A Culver City, California, man has agreed to plead guilty to flying a drone that damaged the wing of a Super Scooper firefighting plane during the Palisades blaze this month.
On Jan. 9, the drone flown by Peter Akemann, 56, struck the plane supplied by the Quebec provincial government and grounded the aircraft.
Mr. Akemann had driven to the top floor of a Santa Monica parking garage and launched the drone, which he flew more than 1.5 miles toward the Palisades fire. He lost sight of the drone, and it tore a hole in the left wing of the plane, according to the plea agreement filed Friday.
Mr. Akemann agreed to plead guilty to unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, a misdemeanor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a release.
As part of his plea agreement, Mr. Akemann will pay restitution of at least $65,000 to the Quebec government and the aircraft company that repaired the Super Scooper plane and will do 150 hours of community service related to firefighting efforts in Southern California.
Upon sentencing, Mr. Akemann faces up to one year in prison, up to one year of supervised release, a fine of up to $100,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss caused by the offense, whichever sum is larger, and a mandatory special assessment of $25, according to the plea agreement.
“Lack of common sense and ignorance of your duty as a drone pilot will not shield you from criminal charges. 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,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said in a release.
The Palisades and Eaton fires, which started on Jan. 7, were finally contained in full Friday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection website.
The fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles encompassed 23,448 acres, killed 12 civilians, injured a firefighter and three other civilians, destroyed 6,837 buildings and damaged 1,017 others.
The Eaton fire in Altadena encompassed 14,021 acres, killed 17 civilians, injured nine firefighters, destroyed 9,418 buildings and damaged 1,073 others.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.