Universal Orlando drones: FAA authorizes Sky Elements to fly over theme park again

ORLANDO, Fla. - A new waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says that Sky Elements can now fly drones over Universal Orlando again.

Sky Elements drones to return to Universal Orlando

What we know:

The waiver comes just in time for the park's nighttime show, "CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular," to return after a season of closure. The show previously used Sky Elements drones.

However, Universal stopped using the drones following a tragic incident at a Sky Elements Christmas Drone Show at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. Although the drones were supposed to stay above the lake and away from the crowd, the drones went off course, crashed into each other and fell into the lake, striking a 7-year-old boy and sending him to the hospital.

The waiver states that the operations conducted under it are limited to the location described as the Universal Orlando Backlot.

Child hospitalized after Lake Eola drone accident

The backstory:

The Christmas drone show accident took place on Dec. 21, 2024, at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando.

Alezander, a 7-year-old boy, was seriously injured after red and green-lit drones collided and plummeted into the crowd at the event.

FOX 35 News spoke with the parents of Alezander, who said one of the drones knocked him out on impact, causing a chest injury. He underwent open-heart surgery the following day.

Alezander recovering from heart surgery after he was hit by a drone during holiday drone show mishap in downtown Orlando. (Credit: Jessica Lumsden)

What led to the drone malfunctions?

Dig deeper:

A video shared with FOX 35 News captured the drones crashing into the lake and veering close to spectators. Shortly after, the City of Orlando canceled the second show, citing technical difficulties in a statement on X. A spokesperson for the City of Orlando confirmed after that the FAA was leading an investigation into the incident.

According to the contract with the City of Orlando, the 500 drones operated by Sky Elements were meant to fly above the lake, staying clear of the crowd in designated areas. However, during the show, several drones collided midair and fell into the lake.

1 injured after Holiday Drone Show at Lake Eola, officials say

One person was transported to an area hospital after "technical difficulties" at the Holiday Drone Show at Lake Eola on Saturday night, according to the Orlando Fire Department.

The FAA had since suspended the waiver that allowed Sky Elements, the drone company hired to put on the show, to put on other drone shows across the country, pending the outcome of its investigation, as well as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation.

Typically, during a synchronized drone show, the drones are linked up by GPS. Experts suggested various potential causes for the malfunction.

Drone expert, Dr. Vivek Sharma of Florida Institute of Technology, speculated the failure might stem from GPS interference, programming errors or drone collisions.

In January, the NTSB released its preliminary report on what happened during the show, citing a few minor issues within minutes of the first show starting:

At first, five of the drones were not accepting launch data.
Officials troubleshooted some of the Wi-Fi access points and connected all 500 drones to the network.
Officials conducted a "soft reboot" to bring the shows into "show ready" mode. All but two – 498 drones – seemed ready for the show. The two that did not connect were pulled, the report said.
Shortly after the first show started, the pilot noted that the drones did not launch "uniformly," and when the drones shifted positions, began to crash into one another.
The NTSB found that a "launch parameter file" which contained the final flight data for the drones was never sent, and that the "show center was not completely aligned."
A review of the logs found that the show's position was rotated by 7 degrees. That change in position also allowed the "geo hard fence" to be too close to the crowds, the report said.

Who is Sky Elements?

What they're saying:

Sky Elements Drone Shows is a Texas-based entertainment company that puts on professional drone shows across the country, according to its website.

At IAAPA Expo 2024, the company reportedly set a new Guinness World Record – its 10th – for the "largest aerial display of a bird formed by multi-rotors/drones." Sky Elements drone show used 2,484 drones. The record to beat was 984, a news release said.

In response to the incident, Sky Elements had proposed several measures to the FAA aimed at preventing similar occurrences in the future. These included:

Allowing additional on-site preparation time before showtime to alleviate time pressures.
Establish an on-call system requiring a chief pilot or second in command "to verify all the necessary steps have been completed before showtime."
Providing additional training for all remote pilots in command of the drones.

Missing flight path file led to drone mishap at Lake Eola

The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report into what happened during a Christmas drone show at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando that caused some of the show's 500 drones to collide with another, fall from the sky, and send others flying in rogue directions. At least one drone struck a 7-year-old boy, who suffered serious injury and had to undergo heart surgery, according to his family.

"Sky Elements is fully committed to safety, transparency and continuous improvement," representatives said in the prepared statement. "The NTSB’s preliminary report revealed that this was an isolated incident involving actions outside the scope of our established operating procedures, which are specifically designed to prioritize safety and prevent such occurrences. Sky Elements has a proven track record of delivering safe, high-quality performances."

To further strengthen its existing safety protocols and incorporate the NTSB’s recommendations, Sky Elements said it had introduced the following enhancements:

Additional time has been allocated to pre-show procedures to enhance our already thorough safety checks of all systems and environmental conditions before launch.
An updated requirement for two licensed pilots to fly each show, who will independently confirm the completion of pre-flight procedures, introducing an additional layer of oversight and accountability.
Incorporate advanced safety protocols, additional emergency procedures and evolving best practices in drone show operations into our industry-leading training programs.

"These enhancements reflect our commitment to operational excellence and our determination to prevent such events from occurring in the future," Sky Elements said. "We will continue refining our processes in collaboration with relevant authorities and sharing updates as appropriate to maintain the highest standards of safety and innovation in the drone show industry."

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