Amazon announced that it will suspend all commercial drone deliveries due to a drone crash that occurred during a test flight. According to Bloomberg on the 18th (local time), Amazon will immediately halt drone deliveries in Texas and Arizona and will modify its software.
In December of last year, two MK30 drones from Amazon crashed during a test flight at Pendleton Airport in Oregon, and one of them caught fire. The company stated that the cause of the accident was a software error and was related to the rainy conditions. Amazon noted that while this incident is not the main reason for the delivery suspension, it is taking measures to resolve the software issue.
The MK30 drone received FAA approval in October 2022 and began commercial deliveries in College Station, Texas, and Tolleson, Arizona. It is lighter and quieter than previous models and is designed to fly even in light rain. However, due to the recent incident, Amazon has voluntarily suspended drone deliveries.
Amazon spokesperson Sam Stevenson stated that they are currently working on a software update and plan to resume deliveries after receiving FAA approval. Drone site staff will continue to receive their salaries during the suspension period.
Now, 11 years after founder Jeff Bezos declared drone delivery within 30 minutes, this incident poses another challenge to the drone delivery project.