HOUSTON – A food delivery drone operated by Zipline crashed Friday morning onto the southbound lanes of Highway 6 near Timber Creek Place Lane.
No one got hurt and no property was damaged, according to the company. Law enforcement agencies told KPRC 2 News they did not receive any calls about the downed drone.
A photo shared with KPRC 2 News shows the all-electric drone in the middle of the southbound lanes with a parachute deployed.
“It was really crazy just to see it on the ground,” Diana Acosta, who has ordered using Zipline, said. “It made me kind of nervous … it didn’t hit a car … that’s a good thing and it didn’t fall on top of anybody.”
The company confirmed the drone was on its way to pick up an order when the aircraft encountered a “midflight issue” and deployed its parachute to land safely. “Paralands” are rare, but a Zipline spokesperson said they are part of the redundant safety system.
“Nothing’s perfect,” Acosta said. “Somebody didn’t get their food on time.”
The cause of the crash has not been determined and a company spokesperson said it’s not believed that weather played a role despite storms in the Houston area on Friday.
Zipline has been operating since 2016 but only in the Cypress area since late April, according to a press release from the company. The drones pick up food from area restaurants and deliver them to customers in nearby neighborhoods.
“Safety is Zipline’s top priority. Every Zipline aircraft has multiple layers of safety backups — including redundant propellers, communications equipment and a parachute — and runs more than 500 safety checks each second while in flight. Our safety systems have helped us safely fly more than 140 million autonomous miles and complete more than 2.5 million deliveries. More information about our safety systems can be found at zipline.com/safety ,” the company shared in a statement with KPRC 2 News.
KPRC 2 News has reached out to the FAA for additional information.
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