It’s been nine years since Amazon’s Prime Air drone made its first demo delivery in the U.S., and over three years since it started actual drone deliveries in California and Texas. However, the e-commerce giant seemingly hasn’t yet ironed out all the kinks from this innovative package delivery system, as its drones continue to fail. In the latest incident, an Amazon Prime Air drone crashed into an apartment building in Richardson, Texas, according to ABC-affiliate WFAA. The drone crash was captured by an apartment resident, Cessy Johnson.
In a conversation with FOX 4, Johnson said, “The propellers on the thing were still moving, and you could smell it was starting to burn,” after it fell to the ground. Firefighters were called to the scene out of caution, but no fire was reported. Amazon has apologized for the incident and said that the delivery drone was in vertical flight when it struck the apartment building.
No one was injured in the drone crash; however, the company noted that the building sustained minimal damage, and it was working to take care of the repairs. It’s also investigating the cause. This comes just weeks after Amazon had started drone deliveries in Richardson.
This is not the first time an Amazon drone has crashed
This Richardson incident is hardly the first time Amazon’s drones have suffered a failure. The company’s drones crashed at least eight times in a 13-month period around 2021, including one incident that caused a large fire. Two other drone accidents occurred in Oregon in December 2024. At the time, the company said it had resolved issues with the drone’s software, which caused the crashes.
However, two Prime Air drones collided with a crane in Arizona, in October 2025. This resulted in the company suspending service in the area, and facing probes from the FAA and NTSB. While there were no injuries reported, one person was evaluated for smoke inhalation. This pattern of crashes, including the latest incident, shows that there is still a lot of work to be done by Amazon to avoid these drone mishaps.
Despite years of development and investment in the Prime Air program, progress has been somewhat slow for Amazon. As of February 2026, its drone deliveries are only operational in seven markets across the U.S., including Kansas City, which started service just days after the Richardson accident. This is despite the company’s aim to use drone delivery for 500 million packages annually by 2029.
