Peter Tripp Akemann, Reckless Drone Operation, California 2024

State: California
Category: Violent Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/culver-city-man-agrees-plead-guilty-recklessly-crashing-drone-super-scooper" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

A Culver City man has agreed to plead guilty to recklessly operating a drone that crashed into a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft fighting the Palisades Fire earlier this month, the Justice Department announced today.

Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft. This morning federal prosecutors filed a criminal information charging Akemann with the misdemeanor offense that carries a prison sentence of up to one year in federal prison.

According to the plea agreement, while the wildfire was burning in and around Pacific Palisades on January 9, Akemann drove to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and parked his vehicle on the top floor of the parking structure. He then launched a drone and flew it towards Pacific Palisades to observe damage caused by the Palisades Fire.

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 plane.

Akemann agreed to pay full restitution to the Government of Quebec and the aircraft repair company, and complete 150 hours of community service in support of the 2025 Southern California wildfire relief effort.