Amazon resumes drone delivery after two of its aircraft crashed into crane in Arizona
By Alexandra Skores, CNN
Washington (CNN) — Amazon drone deliveries will resume Friday after being suspended for two days after two Prime Air delivery drones struck a crane in Arizona, resulting in “substantial” damage and a fire.
The two MK30 drones crashed into the boom of a crane in Tolleson, Arizona, near Phoenix, Wednesday around 10 a.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. No injuries were reported.
Helicopter video from CNN affiliates KTVK/KPHO shows the remains of the more than 80 pound drones shattered on the ground.
Amazon said it will resume drone delivery at Tolleson Friday and will continue to work with reviews by relevant agencies.
The National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are investigating.
“We’ve completed our own internal review of this incident and are confident that there wasn’t an issue with the drones or the technology that supports them,” Terrence Clark, an Amazon spokesperson told CNN. “Nonetheless, we’ve introduced additional processes like enhanced visual landscape inspections to better monitor for moving obstructions such as cranes.”
Amazon Prime Air drones have flown packages to customers since 2022, the company says.
In April, Amazon opened the drone delivery center in Tolleson. People living nearby have been able to get purchases weighing less than five pounds delivered in less than an hour.
The MK30 drones are approved by the FAA to fly beyond where the operator can see it, and use a “sophisticated on-board detect and avoid system” to prevent crashes, the company says on its website.
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