…but suffer another crash landing

With Amazon’s drone-based Prime Air delivery service, the good news seems to always come with the bad.

They will score a deal to deliver stuff using drones in a city; and the next day their drone crashes and bursts into flames.

Of they will get a breakthrough green light from the regulatory authorities today; and the next day their drone crashes and bursts into flames.

So this week, the e-commerce giant announced that it received approval to expand its delivery to electronics with lithium-ion batteries, including iPhones, airtags and grilling thermometers.

And just a day letter, an Amazon delivery drone crashed and… okay, it did not burn; but the drone had to make an unexpected crash landing in the middle of an apartment complex in the city of Tolleson in Arizona, USA.

Neighbours were surprised, but thankful no one was around when the drone went down near 97th Avenue and Roosevelt Street, not far from Interstate 10 and Loop 101 (Agua Fria) freeways.

“I look to my left and that’s when I see something big, and I’m like what is that,” said Nay Brooks, who was the first to spot the drone and took video of it on her cell phone.

“I walk over to it and get closer, and that’s when I see the Amazon logo and, ‘oh this must be an Amazon drone,’ so I immediately pull out my phone and I start recording. How did this crash in Tolleson at six in the morning.”

Amazon just launched its Prime Air Drone Delivery service in Tolleson a few weeks ago. Customers who live or work within a seven-mile radius of Amazon’s Fulfillment Center can have a package that weighs under five pounds delivered by drone in under an hour. More than 50,000 items are eligible for delivery.

And up until Wednesday, the service appeared to have been going without incident.

Tolleson resident Theresa Hernandez has noticed many drones flying by in the sky.

“They’re not loud,” said Hernandez. “You can barely hear them, but they do pass through here fast. It’s not like they are here for a while, they just pass really fast.”

When contacted for comment, Amazon spokesperson Zoe Richmond said; “During a delivery this morning, a Prime Air drone made a precautionary safe landing due to external factors outside of its control.

“Safety is our top priority, and the drone’s onboard perception system worked exactly as it was designed by identifying a safe area for it to land. The drone landed safely, there were no injuries or damage to the property, and we’re thankful to our community neighbours for their support.”

On the more positive note, if you order an iPhone on Amazon, chances are that an Amazon drone could deliver it in less than an hour to your backyard.

Not just iPhones, but Amazon has added a long list of popular devices that can be delivered via its drone service.

And since the company is now making inroads on the African e-commerce market, chances are clients might have the opportunity to order deliveries via drone soon.

Amazon’s Prime Air service relies on drones to deliver small and lightweight items, with the company’s MK30 drone now having the authorities’ greenlight to deliver electronic gadgets weighing less than 2.2kg – hence, the iPhones, Samsung smart phones, airpods and ring doorbells have been added to the list of deliverables.

Prior to the purchase, Amazon will show the option to choose a drone delivery, which adds additional delivery charges. Note that the drone delivery option will only be applicable if the weather is suitable. It also depends on whether the drones can deliver products to your area or address.

The drones’ onboard digital maps allow them to read the ground surface and determine if the spot is suitable for delivery. It can avoid dropping packages on a swimming pool, road, cars, people and pets.

Customers opting for the drone delivery service for the first time will need to feed the exact delivery spot on Amazon’s map via the shopping map.

Once the drone arrives at your location with the package, it will descend to approximately thirteen feet above the ground and then drop the package box in an bid to ensure secure delivery.

Users also need to note that the Prime Air drone delivery service relies on a 75-minute weather forecast service to determine if it is safe for the drone to fly with the package. In the event of unsuitable weather conditions, Amazon will rely on a standard land-based delivery service.