A specialized Canadian firefighting plane that was grounded in Los Angeles after it struck a dronehas been repaired and may be back in the skies on Tuesday, California fire officials said.
The CL-415 "Super Scooper" amphibious aircraft is one of two that are on loan to the Los Angeles County Fire Department from Quebec, officials said.
While it was responding to the ongoing deadly and devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles region last week, it collided with an unidentified drone that left a hole in one of its wings. The damage was not seen until the plane landed.
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The plane underwent urgent repairs and Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during a press conference on Monday they are just waiting for an inspection of the plane by the Federal Aviation Administration to get it back in the air.
The incident with the drone is still under investigation by multiple agencies, including the FAA.
Officials said, so far, three people have been arrested for flying unauthorized drones in the area of the fires, but it was not clear if any of those arrests were connected to the plane incident.
An unauthorized flight is a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison or a fine of up to $75,000. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Friday anyone found to be flying drones in that airspace "will be arrested, you will be prosecuted, and you will be punished to the full extent of the law."
"Our federal partners behind the scenes are going to be implementing procedures to be able to follow drones in our two large fire areas, and they will be able to identify who the operator of that drone is," said Marrone on Friday.
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Firefighters are utilizing a variety of aircraft to fight the blazes, including military-style helicopters and aircraft from other state and federal agencies.
The Super Scooper can grab over 1,600 gallons of water from a nearby source in a single, 12-second scoop, then mix it with a chemical foam if needed and drop it on a fire.
Officials said wind gusts forecast for this week may ground those planes and hinder their aerial firefighting efforts, which have been a major key in gaining ground.
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