- A civilian drone damaged a $30 million aircraft fighting the Palisades fire on Thursday, leaving it grounded over the weekend with no specific estimate on its return.
A Super Scooper state-of-the-art firefighting aircraft remained grounded Saturday with no specific timetable for its return to service.
The Canadian aircraft, loaned to the United States, is one of two aircraft of its kind in the Los Angeles area assisting in firefighting efforts. But on Thursday, a drone that was flying around Pacific Palisades without authorization crashed into the plane’s wing. The Federal Aviation Administration has implemented multiple Temporary Flight Restrictions in the Los Angeles area due to the recent civilian drone activity.
“It’s not just, ‘oh gee we dented an airplane wing.’ We have taken the aircraft out of service because it is not safe to fly,” Christopher Thomas, Los Angeles County Fire's public information officer for the Palisades fire, told Fortune. “That’s a lot of water that helps protect homes.”
According to Business Insider, a Super Scooper typically costs roughly $30 million, one of the most expensive firefighting aircraft. The plane can scoop up 1,600 gallons from a nearby body of water mid-flight—the Pacific Ocean in this case—then dump them on a fire.
Thomas estimated that the Super Scooper can make seven to eight refills per hour, representing nearly 13,000 gallons. Crews are working to repair it as soon as possible, he said.
When asked when the plane will return to service, Thomas replied, "There is nothing specific, however it is a high priority to get it back into service for these fires."
On Saturday, 20 more helicopters were added to fight the Palisades fire to compensate for the Super Scooper's being grounded.
“We want to overwhelm it with everything,” Thomas said.
He is confident that the plane's absence will not severely affect firefighting efforts in Southern California, as weather is favorable for now.
Despite officials' warnings against drone flights, more were spotted. On Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported that aerial firefighting efforts were put on hold due to additional unauthorized sightings.
In the presence of drones, all firefighting aircraft in the area must be grounded to mitigate the risk of a midair crash, Thomas explained.
“How fast can a fire move in 15 minutes to a half an hour?” he said. “It can move a lot.”
