N579PA

On October 1, 2025, about 0949 mountain standard time, an Amazon.Com Services LLC, MK30, N579PA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an incident near Tolleson, Arizona. There were no injuries. The unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 non-scheduled cargo flight.

According to first responders, they responded to a report of a UAS collision with a mobile crane. Upon arrival, they found that two UAS’s had collided with a mobile crane, and a battery fire had ensued.

The crane operator reported that a Link Belt ATC-3275 with a 67 ft bi-folding lattice fly mobile crane arrived at the jobsite at 0530 and was erected between 0730 and 0800. At 0949, the crane operator felt something impact the erected crane that turned out to be a UAS. The crane operator terminated operations and was evaluating the UAS strike when a second UAS impacted the stationary crane. The crane was then retracted, lowered and inspected. The inspection of the crane structure noted no structural damage along with paint transfer from the UAS. At the time of impact, the operator estimated that the crane was extended to a height of about 197.3 ft above ground level (agl), and at an angle of about 25°. The crane operator estimated the impact heights of the UAS’s between 150 - 165 ft agl.

According to the crane manufacturer, the Link Belt ATC 3275 is a 275-ton all terrain mobile crane. The boom height of the crane with a 67 ft bi-folding lattice fly has a maximum height of 300.6 ft.

The UAS operator reported that while they were conducting commercial flights under Federal Aviation Administration exemption 18601E, a UAS collided with the boom of a truck mounted mobile crane about 1.25 miles northeast of the departure location. The planned route of flight was at an altitude of about 200 ft agl. They stated that normal operational procedures are for Ground Surveillance Crews (GSC) to conduct rooftop scans of the surrounding area twice per day, once in the morning and again about midday. On the day of the incident, GSC’s conducted their scans about 0658 and did not identify any obstructions that would have interrupted normal operations.

Examination of the accident site revealed that the UAS came to rest on the ground near the crane. The UAS battery had ejected and caught fire. Damage to the UAS fuselage and wings was observed. The UAS was recovered, and the flight data was downloaded.

A review of the UAS flight track data showed that at 0924:40 the UAS activated and prepared for flight. At 0947:10 the UAS ascended to about 1,043 ft mean sea level (msl) and conducted maneuvers consistent with flight checks. At 0947:24 the UAS ascended to 1,154 ft msl then departed from the operator’s package delivery center on a northern heading. At 0948:08 the UAS made a turn to the east while at an altitude of about 1,202 ft msl. The UAS remained on an easterly heading until the data stopped recording at 0949:03, at an altitude of 1,218 ft msl (about 200 ft agl), about 150 ft west of the cranes location.