Official Investigations into the Collision of Two Amazon Delivery Drones with a Crane
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have opened investigations into the collision of two delivery drones belonging to "Amazon" under the "Prime Air" service with a construction crane in the city of Tolleson, Arizona, leading the company to temporarily suspend operations in the area.
The incident occurred last Wednesday, around 1 PM Eastern Time, when two MK30 drones collided with a fixed construction crane in a commercial area, just a few miles from one of Amazon's warehouses.
Sergeant Eric Mendez of the Tolleson Police Department reported that "one person at the scene was evaluated for potential smoke inhalation." The two drones sustained "significant" damage according to initial reports from the Federal Aviation Administration.
In an official statement, Amazon spokesperson Terence Clark said: "We are aware of an incident involving two delivery drones belonging to Prime Air in Tolleson, Arizona. We are currently working with the relevant authorities to investigate." The Tolleson Police noted in their statement that "the drones were flying northeast in succession when they collided with the crane used for roofing work at a distribution facility," before landing in the backyard of a nearby building.
This incident comes just a few months after Amazon temporarily halted drone delivery service in both Tolleson and College Station, Texas, following two previous crashes at a test site in the state. Those incidents prompted the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board to open investigations at that time. The company had resumed operations in March after announcing it had addressed issues with the drone program.
Amazon asserts that its delivery drones are equipped with a sensing and obstacle avoidance system, allowing them to "detect obstacles in the air and on the ground and avoid them." The company indicates that this system enables the drones to operate without the need for visual observers over long distances.
Amazon has been working for over a decade to realize its founder Jeff Bezos's vision of using drones to deliver products to customers' homes in 30 minutes or less. However, progress in this area has faced challenges, as the Prime Air service is still only available in a limited number of U.S. cities. Amazon has set an ambitious goal of delivering 500 million packages by drone annually by the end of the decade.
