Amazon suspends drone deliveries after two recorded accidents.

Amazon has halted all its commercial drone deliveries in Texas and Arizona, according to recent reports. This decision comes after a previously undisclosed event in which two MK30 drones from the company crashed at the Pendleton airport in Oregon, which is used for testing. The MK30 model represents an evolution in Amazon's drone technology, being lighter and having a greater range than its predecessor, the MK27.

The incidents, which occurred in December, included one of the drones even catching fire after the crash. The company determined that the accidents were caused by a software issue related to the light rain that fell during the tests. However, Amazon clarified that these accidents are not the "main reason" for its decision to pause drone deliveries.

An Amazon spokesperson, Sam Stephenson, stated that the company is making software changes to the drone and that the operational pause is voluntary. After implementing the necessary updates, Amazon will need to obtain approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before resuming operations. Employees at the drone sites, who were informed of this decision on Friday, will continue to receive their pay during the pause period.

In addition to the accidents in December, there was also a collision between two MK30 drones during a test a few months earlier. Stephenson noted that the company anticipates such incidents during the testing process and that these events contribute to improving service safety. Since 2022, Amazon has been making non-medical deliveries via drones in Texas, to which it added prescription medication deliveries a year later. In 2024, the company suspended drone deliveries in California but launched the service in Phoenix, Arizona.