Drone Hits Cell Tower

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On August 22, Nick Schwendeman, senior vice president of The Webb Companies in Lexington, KY, got a phone call about a property he managed. Security at one of the Webb Companies’ downtown buildings said a drone hit a cell tower on top of the Lexington Financial Center. The building is one of the city’s tallest, housing a tower on top of the more than 400-foot tall building. “It was fortunate that it landed on the roof,” Schwendeman said. “It could have fallen and hit someone. It was Saturday, probably around noon, at the time of the Lexington Farmers Market when downtown is very crowded. Or it could have hit one of our windows or had fallen and hit a car.” (Lexington-Herald Leader)

The FAA is looking into the incident, but apparently an amateur drone hobbyist was flying the system. This highlights the potential dangers that drones bring. While they are beneficial for inspecting tall structures, what if they end up doing more harm than good? This incident came a week after the Lexington’s Urban County Council voted to assign the drone issue to a committee to determine if local ordinances are needed to augment Federal Aviation Administration rules, the Lexington-Herald Leader reported. Many city and state governments are looking into addressing drone usage with the technology becoming increasingly popular.

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