Amazon delivery drones crash!

[mavic3usa]

It was bound to happen:

Amazon Drone Disaster: Two Prime Air Drones Slam Into Crane, Operations Halted Again

Two Amazon Prime Air delivery drones collided with a construction crane in Tolleson, Arizona on Wednesday morning, prompting the e-commerce giant to

dronexl.co

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Max Headroom]

Do they not have collision avoidance?

 

[mavic3usa]

Do they not have collision avoidance?

Probably but it sounds like the typical thin wire problem that plagues even the best OA systems found on the Skydio drone. Sometimes these systems just can't pickup on small branches or electrical wires, etc. There's only one way to completely solve this problem and that's with AI.

 

[AMann]

Did they crash with the boom or with the cable hanging below it?

 

[mavic3usa]

Did they crash with the boom or with the cable hanging below it?

In the video at the 1:15 mark, the witness describes the around 50' crane lowering an AC unit and the cable was in the path of the drone as it was approaching and the drone got snagged by the cable....and so did the 2nd drone which was following the 1st drone. This is an accident that didn't have to happen, this is unprofessional, and it clearly shows the program is not ready for mass deployment. Amazon will probably claim the drones should not have been trying to traverse the landscape horizontally at the 50' level and for some emergency reason, safety protocols kicked in and the drones were returning home blah blah blah excuse. Let's see how much the FAA fines them or if they get their BVLOS waiver revoked as would happen if you are not Amazon.

 

[Cafguy]

"They simply drop your package from 15 ft"
I suppose thats less abuse than the driver gives my package..TIP; Don't order your glasswear from Amazon!

 

[mavic3usa]

After just a couple days out of action, delivery services are set to resume:

“We’ve completed our own internal review of this incident and are confident that there wasn’t an issue with the drones or the technology that supports them,” Terrence Clark, an Amazon spokesperson told CNN. “Nonetheless, we’ve introduced additional processes like enhanced visual landscape inspections to better monitor for moving obstructions such as cranes.”

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/02/us/arizona-amazon-drones-crash

 

[djwak59]

Do they not have collision avoidance?

But it’s ALL us LITTLE GUYS who have to be CAREFUL !! Hey Congress, look at THIS.

 

[Cafguy]

SO is some poor smuck at amazon facing an expensive FAA fine? Is there an exemption if you carry a cargo of mass produced junk on your drone...Imagine the nightmare a recreational pilot would face if he flew his drone into a working construction crane!

 

[anotherlab]

Do they not have collision avoidance?

Detecting cables is difficult. You have a thin, straight object with low contrast. On a bright day, with a light colored object behind it, it can be easy to detect the cable. On an overcast day, the level of contrast between the cable and what is behind it can drop, making it harder to see.

A crane is easy to spot. If the vision system detects the crane, it can be taught that you can't fly near it.

 

[mavic3usa]

A crane is easy to spot. If the vision system detects the crane, it can be taught that you can't fly near it.

And if AI is used properly (implemented one day in the future), the drone will recognize the make/model of the crane or scan the purchase orders or the deployment orders or permits from the property and their work order or receive previously stored data from other drone flights, manned aircraft, car cameras, or traffic cameras that saw it being delivered or deployed or coming onto the property that morning/yesterday (even if it arrived in a crate) and using that data, determine if the crane has extension capabilities, guide wires, and/or vertical antennas sticking out the top or sides and act accordingly.

AI-powered drones can do this is seconds and then share this with other drones in the area (including the drone behind it) so everyone can avoid the obstacle. AI will teach the drone to learn what it sees.....we can go from there.

 

[djwak59]

And if AI is used properly (implemented one day in the future), the drone will recognize the make/model of the crane or scan the purchase orders or the deployment orders or permits from the property and their work order or receive previously stored data from other drone flights, manned aircraft, car cameras, or traffic cameras that saw it being delivered or deployed or coming onto the property that morning/yesterday (even if it arrived in a crate) and using that data, determine if the crane has extension capabilities, guide wires, and/or vertical antennas sticking out the top or sides and act accordingly.

AI-powered drones can do this is seconds and then share this with other drones in the area (including the drone behind it) so everyone can avoid the obstacle. AI will teach the drone to learn what it sees.....we can go from there.

And once someone, someday, puts a gun on a drone like that, you’ve got the Hunter/Killer from Terminator.
And with what’s going on in the country right now ? Hmmm.

 

[anotherlab]

And once someone, someday, puts a gun on a drone like that, you’ve got the Hunter/Killer from Terminator.
And with what’s going on in the country right now ? Hmmm.

Come with me if you want to live.

Seriously, we already have drones with weapons. It's just with explosives, not firearms.

 

[anotherlab]

And if AI is used properly (implemented one day in the future), the drone will recognize the make/model of the crane or scan the purchase orders or the deployment orders or permits from the property and their work order or receive previously stored data from other drone flights, manned aircraft, car cameras, or traffic cameras that saw it being delivered or deployed or coming onto the property that morning/yesterday (even if it arrived in a crate) and using that data, determine if the crane has extension capabilities, guide wires, and/or vertical antennas sticking out the top or sides and act accordingly.

AI-powered drones can do this is seconds and then share this with other drones in the area (including the drone behind it) so everyone can avoid the obstacle. AI will teach the drone to learn what it sees.....we can go from there.

That scenario is based on too many assumptions to be practical in the real world. The purchase/work/deployment order availability is probably a non-starter.

But if a crane can be identified by the shape, it should be avoided. The drone can't see the cables, and the drone would just get in the way of the operation of the crane.