Amazon to resume drone delivery following crash in Arizona | TechCrunch
Key Takeaways
- Amazon is restarting its drone delivery service in Arizona on Friday after a brief suspension.
- The service was halted following a crash where two Prime Air drones collided with a crane boom.
- The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are currently investigating the recent drone incident.
- Amazon claims its internal review found no fault with the drone technology but added enhanced visual inspections as a precaution.
- The company continues to pursue its long-term goal of scaling drone deliveries despite past setbacks and ongoing regulatory scrutiny.
Amazon is set to restart its drone delivery service in Arizona this Friday, even as federal agencies continue to investigate a crash that occurred earlier this week in the West Valley of the Phoenix Metro area. The operation was suspended after two Prime Air delivery drones collided with the boom of a crane near their Tolleson site, causing them to crash. A company spokesperson confirmed support for the ongoing reviews by the NTSB and FAA, asserting that an internal review found no issues with the drone technology itself. However, Amazon has introduced new safety measures, including enhanced visual landscape inspections to better track moving obstructions like cranes. This service, which delivers packages up to five pounds, has faced multiple setbacks over the years as Amazon pursues its goal of delivering 500 million packages annually via drone by the end of the decade.
