Amazon Faces FAA Probe After Delivery Drone Snaps Internet Cable In Texas (cnbc.com) 59
Amazon's drone-delivery program is under federal scrutiny after an MK30 aircraft clipped an internet cable in Texas. CNBC reports: The incident occurred on Nov. 18 around 12:45 p.m. Central in Waco, Texas. After dropping off a package, one of Amazon's MK30 drones was ascending out of a customer's yard when one of its six propellers got tangled in a nearby internet cable, according to a video of the incident viewed and verified by CNBC. The video shows the Amazon drone shearing the wire line. The drone's motor then appeared to shut off and the aircraft landed itself, with its propellers windmilling slightly on the way down, the video shows. The drone appeared to remain in tact beyond some damage to one of its propellers.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, a spokesperson confirmed. The National Transportation Safety Board said the agency is aware of the incident but has not opened a probe into the matter. Amazon confirmed the incident to CNBC, saying that after clipping the internet cable, the drone performed a "safe contingent landing," referring to the process that allows its drones to land safely in unexpected conditions. "There were no injuries or widespread internet service outages. We've paid for the cable line's repair for the customer and have apologized for the inconvenience this caused them," an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC, noting that the drone had completed its package delivery.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, a spokesperson confirmed. The National Transportation Safety Board said the agency is aware of the incident but has not opened a probe into the matter. Amazon confirmed the incident to CNBC, saying that after clipping the internet cable, the drone performed a "safe contingent landing," referring to the process that allows its drones to land safely in unexpected conditions. "There were no injuries or widespread internet service outages. We've paid for the cable line's repair for the customer and have apologized for the inconvenience this caused them," an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC, noting that the drone had completed its package delivery.
overhead cable TV plant (Score:1)
...one of its six propellers got tangled in a nearby internet cable.
You mean overhead cable TV plant? I suppose more people use coax for DOCSIS than CATV now...
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I have overly expensive cable internet already, I don't need to also pay for CATV.
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...and the lucky ones use fiber instead of antiquated coax systems.
Fake News (Score:2, Troll)
Everyone knows the Internet runs through pipes, internet pipes, not internet wires. Underground internet pipes to be specific. I mean what kind of idiots string their internet cables around in the air like Christmas lights anyway?
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There is also the middle option, where you dig two small shafts to the appropriate depth, then use pneumatics to "shoot" the cable from one shaft to the other through the ground, below roads, driveways etc, and then connect it.
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It sounds like you need to pay someone a lot of money for that.
Not really. It requires a pneumatic tool, but that's smaller and easier than lugging a pole, and faster too. All of the internet providers here shoot fiber cables like that, especially in areas of the cities with protected buildings and roads. And pole installation in those places is a big no-no, so they all just use pneumatics everywhere, as they already have the tools. And because of competition, prices are quite low, and installers only have to take the certification once.
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It's a lot easier and cheaper than digging.
In most of Europe overhead lines would never get approval.
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Yeah the only overhead lines I've seen in northern Europe are the 25000+ volt lines that connect some transformer stations.
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There is also the middle option, where you dig two small shafts to the appropriate depth, then use pneumatics to "shoot" the cable from one shaft to the other through the ground, below roads, driveways etc, and then connect it.
Running underground cables isn't the panacea many think it is, however. On my shelf in the office, I have a fulgurite, which in this case is a lump of melted metal from a power line that was underground and struck by lightning. It's cool looking, kinda like an eagle's claw.
Meanwhile, in the newer section of my neighborhood, they got rid of the unsightly power lines in our back yards and replaced them with breakout boxes and transformers in the front yards. The phone ones are especially beautiful, tilting
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The internet is a series of tubes [wikipedia.org]
This Is Huge (Score:4, Informative)
No. This is inconsequential. Literally nothing at all.
I wonder how much the FAA will pass away "investigating".
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Thankfully the FAA has some skills of deduction and reasoning. They know that just because this crash didn't kill anyone, doesn't mean the next crash won't. Someone like you on the case, yeah it would be a total waste.
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I didn't see a crash. Did you?
There was no crash!
A drone was "stuck", unable to progress on it's intended course. After failing it's attempts for a few seconds, it LANDED. It landed completely safely. And, oh by the way, a plastic propeller was inconsequentially damaged.
Don't be such a drama queen.
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I guess the FAA should turn it over to the Ghostbusters, because something definitely tore the cable from the utility pole.
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A broken wire is not a crash, as you initially stated.
You're either a disingenuous liar or a moron. Which is it?
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All of the above, and very secure in the knowledge of what the word "crash" means.
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No. This is inconsequential. Literally nothing at all.
I wonder how much the FAA will pass away "investigating".
Shirley the thoroughness of the investigation is inversely proportional to the amount Amazon "invests" in Trumps latest scam.
If you think this is something (Score:3)
Wait until you find out about all the accidents their road-based delivery vehicles cause. Hell, a few years back an Amazon driver crashed into my car while it was parked in my driveway.
It happens, and at least in my case they made good on paying for the damages.
Re:If you think this is something (Score:4, Informative)
I found out and it's boring. Amazon has 60 crashes per million miles, half of USPS rate.
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My implication was a comparison of the number of drone crashes against their other forms of delivery.
Although to be honest, even compared against other delivery industry players, I'm surprised it's not higher. Their semi truck drivers drive like maniacs.
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And because this is well known people give Amazon trucks a wide margin, thus lowering their accident rate.
