ORLANDO, Fla. – The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after drones collided and fell into a crowd during a holiday show Saturday evening in downtown Orlando, according to the agency.
The show was part of the city’s Downtown for the Holidays, free holiday events throughout December in downtown. Originally, there were two scheduled 15-minute shows for the evening.
Original story posted by News4JAX’s sister station in Orlando, WKMG
During the first show at 6:30 p.m., the FAA said, “Several small drones collided and fell into a crowd.” Here’s the full statement from the FAA:
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after drones collided and fell into a crowd during a holiday show Saturday evening in downtown Orlando, according to the agency.
The incident prompted the second show, scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., to be canceled after what city officials said were “technical difficulties.”
When asked whether the drones hit people, a spokesperson with the Orlando Fire Department said one person was taken to the hospital for a minor injury but did not specify what caused the injury. News 6 asked if the injury was related to a drone and the fire department said to refer questions to the FAA.
The city on Sunday released a statement on the drone show, saying paramedics at the scene rendered aid to the individual but did not say what the injuries were.
Our thoughts are with the family and all those impacted by the outcome of this event. The City remains in contact with the vendor and FAA who will conduct a thorough investigation.
This is all the information we have available to share at this time:
Last night, a Holiday Drone Show was held at Orlando’s Lake Eola Park. The 6:30 Drone Show had technical difficulties so the decision was immediately made to cancel the 8 p.m. show.
At approximately 6:48 p.m. OFD was alerted to an individual who was reported to be injured during the show. Fire personnel were already at the park, staffing an emergency tent that was approximately 50 feet away from the scene of the incident. Paramedics began to render aid as soon as they made contact with the individual.
The Holiday Drone Show was a permitted event through the FAA. It was in its third year drawing crowds of approximately 25,000. This is the second year using the vendor, Sky Elements to operate the drones.
OPD Detectives made contact with the individual’s family last night at the hospital and will continue to assist the FAA in obtaining evidence for the investigation, which is being led by the FAA.
For further inquiries into the investigation, contact the FAA.
The vendor, identified as Sky Elements Drones, also released a statement on Sunday saying they are working with the FAA and city of Orlando officials to “determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired.”
You can read their full statement below:
“Sky Elements Drones wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 21. The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused.
We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired. Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA.”
Sky Elements Drones
Philippe, from the X account MosquitoCoFL Podcast, shared video of the incident with News 6.
In the video posted below, you can see what appears to be several drones falling to the ground Saturday evening while a child can be heard asking, “Are they supposed to be falling?” Philippe, who was at the show with his son, said he estimated maybe a few dozen drones crashed into each other during the start of the 15-minute show at 6:30 p.m. before “falling out of the sky” and crashing into the water and on land.
Another WKMG viewer, Bryan Wilson, captured video of the malfunction and noticed one drone “falling fast” and crashing at the end of the show.
The FAA said drone shows typically require waivers from the agency to allow the operation of more than one drone at a time. When reviewing applications, the FAA said it checks the following:
- The software controlling the drones
- Procedures for setting up safe and restricted areas to keep people a safe distance from the show
- Procedures in the event a single or multiple drones fail
- Procedures if an aircraft gets too close to the show
- How the operator keeps the drones within a confined area using GeoFencing
- Whether the operator has an adequate number of people to run the show