Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, agreed to plead guilty to one count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles said.

The defendant has agreed to pay more than $65,000 in restitution and faces up to a year in federal prison, prosecutors said.

A California man has pleaded guilty to recklessly operating a drone that collided with a Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper as it battled the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles in early January, the U.S. Justice Department announced.

Peter Tripp Akemann avoids jail, will pay 'Super Scooper' repair costs and is ordered to help with LA's wildfire recovery A Culver City, California resident has admitted to crashing his drone into a 'Super Scooper' firefighting aircraft battling the Los Angeles wildfires.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally announced Friday that Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, of Culver City, California, admitted to "recklessly" operating a drone that collided with a firefighting aircraft during the Palisades fire.

A drone that authorities say was flying in restricted airspace on Jan. 9 put a fist-sized hole in the wing of a Super Scooper, taking it out of service.

Prosecutors said a Culver City man agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge stemming from the incident that briefly grounded the plane.

Los Angeles firefighters are facing issues as they battle wildfires. The FAA said a drone crashed into an aircraft over the Palisades Fire.