Summary
A firefighting super scooper battling the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles collided with a privately-owned DJI drone, causing significant damage and delaying operations.
The FBI is investigating to identify the drone’s owner, as unauthorized drones near wildfires pose risks to firefighting efforts.
Temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) are in place, but violations can lead to prosecution, fines, and jail time.
The damaged aircraft, one of only two available, is out of service until Monday.
DJI doesn’t track every one of the hundreds of thousands of drones they sell. And there’s no requirement that a drone even have an internet connection of anything like that.
Most modern drones, (yes, DJI) are required to be registered and support Remote ID.
It does what the name suggests. The drone broadcasts its position data and registered FAA ID over Bluetooth and/or WiFi.
I have had 2 dji drones and they require Internet and account to set up. I believe they force you you to register with faa as well because I remember I did this many years ago