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Heh. Reminds me of when I inherited my parent's late-sixties Olds 98. Helluva tank to drive around in the nineties, until SUVs took over. It was just old and beat up enough that I found other drivers remarkably polite.
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"and you hear those 2 large barrels sucking air"
I remember that. Didn't use it much but those 2 extra barrels provided a lot of suck when needed.
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ooo, 200 pounds more than my '64 super wildcat, 428 cubic inches of 360 hp big pp 8 mpg gasoline suck. A chevy nova once crossed the centerline and hit it, poor thing lost a third of its length. Had to buff out the scuff and put in new headlight bulb
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Yeah, never expected to get another strongly built sedan. Handled like a boat, though. Since then I've looked for cars that have decent handling. I got lucky with my 2005 300C (good handling for a heavy car, thanks to Mercedes suspension), got T-boned, but they were able to straighten out the bent post, etc., and there were no issues.
OTOH my old '91 Firebird (I liked the handling but the engine was meh) was #3 in a 5-car chain reaction. The frame was tweaked, and though it was "straightened", it never handl
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I found out and it's boring. Amazon has 60 crashes per million miles, half of USPS rate.
This is a completely unscientific gut feel, but I suspect that postal workers are much more likely to report minor incidents than Amazon delivery drivers.
Props getting caught in cables? (Score:1)
That problem was solved almost 15 years ago [youtube.com]. It can bang into the wall, roll on the ground.. Only needs one motor, too.
A FedEx truck... (Score:3)
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"Why would this require an FAA investigation?" So the alleged administration can shake down Amazon for a "contribution" to fight "terrorist drones". The Fed. Gov. is being turned into a Mafia organization.
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Trucks (and cars) cause accidents, that's just how it is. Aircraft aren't supposed to have accidents ever and must be perfect. No, it doesn't make sense, but that's society for you.
Re: A FedEx truck... (Score:2)
Well, aircraft can also have engines fall off on takeoff and carve a flaming trench through an entire neighborhood, potentially killing dozens or hundreds in addition to those the aircraft.
Even little Amazon drones can fall on my head and maim or kill me while I'm barbecuing in my backyard.
I think I'm OK with higher standards.
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I had a FedEx truck clip a support wire for an electric pole in front of my house. It pulled on the pole so much that it and 2 poles in each direction were all wobbling. The lines where swaying so much that the lines must have arced, and caused power to go out at my house and several of my neighbors. The damage that this drone did was very mundane in comparison. Why would this require an FAA investigation?
Because Amazon! Because capitalism! Heck, probably because Trump somehow!
Sheesh, get with the program! ;)
Re: A FedEx truck... (Score:1)
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Lots of "cute" answers I see. More seriously, the FAA is involved because it involved a flying thing. FAA regulations are designed for flying stuff, and wants a high level of safety.
If a self-driving Fedex truck did what you described, the DOT would likely become involved.
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It's an experimental flying craft conducting trials. Why wouldn't the FAA be involved?
Re: A FedEx truck... (Score:2)
If a FedEx airplane hits a utility pole, yes there would be an FAA investigation. I'm not sure why this would be surprising to anyone with even a passing familiarity of aerospace regulation.
MSNBC fired their editors as a cost-saving measure (Score:5, Informative)
But it's not "in tact" - it's "intact".
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Thank you!
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Zipline (Score:3)
Zipline's drone tech is a lot better and way quieter. The Zipline drone, which is already pretty quiet, stays over 300 feet above the drop site and reels the/ package down with a tether in an aerodynamic pod. No noisy drone landing and highly accurate package placement even when it's windy. Reference: https://www.zipline.com/techno... [zipline.com]
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A 300 foot cable in a built up area probably with lots of things it could get caught on? What could possibly go wrong.
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Huh? Are you crazy? It obviously doesn't fly around with a 300 foot cable sticking out. Do you know how a tether works. Furthermore, if it does get tangled it snaps off and notifies.
Well duh (Score:3)
If a drone can't avoid obstacles and fail to safe then it has no business whatsoever flying near populated errors. Not to mention that even if did operate safely then it's still a noise nuisance. It would be very sad indeed if people start taking potshots at these things or griefing them.
Damage (Score:1)
Dark ages (Score:2, Insightful)
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--Why still have cables up in the air? --
While I agree that it would be much preferred to have both power and telecom cabling underground, the fact is that people demand lowest-cost services and it costs a lot more to place cables underground than aerially. I work in telecom and if someone asks me for a rough estimate of placement cost, I tell them that underground is often about 3x what aerial is. But customers insist on low service prices and aerial is cheaper. (if building the infrastructure costs more,
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In my area, I'm told it's considerations of soil quality and flooding, but probably cost is a bigger factor.
People wouldn't accept the electrical rates the power company would charge to redo the whole infrastructure. And government here is ideologically opposed to funding it, or doing anything useful for people more broadly.
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It should also be noted we have hurricanes almost every year, my power was out for a cumulative 3 weeks in 2024 and 2025. Every year storms come and knock the poles down, and still none of the people in charge pull their head out of their ass and pony up to bury the cables. Their solution: "Don't look at us, buy a generator. Great sale now, tax-free weekend."
In tact (Score:2)
The drone appeared to remain in tact beyond some damage to one of its propellers.
Well, that's good - I hate a brash, rude, in your face drone ...
Internet via the air? On Wires? (Score:2)
I think I've seen that in India before. I thought the USA claimed it was a first world country.
Re: Internet via the air? On Wires? (Score:1)