A 56-year-old Californian man has agreed to plead guilty to operating the drone that crashed into a Quebec water bomber plane fighting the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles earlier this month. The CL-415 plane was grounded after the small remote-controlled aircraft flew into it on Jan. 9, leaving a "sizable hole in its wing," Christopher Thomas, a spokesperson with the California state firefighting agency, Cal Fire, said at the time. The incident downed all aircraft fighting the fire for nearly half an hour that day while officials made sure the skies were clear, he said.
In court Friday, Akemann agreed to plead guilty as part of a plea agreement, which also saw him agree to pay full restitution to the Quebec government and the company that repaired the plane. The total costs are estimated at $65,169 US. As part of the agreement, Akemann will also have to complete 150 hours of community service in support of the Southern California wildfire relief effort.
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