Amazon delivery drone smashes into apartment building
Your package didn’t quite make it intact.
An Amazon delivery drone crashed into a Texas apartment building and caught fire, just weeks after the company had paused parts of its drone program following earlier incidents.
Cesarina Johnson recorded the moment on Feb. 4 when she noticed an Amazon MK30 drone flying outside her apartment in Richardson, according to USA Today. Curious to capture the new technology in action, she began filming. Moments later, the drone slammed into the building near the front entrance.
“Oh s—! Oh God! Man down,” Johnson exclaimed as the drone struck the structure and fell out of view. “Uh-oh. That does not sound good … Oh my God,” she added as smoke rose from the wreckage.
Although the actual crash was out of frame, the video showed debris scattering through the air after impact. Johnson later told Fox 4 News that the propellers were still spinning and that she could smell something burning.
Firefighters responded to the scene and examined the damaged drone. First responders also assisted Amazon personnel in collecting the debris and loading the remains onto a truck.
“We apologize for any inconvenience and are actively investigating the cause of this incident,” Amazon spokesperson Terrence Clark said in a statement.
The crash comes roughly two weeks after Amazon temporarily suspended commercial drone deliveries in Texas and Arizona following two separate crashes at a testing facility in Pendleton, Oregon. Those incidents were reportedly linked to a software issue that occurred during light rain.
Amazon’s MK30 drones have been operating in College Station, Texas, and Tolleson, Arizona, after the company received Federal Aviation Administration approval in October.
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