Peter Tripp Akemann, a 56-year-old California man, has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a drone crash that damaged a firefighting aircraft earlier this month.
Akemann admitted to one count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft after recklessly flying a drone that collided with a Super Scooper plane battling the Palisades Fire, the U.S. Justice Department announced on Friday.
The drone collision forced the aircraft out of service, preventing it from continuing its firefighting mission. As part of his plea agreement, Akemann agreed to pay full restitution to the Government of Quebec, which supplied the plane, as well as the aircraft repair company responsible for fixing it.
He will also complete 150 hours of community service as part of the 2025 Southern California wildfire relief effort.
The incident occurred on January 9 when Akemann drove to the fire zone to capture footage, flying his drone over the massive blaze, which burned tens of thousands of acres and caused billions of dollars in damage.
Akemann flew the drone at least 2,500 meters (more than 1.5 miles) toward the fire and lost sight of the drone. As Akemann was flying the drone, it collided with a Government of Quebec Super Scooper carrying two crewmembers attempting to fight the blaze. The impact caused an approximately 3-inch-by-6-inch hole in the left wing. After landing, maintenance personnel identified the damage and took the aircraft out of service for repairs.
At the time of the collision, the Federal Aviation Administration had issued temporary flight restrictions that prohibited drone operations near the Los Angeles County wildfires that erupted earlier this month.
As a result of the collision, the Government of Quebec and an aircraft repair company incurred costs of at least $65,169 to repair the pla
