A Canadair CL-415 aerial firefighter collided with a drone while flying over the Palisades fire near Los Angeles yesterday, according to the County of Los Angeles Fire Department (LACoFD). In a post on X, LACoFD said “SuperScooper Quebec 1 was struck by a civilian drone that was not assigned to the Palisades fire.”
One of the airplane’s wing leading edges showed a deep indentation and cut metal in the photo attached to the X post, and Quebec 1 “was taken out of service,” according to LACoFD. The agency added that “flying a drone in the midst of firefighting efforts is a federal crime and punishable by up to 12 months in prison or a fine of $75,000.”
Two Quebec government-owned CL-415s were dispatched to help manage the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area, which have killed 10 people and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings.
The twin-turboprop CL-415 has a tank capacity of more than 1,600 gallons and can refill during a scooping water run in just 12 seconds. The type certificate for the CL-415 is now held by De Havilland Aircraft of Canada, which continues supporting and upgrading the aircraft.