One of two “essential” firefighting airplanes being used in California is now out of service after it was struck by a civilian drone on Thursday.
The plane in question, a “Super Scooper” leased from Canada by Los Angeles County, was hit by a civilian drone and suffered wing damage.
BREAKING: LA Fire Department reports that one of the two essential “Super Scooper” aircraft leased by LA County from Canada was struck by a civilian drone at the #PalisadesFire today & is now GROUNDED and out of service with wing damage. FAA investigating. It is a federal crime…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 10, 2025
This means only one “Super Scooper” remains in operation in Los Angeles, which is not good news given that the “Scoopers” are better equipped than regular aircraft to deal with fires.
The New York Times notes that the plane “can fly very low and scoop up water to dump on fires.” Moreover, it holds 1,600 gallons of water and can be refilled in roughly five quick minutes.
And even if the refills took 10 minutes in worst-case scenarios, “that’s [still] six water drops” per hour, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) spokesperson Chris Thomas said.
“So whose house is not going to get that water to protect it [thanks to the drone collision]?” he then asked with frustration.
SuperScooper grounded after drone strike pic.twitter.com/a7ApxeNHm1
— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) January 10, 2025
The public is now calling for the drone operator’s head — and for good reason.
“The F.A.A. has imposed temporary flight restrictions in the Los Angeles area while firefighters work to contain the fires,” the Times notes. “The agency said Thursday that it has not authorized anyone who is not involved in the firefighting operations to fly drones in the restricted zones.”
Why not? Because of the threat that drones pose to aircraft like the “Super Scooper” that just got knocked out of commission.
“Drone sightings force the authorities to ground firefighting aircraft for a minimum of 15 minutes and for as much as 30 minutes while they confirm it is safe to fly again,” according to the Times.
“We have a saying: ‘If you fly, we can’t,'” Thomas explained. “But I don’t know how effective it is because everybody thinks it’s so cool to fly a drone up through the fire.”
Prison for the drone operator.
— Thom Bate (@thom_bate) January 10, 2025
The drone owner needs to be fined and jailed. He’s stopped front line workers from saving lives and property
— 7m45df (@theroaring40gal) January 10, 2025
That is devastating. Whomever operated that drone just cost people their homes and possibly lives. They need to go to jail.
— LisaO (@lisachriso) January 10, 2025
Someone should calculate how much damage this tanker isn’t preventing because it’s grounded and hold the drone pilot personally liable
— Geordan Neinstein (@GNeinstein) January 10, 2025
The drone owner should be held personally liable for the aircraft and property loss (since the plane can no longer operate). Why doesn’t the US Parks service own these types of planes?
— Rich (@Richie13FromNJ) January 10, 2025
The good news is that, if caught, the drone owner will definitely pay the consequences.
“Disrupting firefighting on public lands is a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, according to the [Federal Aviation Agency], which said it can also impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 on a drone pilot who interferes with efforts to suppress wildfires,” the Times notes.
“When people fly drones near wildfires, fire response agencies often ground their aircraft to avoid the potential for a midair collision,” the FAA website continues. “Delaying airborne response poses a threat to firefighters on the ground, residents, and property in nearby communities, and it can allow wildfires to grow larger.”
Southern California firefighters reportedly faced a similar problem last year when dealing with a trio of wildfires. Things got so bad that Cal Fire had to put out an official statement begging people to stop flying drones over the fires they were trying to put out.
“Every time one is spotted it stops work for the helicopters at least about an hour until we can locate, make sure the air is clear,” Cal Fire aviation officer Doug Ross said at the time. “Really cuts into the firefight.”
CAL FIRE and our cooperators strongly discourage anyone from flying a UAS (Uncrewed Aircraft Systems) in or near a wildland fire. Flying a drone near a wildfire can be extremely dangerous to pilots and aircraft in the immediate area. Valuable firefighting aircraft can be grounded… pic.twitter.com/CRdnNcbe7j
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) September 8, 2024
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Vivek@bizpacreview.com
V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
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