Several small drones collided and then fell into a crowd at a Florida holiday drone show Saturday night, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
One person was injured during the show at Lake Eola Park in Orlando, according to the mayor’s office. Officials did not identify that person or specify whether his injury was related to the drone crash.
Orlando Police Department detectives met with the victim’s family at the hospital, officials said. Local police will assist the FAA in the crash investigation.
Saturday’s collision happened around 6:45 p.m. local time, authorities said. A second light show, scheduled for 8 p.m., was canceled due to what the city of Orlando described as “technical difficulties.”
Drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulation, and the FAA “thoroughly” reviews each drone show application to ensure people in the sky and on the ground are safe, according to the agency.
The FAA reviews several areas, including the software that controls the drones, procedures for setting up safe and restricted areas to keep people a safe distance from the drone show, procedures in case a drone or drones fail, and procedures if a aircraft is too close. at the show
About 25,000 people come out to see the drones, according to Orlando authorities. This was the third year of the holiday drone show and was operated by Sky Elements, Orlando officials said.
Sky Elements Drones, in a statement obtained by the CBS News affiliate WKMGsaid it was working with the FAA and Orlando city officials to “determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what happened.”
“Sky Elements Drones would like to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those affected at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, December 21st. The well-being of our audience is our highest priority and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused. ” said Sky Elements Drones. “We are working diligently with the FAA and city of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what happened. Millions of people watch our shows annually and we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety established by the FAA”.
The Florida drone incident comes after Continuity mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey and other parts of the eastern US