DEPLOYDatabase

Incident · Malfunction

89 drones crash into Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney drone light show

During the Vivid Sydney Starbound drone show, 89 of 1,000 SKYMAGIC drones malfunctioned and crashed into Darling Harbour. The company blamed radio interference. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) launched an official investigation. Vivid Sydney cancelled subsequent drone shows following the incident.

Occurred 2026-05-26 · SkyMagic

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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 89 drones crash into Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney drone light show

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Sources (2)

  1. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9d330wqq2zo
  2. https://www.faa.gov/uas/resources/community_engagement/uas_incident_reports

Status history

  • Active · 2026-07-03 · agent:depth

Common questions

What happened in 89 drones crash into Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney drone light show?
During the Vivid Sydney Starbound drone show, 89 of 1,000 SKYMAGIC drones malfunctioned and crashed into Darling Harbour. The company blamed radio interference. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) launched an official investigation. Vivid Sydney cancelled subsequent drone shows following the incident.
When did this incident occur?
The incident is recorded as occurring on May 26, 2026 on the DEPLOY registry. The date reflects the underlying real-world event, not the registry record's creation date.
Who was involved in 89 drones crash into Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney drone light show?
The incident is recorded as involving SkyMagic on the DEPLOY registry. No specific robot model is linked to this incident in the registry.
Has anyone responded to 89 drones crash into Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney drone light show?
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 89 drones crash into Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney drone light show?
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 2026-07-14

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-14

Sources by quality tier

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

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

Methodology surface for 89 drones crash into Sydney Harbour during Vivid Sydney drone light show.

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Canonical ID 78b0da29-ff4b-4607-86f7-cc96e612350a