Safety
Two MK30 drones crashed during testing in rural Oregon. Their laser height sensors misread the altitude and the software shut off the propellers.
A crash, recall, injury or investigation
What the source says
“the drones’ lidar sensors misread altitude data, prompting the software to shut down the propellers.”
What it means
Prime Air (MK30), from Amazon, is at stage 4 of 5 on our ladder: paying customers. Safety events don't move a stage on their own, but they stay on the robot's record.
Human help: The maker hasn't said whether people help it remotely.
More on Prime Air (MK30)
- Massachusetts' aviation regulator told Amazon it cannot open a drone takeoff and landing site anywhere in the state without a state certificate, and that Amazon had not yet applied for one.
- Massachusetts' transportation department told Amazon it could not open a Prime Air drone pad in Westborough or elsewhere in the state without its certificate, and said Amazon had not applied.
- Amazon said Prime Air would start drone deliveries in Tallahassee, Florida, by mid-November, at a public showing of its MK30 drone; the building to house the drones was still under permit review.
- DroneXL reported that Amazon's hoped-for late-October start of Prime Air flights in Westborough, Massachusetts, had slipped, with a zoning appeal set for November 2 and a Planning Board hearing on November 10.
- Westborough, Massachusetts, voted 510 to 13 for a local rule banning commercial drone launch pads, aimed at Prime Air; it still needs state approval to take effect.
- Portland, Oregon's city council moved toward a possible pause on drone hubs, and Amazon's first meeting with city planners was cancelled.