FBI officials Los Angeles they are looking for the operator of a private drone that collided with a Canadian plane helping to fight wildfires in California.
Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI in charge of the Los Angeles Field Office, confirmed a Canadian Air A Super Scooper aircraft that was helping to fight wildfires in California on Thursday was damaged after colliding with a private aircraft over the Palisades Fire.
The crash left a 3-inch by 6-inch hole in the plane’s wing, according to Davis.
However, when an accident occurs, policy dictates that all aircraft in the area must be evacuated, a much stronger blow during wildfire, Davis said.
A Canadian firefighting plane shot down a drone over Los Angeles County. (FBI)
“Those types of aircraft are our most effective means of fighting those fires and suppressing them,” Davis said. “So when incidents like this happen, it causes a significant problem for public safety and creates dangerous scenarios for our first responders.”
An investigation was launched and parts of the drone have since been recovered, according to the FBI.
A Canadian firefighting plane shot down a drone over Los Angeles County. (FBI)
“We are working with our public and private sector colleagues to try to identify the operator of that drone,” Davis said. “But since that incident we have had [more than 10] contacts with drone operators that we warned and punished in previous years.”
During forest fires, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enacts a temporary no-fly zone, creating a barrier to allow the use of law enforcement drones and firefighting aircraft.
A Canadian firefighting plane shot down a drone over Los Angeles County. (FBI)
When drones are operated illegally, Davis said this causes a “dangerous situation” that could result in loss of life.
“These fires are of such a significant size, [they] exponentially increase the amount of resources needed,” he said.[Operating private drones is] will undertake efforts to extinguish the fire [away] from saving houses and saving lives. If one of these planes were to crash, it would literally be catastrophic.”
He added that once the drone is identified, all firefighting aircraft in the area are grounded for about 20 to 30 minutes.
A hole can be seen in the fire canister after the collision with the drone. (FBI)
In Thursday’s case, the containment was shorter but still costly because of the size of the fire and the resources needed to keep up with the fast-moving inferno.
Ground intercept teams consisting of dozens of agents are spread across the region and will intercept pilots or operators defying FAA restrictions. Then they’ll face fines or even jail time, Davis said.
“Drones are probably one of our most significant law enforcement threats right now,” Davis said. “If you fly, we can’t. … So please don’t be selfish. Pay attention to the law. Respect the law.”
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Authorities are asking for the public’s help in finding out who was flying the offending drone and other drones that violate airspace laws.
For help, call 1-800-CALL-FBI or send tips to FBI.gov/.
