An Amazon Delivery Drone Hit a Cable Line in Texas. What to Know.

An Amazon drone struck a cable line in Texas. (Courtesy Amazon)

Key Points

• An Amazon MK30 delivery drone struck an internet cable in Waco, Texas, on November 18, prompting an FAA investigation.
• Amazon stated the drone performed a “Safe Contingent Landing” after clipping the cable, causing no injuries or widespread outages.
• The incident highlights challenges as more drones are seeing commercial use.

As battery, electronics, and artificial intelligence technologies advance, the skies above the U.S. will become busier and busier. That will create some problems for companies and regulators.

The latest example comes via a Reuters report about an Amazon.com delivery drone. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a midday Nov. 18 incident, when a MK30 drone struck a wire line in Waco, Texas, the agency said in an emailed statement to Barron’s.

Amazon said the damaged line has been fixed.

“After completing a delivery, our drone clipped a thin, overhead internet cable then performed a Safe Contingent Landing, as designed,” the company said in an emailed statement. “There were no injuries or widespread internet service outages. We’ve paid for the cable line’s repair for the customer and have apologized for the inconvenience this caused them.”

Amazon launched its MK30 drone in late 2024. A more capable model than Amazon’s previous drones, the MK30 is designed to deliver packages weighing five pounds or less in under 60 minutes.

Amazon doesn’t disclose drone delivery figures in its quarterly results. The company didn’t immediately respond to Barron’s request for delivery numbers.

The drone involved in the Nov. 18 incident underwent FAA testing, according to Amazon. MK30 drones fly defined routes at altitudes between 115 feet and 400 feet. The drones are monitored, but have automated navigation systems which feature the ability to make landings for safety reasons—like what happened last week.

The incident appears relatively minor. Amazon stock dropped a modest 0.2% on Wednesday, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both added about 0.7%.

It’s a reminder that drone and electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, technologies aren’t going away. The FAA has registered more than 450,000 commercial drones across the U.S.

eVTOL makers Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, meanwhile, are on the cusp of starting commercial services. (eVTOLs are treated like aircraft and not drones, and are subject to much higher regulatory hurdles from the FAA.)

Investors will have to be ready to react to news about how new technology is affecting the world. Hopefully, the internet cable collision is as serious as things get.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com