Man pleads guilty to crashing drone into firefighting aircraft battling the Palisades Fire

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KESQ) - A Culver City man pleaded guilty today to recklessly operating a drone that crashed into and damaged a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft battling the Palisades Fire last month.

Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, entered his plea to a federal class-A misdemeanor count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Sentencing was set for June 2.   

As a result of the collision, the firefighting aircraft was taken out of service for a period of time and was not able to continue its firefighting mission, court papers show.

As part of his plea agreement, filed in L.A. federal court, Akemann agreed to pay full restitution to the government of Quebec, which supplied the plane, and an aircraft repair company that handled the necessary fixes, the document states.

Akemann also agreed to complete 150 hours of community service in support of the 2025 Southern California wildfire relief effort.   

"This defendant recklessly flew an aircraft into airspace where first responders were risking their lives in an attempt to protect lives and property,'' Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally said in a statement when
charges were filed in late January.

"This damage caused to the Super Scooper is a stark reminder that flying drones during times of emergency poses an extreme threat to personnel trying to help people and compromises the overall ability of police and fire to conduct operations. As this case demonstrates, we will track down drone operators who violate the law and interfere with the critical work of our first responders.''  

In his plea agreement, Akemann admitted to his reckless and illegal conduct in flying the drone that posed an imminent safety hazard to the Super Scooper crew.

According to the plea agreement, while the wildfire was burning in and around Pacific Palisades on Jan. 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 toward Pacific Palisades to observe damage caused by the Palisades Fire.   

Federal prosecutors say Akemann flew the drone more than 1.5 miles toward the fire and lost sight of the remotely piloted unit. As Akemann was flying the drone, it collided with a government of Quebec Super Scooper carrying two crew members attempting to fight the blaze. The impact caused a roughly 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, court papers show.

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 last month.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said that 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.

"Lack of common sense and ignorance of your duty as a drone pilot will not shield you from criminal charges,'' said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. "Please respect the law, respect the FAA's rules and respect our firefighters and the residents they are protecting by keeping your drone at home during wildfires.''