Amazon delivery drone sparked fire after a crash in Eastern Oregon

(APRIL 15, 2022) According to Macmillan Dictionary, a drone is "an aircraft that does not have a pilot but is controlled from the ground." Sometimes they are big like military planes with bombs. More often they are small machines used for recreation. Now Amazon is testing drones for delivering packages.

Amazon has an experimental delivery drone called Prime Air. Unfortunately, Prime Air did not deliver good results on a test flight last summer in Eastern Oregon. Instead, it crashed and set a wheat field on fire.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a government agency that controls airplanes and other things that fly. The FAA made a report in June 2021 about the accident. It said the drone was flying at an altitude of160 feet. Then its motor failed, and the drone crashed to the ground.

According to the website DroneDJ.com, the FAA report says that the drone was seen “tumbling in uncontrolled free fall until it contacted the ground,” following which an “intense lithium battery fire quickly consumed the aircraft.” As the drone crash-landed, it set “several acres of wheat stubble field” on fire.

When the publication Business Insider reported the story, Amazon responded. It said that safety is a priority, and that it conducts its drone test flights over unpopulated areas so that no one is injured if there is an accident. Amazon says it follows all safety rules, and it has permission from the FAA to fly these drones.

Some people, however, are worried about the program. They say there have been many accidents. They don't believe Amazon will be able to use drones to deliver packages in real life anytime soon.