crucial tool for fighting fires across the nation, local firefighters have not claimed the drone as their own and, according to the LA Times, it was likely a photographer.

After the strike, the plane was able to make a safe landing at a local airport, but all aircraft had to be grounded.“This is creating a huge danger,” Cal Fire spokesman Chris Thomas told The War Zone. “This is an unprecedented fire. When we ground all aircraft, it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour. You know how far a fire can spread in half an hour.”

The LA fires have already claimed ten lives and destroyed over 10,000 buildings. The FAA’s TFRs are expected to last until later in January as the fires continue to burn. Aircraft like the Super Scooper play a big role in fighting these fires, as they are the only fixed-wing aircraft that can make multiple drops per flight.

Due to the collision, Quebec 1, as it’s called, is now grounded until its wing can be repaired, leaving LA with only one Super Scooper as it battles two fires.

The FAA plans to investigate the collision, stating in a statement that “it’s a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands.” The FAA can also fine the pilot up to $75,000.

The LA Times reports that the FBI will arrive in LA to bring anti-UAV equipment to better protect the pilots as they combat the fires.