At least 5 shows canceled after drones fell from the sky at Orlando holiday event
By Dawn Sawyer, CNN
(CNN) — At least five drone shows have been canceled, or have paused the use of the systems, after several drones struck a crowd at a holiday show in Orlando on December 21.
Universal Orlando, Orlando World Center Marriott, the cities of Dallas and Austin, Texas, and a New Year’s Eve event in New York City’s Central Park have either canceled drone shows or the drone components of larger holiday events following the incident.
It is unclear which companies were under contract to produce the shows in each location.
Footage captured on December 21 shows drones colliding with each other before falling from the sky during a holiday show at Lake Eola Park. Some drones fell into the lake, some onto the ground and some into areas where a crowd was watching.
Among them was a 7-year-old boy who was struck in his chest by one of the drones. He underwent emergency heart surgery, according to a GoFundMe campaign posted by his family, who spent Christmas in the hospital as he recovered. CNN has reached out to his family for an update on his condition.
The video showed several red and green drones crashing into one another before hitting the ground, in what the city described as “technical difficulties,” following the incident.
The city had two planned shows for the evening. The first was stopped fifteen minutes in due to the malfunction and the second show was canceled.
The drone show was run by Texas-based Sky Elements Drones, an organization that puts on drone light shows across the country. The FAA suspended Sky Elements’ waiver to fly multiple drones while an investigation is underway, according to a statement sent to CNN.
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the incident alongside the National Transportation Safety Board, which will be in charge of the investigation, according to a statement sent to CNN.
Sky Elements released a statement to CNN after the incident, saying it “wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 21.”
“We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired,” Sky Elements said in its statement. “Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA.”
According to the FAA, drone arrays and light shows are subject to the association’s regulation and require a waiver prohibiting the operation of more than one drone at a time. Each application is thoroughly reviewed for many different factors to ensure the safety of the public, the agency said in a statement to CNN.
“Our thoughts are with the family and those impacted by the outcome of this event,” Orlando city officials said in a statement released Sunday.
The-CNN-Wire
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