By Silas Valentino
SFGate
LOS ANGELES — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident from the ongoing Palisades Fire after a drone collided with a firefighting aircraft as both flew over Los Angeles on Thursday.
“The aircraft landed safely,” a spokesperson with the FAA told SFGATE in email. "... It’s a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands.”
SuperScooper grounded after drone strike pic.twitter.com/a7ApxeNHm1
— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) January 10, 2025
L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told the LA Times that a Canadair CL-415, nicknamed a Super Scooper for how it drops a massive quantity of water onto flames, hit the small drone over the Palisades fire. “It put a hole in the wing,” Marrone said, adding that the FBI was summoned to prevent more drones from flying in wildfire areas throughout Los Angeles .
The FAA instituted temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) over Santa Monica , which is on the edge of the Palisades Fire, as firefighters continue to battle the blaze that’s burned more than 17,000 acres with no containment.
A pilot caught operating a drone during a fire could face a civil penalty of up to $75,000.
“The FAA treats these violations seriously and immediately considers swift enforcement action for these offenses,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “The FAA has not authorized anyone unaffiliated with the Los Angeles firefighting operations to fly drones in the TFRs.”
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