Drones crash at Orlando Christmas show: FAA opens investigation
Orlando, Fla. - The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation after drones crash at an Orlando Christmas show.
According to a statement just released by the FAA, the agency will investigate "after several small drones collided and fell into a crowd during a holiday drone show over Eloa Lake in Orlando, Florida." FOX 35 was the first to report the incident, which occurred around 6:45 p.m. Saturday evening.
According to an FAA spokesperson, "drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulation. Typically, these events require a waiver to the regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time. We thoroughly review each drone-show application to make sure the flying public and people on the ground will be safe."
(Credit: X user MosquitoCoFl)
The FAA says, among other things they review concerning drone shows are:
- The software controlling the drones
- Procedures on setting up safe and restricted areas to keep people a safe distance from the show
- Procedures in the event a single or multiple drones fail
- Procedures if an aircraft gets too close to the show
- How the operator keeps the drones within a confined area using GeoFencing
- Whether the operator has an adequate number of people to run the show
A 7-year-old boy was transported to the hospital due to injuries sustained from the falling drones, according to the Orlando Fire Department.
The City of Orlando canceled the second show of the evening citing ‘technical difficulties’. A spokesperson told FOX 35 the city is reaching out to the vendor.
FOX 35 will update this story as information becomes available.