FAA Probes Amazon Drone Crashes Near Phoenix
Pair of MK30 Aircraft Hit Crane in Tolleson, No Injuries Reported
Key Takeaways:
- Two Amazon MK30 drones crashed into a crane near Phoenix on Oct. 1, with one catching fire on the ground, according to the FAA.
- The FAA and NTSB are investigating, and Amazon paused local deliveries after the incident.
- The crash is a technical challenge for Amazon’s Prime Air program, which aims to expand to 500 million package deliveries a year by 2030.
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Federal regulators are investigating two crashes by Amazon.com Inc. delivery drones near Phoenix.
A pair of Amazon MK30 drones collided with a stationary crane at about 10 a.m. local time Oct. 1, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. No injuries were reported, the agency said.
A preliminary FAA notice on the accident, which took place in Tolleson, Ariz., near one of Amazon’s drone delivery sites, said one of the aircraft caught fire on the ground. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board say they are both investigating the crashes.
“We’re aware of an incident involving two Prime Air drones in Tolleson, Ariz.,” company spokesperson Terrence Clark said in an emailed statement. “We’re currently working with the relevant authorities to investigate.” The company said it paused local deliveries following the crashes on Oct. 1.
Amazon’s drone delivery program, which aims to deliver some 500 million packages a year by the end of this decade, is still in the first phases of a commercial rollout designed to ferry packages from warehouses to shoppers’ homes. Amazon Prime Air has experienced multiple technical challenges and crashes at testing sites, including an incident in December when two of the autonomous aircraft cut their propellers after being confused by a light rain.
The MK30 drone is designed to automatically detect and avoid obstacles in flight.
Amazon ranks No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America, No. 15 on the TT Top 100 list of the largest private carriers and No. 1 on the TT Top 50 list of the largest global freight companies.
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