A Culver City man will plead guilty to operating the drone that damaged and temporarily grounded a Super Scooper firefighting jet while crews battled the deadly Palisades fire earlier this month, federal prosecutors announced on Friday, Jan. 31.
Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, is expected to admit to a misdemeanor count of unsafe operation of the drone as part of a plea deal that also requires he pay full restitution to the government of Quebec — which owns the plane — and complete 150 hours of community service in support of the Southern California wildfire relief effort, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office statement.
On Jan. 9, prosecutors said, Akemann drove to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and parked on the top floor of a parking structure, where he launched the drone that he flew toward the Pacific Palisades.
Akemann wanted to observe the damage caused by the fire, authorities say. At the time, the Federal Aviation Administration had issued temporary flight restrictions barring drones over the fire area.
He lost sight of the drone after flying it more than 1.5 miles toward the blaze. It collided with the Super Scooper, which was making water drops to douse the flames, and ripped an approximately 3-by-6-inch hole in the aircraft’s left wing, grounding it for days.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally said a piece of the drone was found lodged inside the plane, and it had identifiers that investigators used to trace it back to the owner. It’s believed the strike happened over the Pacific Ocean.
The repairs are estimated to have cost more than $65,000.
Akemann is expected to make his first court appearance on Friday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.