Peter Tripp Akemann, 57, of Culver City, who pleaded guilty in February to the unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft in connection with flying a drone that crashed into a firefighting aircraft known as a "Super Scooper," was sentenced to prison and home confinement on Monday, to be followed by supervised release, a fine, restitution and community service.
Akemann was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald to serve 14 days in federal prison, followed by 30 days' home detention. He was also ordered to pay about $156,000 in restitution and fines, prosecutors said.
Peter Akemann, the former president of Skydance Interactive
As part of his plea agreement, filed in Los Angeles federal court, Akemann agreed to pay full restitution to the government of Quebec, which supplied the plane, and an aircraft repair company that handled the necessary fixes, the document states. Akemann, who helped create the studio that is now part of Activision’s massive
Call Of Duty machine, will also have to pay around $156,000 in various fines.
Akemann also agreed to complete 150 hours of community service in support of the 2025 Southern California wildfire relief effort.
“This defendant recklessly flew an aircraft into airspace where first responders were risking their lives in an attempt to protect lives and property,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “This damage caused to the Super Scooper is a stark reminder that flying drones during times of emergency poses an extreme threat to personnel trying to help people and compromises the overall ability of police and fire to conduct operations. As this case demonstrates, we will track down drone operators who violate the law and interfere with the critical work of our first responders.”
“Lack of common sense and ignorance of your duty as a drone pilot will not shield you from criminal charges,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Please respect the law, respect the FAA’s rules and respect our firefighters and the residents they are protecting by keeping your drone at home during wildfires.”
According to the plea agreement, while the wildfire was burning in and around Pacific Palisades on January 9, Akemann drove to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and parked his vehicle on the top floor of the parking structure. He then launched a drone and flew it towards Pacific Palisades to observe damage caused by the Palisades Fire.
Akemann flew the drone at least 2,500 meters (more than 1.5 miles) toward the fire and lost sight of the drone. As Akemann was flying the drone, it collided with a Government of Quebec Super Scooper carrying two crewmembers attempting to fight the blaze. The impact caused an approximately 3-inch-by-6-inch hole in the left wing. After landing, maintenance personnel identified the damage and took the aircraft out of service for repairs.
At the time of the collision, the Federal Aviation Administration had issued temporary flight restrictions that prohibited drone operations near the Los Angeles County wildfires that erupted earlier this month.
As a result of the collision, the Government of Quebec and an aircraft repair company incurred costs of at least $65,169 to repair the plane.
The FBI investigated this matter. The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Los Angeles Fire Department, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CALFIRE) provided substantial assistance.
According to Variety, Akemann, a graduate of the University of California San Diego who holds a Ph.D. from the University of California Berkeley, co-founded the video game developer Treyarch (which worked on Spider-Man and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, among other titles) and The Workshop Entertainment (behind Sorcery and Borderlands 2: Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage). He joined Skydance Interactive in 2016 after the entertainment company acquired The Workshop and launched an interactive division that has since produced titles like Skydance’s Behemoth and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners. He has since departed from Skydance.
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