A Culver City man agreed to plead guilty in connection with an unauthorized drone's collision with a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft that was flying over the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles County.

Peter Tripp Akemann, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, according to the US Attorney's Office. Akemann launched the drone Jan. 9, two days after the start of the fire in Pacific Palisades, from a Third Street Promenade parking structure in Santa Monica to survey damage from the fire, but lost sight of the drone, authorities said, adding that there was no evidence to indicate he intended to strike the firefighting aircraft.

Akemann made a first court appearance Friday and will enter a formal plea at a later date. He was released on $15,000 bond and barred from possessing or flying a drone.

The collision left a 3-by-6-inch hole in the Super Scooper's left wing. The crew landed safely at Van Nuys Airport, but the plane was out service for repairs at a time when all firefighting resources available were needed to combat the fire in Pacific Palisades and five other fires burning that week.

Firefighting aircraft were grounded due to extreme winds when the fire started on Jan. 7, but conditions improved enough in the days that followed to allow for aerial attacks.

The drone covered more than 1.5 miles from the parking structure into the Palisades Fire zone to the north, authorities said. A Federal Aviation Administration-issued temporary flight restriction that prohibited unauthorized drone flights near the wildfires was in place at the time.

Repairs amounting to about $65,100 were completed days later on Quebec 1, which returned service. As part of the plea agreement, Akemann agreed to pay restitution to the government of Quebec.

The plane refills by scooping from the surface of a body of water as it flies, allowing it to quickly return to a fire zone and drop large amounts of water on flames. In a post on X, the FBI showed photos of the damaged wing and the drone.

Akemann also agreed to complete 150 hours of community service in support of the 2025 Southern California wildfire relief effort.

The FBI opened a Digital Media Tipline seeking the public's help to identify the drone operator. Anyone with information, photos or video of the incident was asked to submit them here.

"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."

Akemann's attorneys released a statement on his behalf: "Mr. Akemann is deeply sorry for the mistake he made by flying a drone near the boundary of the Palisades fire area on January 9, 2025, and for the resulting accident.  He accepts responsibility for his grave error in judgement and is cooperating with the government in effort to make amends. There are a number of mitigating factors that will come to light during the court proceedings including Mr. Akemann’s reliance on the DJI Drone’s geo fencing safeguard feature and the failure of that feature."

The geofencing system is a safety feature included to prevent drone operators from unintentionally flying into restricted airspace like the Palisades Fire zone.

Flying a drone in a firefighting operation zone is a federal crime punishable by up to 12 months in prison and or a fine of up to $75,000. Akemann's first court appearance was Friday. It was not immediately clear when he will be sentenced.

"We believe that there are mitigating circumstances that would warrant a lenient sentence," attorney Vicki Podberesky told NBC News on Friday. "We will be pursuing a no-time resolution, ultimately, with the court, and we do believe there's mitigating the circumstances that warrant that."

The number of unauthorized drone incidents over the Los Angeles County Fire zones were well into the double digits within the first few days of the Jan. 7 fires, according to the FBI.

The Palisades Fire is the largest burning in Los Angeles County. Fanned by a Santa Ana windstorm, the fire destroyed thousands of structures in the Pacific Palisades area. At least seven deaths were reported in the fire, which was 98-percent contained Friday at 23,400 acres.

A cause has not been determined.

The FAA released a statement on the drone strike.

"The FAA treats these violations seriously and immediately considers swift enforcement action for these offenses," the agency said in a statement. "The FAA has not authorized anyone unaffiliated with the Los Angeles firefighting operations to fly drones in the TFRs (temporary flight restrictions)."