The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating Amazon after a delivery drone collided with an internet cable in Texas last week, the agency said on Wednesday.
One of Amazon’s MK30 delivery aircraft struck the cable in Waco, Texas, around 12:45 p.m. local time on Nov. 18, the FAA told multiple news outlets. The incident unfolded when one of the drone’s propellers became entangled in the cable after making a delivery, according to a video reported by CNBC.
Amazon self-reported the incident to the aviation agency. The episode resulted in little damage beyond the drone.
“There were no injuries or widespread internet service outages,” an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC. “We’ve paid for the cable line’s repair for the customer and have apologized for the inconvenience this caused them.”
After cutting the cable, the drone shut down its motor and lowered itself safely to the ground. The propeller tangled in the cable was damaged, but the aircraft was left mostly intact.
Amazon said the drone performed a “safe contingent landing” after it “clipped a thin, overhead internet cable”; the company defined a safe contingent landing as a procedure that is part of each drone’s mission profile.
“This procedure allows the drone to safely conclude its mission early when specific conditions warrant it, much like how a commercial airliner might choose to divert to another airport when the weather changes unexpectedly,” the tech giant says on its website. “It’s a planned safety feature designed to manage operational risks.”
In March, the FAA certified the specific MK30 drone involved in the incident. The new MK30 drones received FAA approval in October 2024, allowing them to begin commercial operations.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it is not investigating the incident because it’s classified as a “non-action event.”
FAA WARNS AIRLINES FLYING TO VENEZUELA OF ‘POTENTIAL RISK’ AS TRUMP CONSIDERS STRIKES AGAINST MADURO
In October, the FAA and NTSB investigated a crash involving two Amazon delivery drones that collided with a crane in Arizona. No one was injured in that incident.
Despite recent delivery mishaps, Amazon aims to deliver 500 million packages globally via drone by the end of the decade. Prime Air began delivering packages by drone to residents in Waco earlier this month.