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LOS ANGELES (CN) — A Los Angeles County man admitted he illegally flew a drone over the Palisades Fire that crashed into and damaged a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft.
Peter Akemann, 56, agreed to plead guilty to one count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, the U.S. attorney’s office in LA announced Friday. The misdemeanor offense carries a sentence of up to one year in federal prison.
According to his plea agreement, on Jan. 9, while the massive firestorm was sweeping through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, Akemann launched a drone from the roof of a parking structure in nearby Santa Monica to observe the destruction.
He flew the drone about 1 1/2 mile toward the fire, and after he lost sight of it, the drone collided with the Super Scooper attempting to fight the blaze. The crash caused an approximately 3-by-6-inch hole in the left wing, and the aircraft had to be taken out of service for repairs.
At the time of the collision, the Federal Aviation Administration issued temporary flight restrictions that prohibited drone operations near the LA County wildfires that erupted earlier this month.
“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 said in a statement. “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.”
The Culver City resident agreed to pay full restitution to the government of Quebec, which supplied the plane, and an aircraft repair company. The drone caused at least $65,000 in damage to the Super Scooper.
As part of his plea deal, he has also agreed to complete 150 hours of community service to support the 2025 Southern California wildfire relief effort.In a statement, defense attorneys Glen T. Jonas and Vicki Podberesky said Akemann is “deeply sorry” and “cooperating with the government in effort to make amends,” adding that there are several “mitigating factors that will come to light during the court proceedings, including Mr. Akemann’s reliance on the DJI Drone’s geo fencing safeguard feature and the failure of that feature.”
The fires that erupted on Jan. 7 in the Pacific Palisades, an affluent neighborhood at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking the ocean, and in Altadena, an eclectic enclave nestled against the San Gabriel Mountains east of downtown LA, were the most devastating wildfires in the city’s history.
The firestorms, fanned by extreme winds and fueled by parched vegetation in the canyons, destroyed most of the neighborhoods. They are estimated to have caused more than $250 billion in economic damage, making them the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history. Cleaning up and rebuilding the devastated parts of the city is likely going to take years.
Whereas the Pacific Palisades has numerous celebrity residents who lost their homes this month, including Anthony Hopkins and Paris Hilton, Altadena is a less glamorous community that is home to a more diverse population. President Donald Trump, on his visit to LA last week, toured the destruction in the Palisades but skipped Altadena.
The Palisades Fire burned more than 23,400 acres, destroyed close to 7,000 structures, and killed 12 people. The Eaton Fire that tore through Altadena burned more than 14,000 acres, destroyed over 9,400 structures, and killed 17 people.
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