The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating a crash after two Amazon Prime Air delivery drones struck the boom of a crane in Tolleson, Ariz., Wednesday morning.
No one was injured in the incident, the FAA said in a statement.
“We’ve resumed drone delivery in Tolleson while continuing to support ongoing reviews by relevant agencies,” Amazon spokesperson Terrence Clark told The Hill on Friday. Drone deliveries were put on pause Thursday.
“Safety is our top priority, and we’ve completed our own internal review of this incident and are confident that there wasn’t an issue with the drones or the technology that supports them,” Clark continued.
Additionally, Clark said Amazon has integrated more “processes like enhanced visual landscape inspections to better monitor for moving obstructions such as cranes.”
Amazon first rolled out its drone deliveries in 2022 in two cities in California and Texas. In November 2024, Amazon announced that drone operations were approved for Tolleson.
Amazon has stated that its goal is to deliver 500 million packages a year via drone to its customers by the end of the decade.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy previously proposed new rules that would eliminate requirements for Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations. The proposal would accelerate the deployment of drones over the country’s airspace.
“We are making the future of our aviation a reality and unleashing American drone dominance. From drones delivering medicine to unmanned aircraft surveying crops, this technology will fundamentally change the way we interact with the world,” Duffy said in a statement Aug. 6.
“Our new rule will reform outdated regulations that were holding innovators back while also enhancing safety in our skies,” Duffy continued. “Thanks to President Trump, America – not China – will lead the way in this exciting new technology.”
