DEPLOYDatabase

Incident · Injury

Out-of-control DJI Phantom 3 hits a building and falls into the crowd at the Seattle Pride parade, knocking a woman unconscious

Operator Paul Skinner lost control of his DJI Phantom 3; it struck Seattle's Safeco Plaza and fell into the crowd, hitting a woman and causing a concussion. Skinner was later convicted of reckless endangerment, the first US drone pilot so convicted (conviction Jan 2017). Source: King County prosecution; The Seattle Times and GeekWire reporting.

Occurred 2015-06-28 · DJI

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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 Out-of-control DJI Phantom 3 hits a building and falls into the crowd at the Seattle Pride parade, knocking a woman unconscious

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Sources (3)

  1. https://www.seattle.gov/
  2. https://www.seattletimes.com/
  3. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/drone-knocks-woman-unconscious-seattle-pride-parade-n384076

Common questions

What happened in Out-of-control DJI Phantom 3 hits a building and falls into the crowd at the Seattle Pride parade, knocking a woman unconscious?
Operator Paul Skinner lost control of his DJI Phantom 3; it struck Seattle's Safeco Plaza and fell into the crowd, hitting a woman and causing a concussion. Skinner was later convicted of reckless endangerment, the first US drone pilot so convicted (conviction Jan 2017). Source: King County prosecution; The Seattle Times and GeekWire reporting.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on June 28, 2015 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
Who was involved in Out-of-control DJI Phantom 3 hits a building and falls into the crowd at the Seattle Pride parade, knocking a woman unconscious?
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 Out-of-control DJI Phantom 3 hits a building and falls into the crowd at the Seattle Pride parade, knocking a woman unconscious?
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 Out-of-control DJI Phantom 3 hits a building and falls into the crowd at the Seattle Pride parade, knocking a woman unconscious?
This incident is an active record on the DEPLOY registry; no retraction or correction has been issued.
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-09

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-09

Sources by quality tier

3
unclassified
Unclassified source

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

Methodology surface for Out-of-control DJI Phantom 3 hits a building and falls into the crowd at the Seattle Pride parade, knocking a woman unconscious.

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Canonical ID 5225bfe4-a698-4307-a24e-3109c97711ef