The drone pilot who shot down a Los Angeles firefighter plane pleads guilty to avoid prison.

On January 9, Peter Akemann, 56, operated his DJI Mini 3 Pro drone at a considerably greater distance than allowed, colliding with a firefighting aircraft that was extinguishing flames in Los Angeles, resulting in significant damage: a hole in the left wing of the plane. This incident forced the aircraft to land for repairs, totaling approximately $65,000.

Following an investigation, authorities identified Akemann as the drone operator, and he agreed on Friday to plead guilty. In exchange for his plea, he could avoid a one-year prison sentence by committing to complete 150 hours of community service supporting wildfire recovery and covering the aircraft's repair costs. According to the plea agreement, Akemann launched his drone from a parking lot in Santa Monica and flew toward the Pacific Palisades area, disregarding temporary flight restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration due to wildfires in Southern California.

The account details that the drone was flown 2,500 meters from its launch point and became lost from sight before striking the plane. The damage caused was significant, with a hole approximately 15 centimeters by 7.5 centimeters in the left wing. Akemann is not just any drone operator; he is the former president and chief technology officer of Skydance Interactive, a video game developer, and co-founder of Treyarch, known for its Call of Duty and Spider-Man games. He had recently left his position at Skydance, a fact that has garnered attention in the video game industry.

It is possible that the U.S. district court may not accept the plea agreement, which could lead to Akemann facing a one-year sentence, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $100,000 or double the economic loss caused by the offense, whichever is greater.

Akkeman's attorneys stated that he is "deeply remorseful for the mistake made by flying a drone near the Palisades fire zone on January 9, 2025, as well as for the resulting accident," and that he "accepts responsibility for his grave error in judgment." They also mentioned that there are "mitigating factors" to be presented during the court proceedings, including his reliance on the geofencing feature of the DJI drone and the malfunction of that feature. Recently, DJI removed some of its more severe geofencing restrictions, which may have allowed pilots to fly over active fires and government buildings, such as the White House, although there were still limitations on flying over temporary no-fly zones unless pilots updated their flight restriction lists.