Amazon’s new MK30 Prime Air Drone is on display during Amazon’s “Delevering the Future” event at the company’s BFI1 Fulfillment Center, Robotics Research and Development Hub in Sumner, Washington, on October 18, 2023.
Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty Images
Amazon Two of the Prime Air Delivery Loans are facing federal probes after colliding with Arizona cranes, and the company is urging them to temporarily suspend drone services in the area.
The incident occurred around 1pm EST in Tolson, Arizona, west of Phoenix. Two MK30 drones have hit a boom in stationary construction cranes in a commercial area just a few miles from Amazon’s warehouse.
Sergeant Eric Mendes of the Tolson Police Department said one person was assessed on the scene for possible smoke inhalation.
“We know of the incident involving two major air drones in Tolson, Arizona,” Amazon spokesman Terrence Clark said in a statement. “We are currently working with relevant authorities to investigate.”
Both drones maintained “substantial” damage from Wednesday’s crash, according to a spare FAA crash report.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Traffic Safety Commission are investigating the incident. The NTSB did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The drone was believed to be flying northeast consecutively when it collided with a crane used to work on the roof at the distribution facility, Tolleson police said at its release. According to the release, the drone landed in the backyard of a nearby building.
The probe comes months after Amazon suspended drone delivery at Tolson, Texas and College Station in January, and then temporarily suspends drone delivery following two crashes at a test site in Pendleton, Oregon. These crashes also prompted investigations by the FAA and NTSB. CNBC resumed delivery in March after reporting previously, saying the company had resolved issues with the drone software.
For more than a decade, Amazon has been working to bring the vision of Jeff Bezos, a drone that will blow toothpaste, books and batteries to its customers’ doorsteps in under 30 minutes to life. However, progress has slowed as Prime Air is only available in only a handful of US cities.
Amazon has set a goal of offering 500 million packages per drone per year by the end of the decade.
