Drone Pilot Who Flew Into Firefighting Airplane Attempts to Avoid Prison
The co-founder of an influential video game company has pled guilty to flying his drone into a firefighting aircraft operating above the Los Angeles wildfires last month.
Peter Tripp Akemann admitted to flying his DJI Mini 3 Pro drone into a Super Scooper water dumping plane that was actively fighting the Pacific Palisades fire near Santa Monica.
In a court hearing on Friday, Akemann pled guilty in a bid to avoid prison and receive 150 hours of community service instead. He has also offered to pay for the repairs of the plane which is at least $65,000.
“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 McNally says in a statement, per Courthouse News Serivce. “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.”
Akemann’s defense attorneys Glen T. Jonas and Vicki Podberesky say he is “deeply sorry.” In future proceedings, his legal team will argue there were several mitigating factors including his reliance on the DJI’s geofencing which allegedly failed. DJI recently said it will no longer enforce “No-Fly Zones”, also known as geofencing, putting the onus on pilots to ensure they don’t fly in restricted areas.
Who is Peter Akemann?
Akemann, it turns out, is an influential figure in the video game industry having helped to co-found Treyarch Invention LLC, a major developer in the Call of Duty series. According to GameRant, he would later serve as president for VR games developer Skydance Interactive
Akemann’s drone caused serious damage to the Super Scooper’s left wing. The aircraft landed safely but it was out of commission for several days while the fires raged. It was only one of two Super Scoopers available.
When the incident happened, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued Temporary Flight Restrictions that prohibited drone operations near the wildfires.
It’s a federal crime to fly a drone during firefighting efforts and Akemann could face up to 12 months in prison.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
