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Incident · Collision

Hobbyist DJI Mini 3 Pro punches a hole in a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft during the LA Palisades Fire

Peter Akemann flew a DJI Mini 3 Pro into a Quebec-government CL-415 'Super Scooper', leaving an approximately 3-by-6-inch hole in the left wing and grounding the aircraft for about five days during active firefighting. He agreed to plead guilty to unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, pay at least 65,169 USD restitution, and perform 150 hours of community service. Source: US DOJ (USAO Central District of California) press release.

Occurred 2025-01-09 · DJI · Investigated by FAA

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Incident records on DEPLOY are compiled from public sources (regulatory filings, news reports, and operator disclosures) and reflect what has been reported and tracked to date. They are not legal findings, determinations of fault, or safety ratings, and may be updated as new information is verified. See the sources below for the underlying references.
Track Hobbyist DJI Mini 3 Pro punches a hole in a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft during the LA Palisades Fire

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Sources (2)

  1. https://www.faa.gov/uas/
  2. https://abcnews.com/US/drone-operator-charged-hitting-super-scooper-plane-palisades/story?id=118313936

Common questions

What happened in Hobbyist DJI Mini 3 Pro punches a hole in a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft during the LA Palisades Fire?
Peter Akemann flew a DJI Mini 3 Pro into a Quebec-government CL-415 'Super Scooper', leaving an approximately 3-by-6-inch hole in the left wing and grounding the aircraft for about five days during active firefighting. He agreed to plead guilty to unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, pay at least 65,169 USD restitution, and perform 150 hours of community service. Source: US DOJ (USAO Central District of California) press release.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on January 9, 2025 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
Who was involved in Hobbyist DJI Mini 3 Pro punches a hole in a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft during the LA Palisades Fire?
The incident is recorded as involving DJI on the DEPLOY registry. No specific robot model is linked to this incident in the registry.
Has anyone responded to Hobbyist DJI Mini 3 Pro punches a hole in a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft during the LA Palisades Fire?
No responses to this incident are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Operators, manufacturers, or affected parties can submit responses to the editorial team; absence is not a guarantee no response was issued.
What is the current status of Hobbyist DJI Mini 3 Pro punches a hole in a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft during the LA Palisades Fire?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-09

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-09

Sources by quality tier

1
primary-regulatory-filing
Regulatory filing
1
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Hobbyist DJI Mini 3 Pro punches a hole in a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft during the LA Palisades Fire.

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Canonical ID 44a97484-1586-453e-903d-740ede768cd0