Drone strikes giant Ferris wheel on Seattle's waterfront
A drone crashed into a giant Ferris wheel on Seattle's waterfront, but there were no reports of injuries or major damage, police said on Thursday.
The drone struck the 175-foot-tall Seattle Great Wheel about 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Seattle police detective Mark Jamieson said. The wheel is a popular tourist attraction in the Pacific Northwest city.
It was unclear who was operating the craft, which hit a spoke on the wheel and then tumbled to the ground, Jamieson said.
Drone strikes are unusual in Seattle, but this was at least the second in recent months.
At the Pride Parade over the summer, a drone crashed into a downtown building and struck a woman in the head. The operator of that drone was charged with reckless endangerment.
In 2013, Seattle police grounded a program to send aloft miniature robot drones equipped with stealth spy cameras following criticism of the project by residents concerned about privacy rights.
Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc and other companies are testing the use of drones in the expectation the Federal Aviation Administration will establish rules for their commercial use.
