Amazon Prime Air drone drops package into Texas pool

An Amazon Prime Air drone delivered a package directly into a customer’s pool in Texas, according to a video shared by ABC7 News Bay Area on Wednesday. The footage shows the drone hovering over the water before opening its hatch and dropping the parcel into the pool. The specific location within Texas was not identified, and it remains unclear whether the package was damaged or if the customer received a replacement.

This incident is not the first time Amazon’s drone deliveries have ended up in water. In July, a Prime Air drone in Arizona dropped a package next to a pool, but air sent downward by the drone’s propellers blew it straight into the water. The customer, speaking to local news outlet AZFamily 3TV at the time, said he had let Amazon choose the delivery location for him. Another incident from May showed an Amazon drone dropping a package near a pond, which bounced off the ground and tumbled into the water.

Amazon’s drone delivery service is set to expand to 500 US cities, raising concerns about similar mishaps as the network grows. The company states that once its drones reach the delivery point, they check to confirm there are no people, pets, or vehicles in the way before safely delivering the package. However, the Texas incident suggests that water may not yet be included in those pre-delivery checks.

The drone delivery service has faced other operational issues in the past. Last year, Amazon halted drone deliveries in the West Valley Phoenix Metro Area after two of its MK30 drones crashed into a crane. Other incidents have included drones cutting an internet cable and colliding with an apartment building.

Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the Texas incident. The company’s expansion plans and the frequency of these minor mishaps are likely to draw further scrutiny as the service scales across the United States.