John Jefferson
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has suspended certain operations by a Texas-based drone company after a Florida boy was injured during a holiday airshow last week and had to undergo heart surgery.
The FAA confirmed to Fox News Digital that it suspended the Part 107 Waiver for Sky Elements Drones. The waiver allows drone operators to fly at night, fly over people, and operate drones outside the line of sight. Thus, with this waiver suspended, Sky Elements Drones legally cannot perform its shows.
It’s not clear how long the pause will remain in place. The move came amid an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) into a Dec. 21 incident in which a malfunction occurred during an aerial light show in Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando.
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One multiple red and green-lit drones struck a 7-year-old boy and knocked him out upon impact, his parents previously told Fox Orlando. The boy, Alexander, underwent open-heart surgery, they said.
Hundreds of drones being used as part of a nighttime aerial light show appeared to be flying into position before several started falling from the sky before slamming to the ground, according to videos posted online.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Sky Elements.
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Forth-Worth-based Sky Elements, known for its synchronized drone light shows and appearances on “America’s Got Talent,” is now facing scrutiny as the investigation unfolds, the news outlet reported.
The NTSB told Fox News Digital that investigators were gathering information from the drone operator and the Federal Aviation Administration about the number of aircraft in the show, as well as the number that fell to the ground and into the crowd.
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Memory cards from the drones will be sent to the NTSB recorders laboratory in Washington, D.C., for analysis, the agency said. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days of the incident, the NTSB said.
However, a final report is expected anywhere from one to two years.
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