ORLANDO, Fla. – The second of two planned holiday drone shows at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando was canceled after what the city described as “technical difficulties,” but one viewer who was at the show said he could see multiple drones crashing into each other before falling to the ground.
Philippe, from the X account MosquitoCoFL Podcast, shared video of the incident with News 6.
In the video posted below, you can see what appears to be several drones fall to the ground Saturday evening while a child can be heard asking, ”Are they supposed to be falling?”
Philippe, who was at the show with his son, said he estimated maybe a few dozen drones crash into each other during the start of the 15-minute show at 6:30 p.m. before “falling out of the sky” and crashing into the water and on land.
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Another viewer, Bryan Wilson, captured video of the malfunction and noticed one drone “falling fast” and crashing at the end of the show.
When asked whether the drones hit people, a spokesperson with the Orlando Fire Department said one person was taken to the hospital for a minor injury but did not specify what caused the injury.
News 6 asked if the injury was related to a drone and the fire department said to refer questions to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The remainder of the 6:30 p.m. show continued on as planned, despite the incident. The 8 p.m. show was then canceled “due to technical difficulties.”
Due to technical difficulties the 8 p.m. Holiday Drone Show at Lake Eola has been canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience.
— City of Orlando (@citybeautiful) December 22, 2024
“You could see area that were missing the drones,” Philippe told News 6.
The FAA released a statement Sunday morning on the incident and said it would be investigating.
Several small drones collided and fell into a crowd during a holiday drone show over (Lake Eola) in Orlando, Florida. The incident occurred around 6:45 p.m. local time on Saturday, Dec. 21. The FAA will investigate.
City officials released the following statement on Sunday regarding the incident
Our thoughts are with the family and all those impacted by the outcome of this event. The City remains in contact with the vendor and FAA who will conduct a thorough investigation.
This is all the information we have available to share at this time:
Last night, a Holiday Drone Show was held at Orlando's Lake Eola Park. The 6:30 Drone Show had technical difficulties so the decision was immediately made to cancel the 8 p.m. show.
At approximately 6:48 p.m. OFD was alerted to an individual who was reported to be injured during the show. Fire personnel were already at the park, staffing an emergency tent that was approximately 50 feet away from the scene of the incident. Paramedics began to render aid as soon as they made contact with the individual.
The Holiday Drone Show was a permitted event through the FAA. It was in its third year drawing crowds of approximately 25,000. This is the second year using the vendor, Sky Elements to operate the drones.
OPD Detectives made contact with the individual’s family last night at the hospital and will continue to assist the FAA in obtaining evidence for the investigation, which is being led by the FAA.
For further inquiries into the investigation, contact the FAA.
The vendor, identified as Sky Elements Drones, also released a statement on Sunday saying they are working with the FAA and city of Orlando officials to “determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired.”
You can read their full statement below:
“Sky Elements Drones wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 21. The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused.
We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired. Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA.”
Sky Elements Drones
News 6 also reached out to the National Transportation Safety Board.
This is a developing story. Check back with News 6 for updates.
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