A drone pilot has pleaded guilty after crashing his drone into a firefighting aircraft. The incident caused damages amounting to $67,000. According to reports, the pilot has agreed to pay for the repairs and serve 150 hours of community service in wildfire relief. While he will avoid jail time, many speculate that insurance companies may pursue legal action to recover costs. More details: How governments can get agencies to stop using foreign drones: Pay up. - Route Fifty
So will he have to pay for the repairs, the downtime of the plane, and any damages from fires that spread because the aircraft was grounded? Or will insurance companies sue him later?
Jade said:
So will he have to pay for the repairs, the downtime of the plane, and any damages from fires that spread because the aircraft was grounded? Or will insurance companies sue him later?
Local news only mentioned his plea bargain. He has to pay for repairs and do community service. I’m sure insurance companies will go after him now that he’s admitted guilt.
Jade said:
So will he have to pay for the repairs, the downtime of the plane, and any damages from fires that spread because the aircraft was grounded? Or will insurance companies sue him later?
Correction—his plea deal lets him avoid jail, but he has to complete 150 hours of community service helping with wildfire relief.
@Corey
That seems way too lenient. Insurance companies will probably go after him hard for the financial damages.
Jade said:
So will he have to pay for the repairs, the downtime of the plane, and any damages from fires that spread because the aircraft was grounded? Or will insurance companies sue him later?
Hope he can afford this. Just repairing the leading edge alone could have cost hundreds of thousands, especially when you include testing and certification.
@Weston
The article said the total cost was $67,000.
Good. People like this make it worse for everyone who flies responsibly.
Hard to believe he’s getting off this easy.
Dezi said:
Hard to believe he’s getting off this easy.
Yeah, feels like damage control. He gets off with barely a penalty while agencies are left to deal with the consequences.
Dezi said:
Hard to believe he’s getting off this easy.
Yeah, feels like damage control. He gets off with barely a penalty while agencies are left to deal with the consequences.
Exactly. A weak response like this just encourages more reckless behavior.
@Dezi
Yep. Nothing changes.
Dezi said:
Hard to believe he’s getting off this easy.
Yeah, feels like damage control. He gets off with barely a penalty while agencies are left to deal with the consequences.
Isn’t this company owned by Larry Ellison’s son?
Dezi said:
Hard to believe he’s getting off this easy.
So no jail time and a fine that he can probably pay off easily? Doesn’t sound like much of a punishment.
Dezi said:
Hard to believe he’s getting off this easy.
So no jail time and a fine that he can probably pay off easily? Doesn’t sound like much of a punishment.
This was the perfect chance for the FAA to make an example out of him. Instead, he gets a slap on the wrist and no real consequences.