Illegal Drone Crash Sparked Mountain View Power Outage: Police

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA - A power outage affecting about 1,600 PG&E customers between Mountain View's Shoreline West and Old Mountain View neighborhoods Thursday night may have been caused by a drone hitting a high-voltage wire, police said Friday.

Officers responding to reports of a power outage around 8:15 p.m. were told by witnesses on Polaris Avenue, in the Rex Manor neighborhood, that a white-haired white man had been flying a drone in the area, which is not permitted, and that the drone had hit a high-voltage wire.

The Federal Aviation Administration does not allow drones to be flown within 5 miles of an airport such as Moffett Field, which is about 3 miles from Polaris Avenue, without notification.

Drones are also not to be flown near people and must be kept clear of obstacles, according to the FAA.

The outage lasted until after 11 p.m. and impacted City Hall and the Mountain View Public Library, which are both about a mile from the reported drone crash.

The library, which is normally open until 9 p.m. Thursdays, was evacuated out of an abundance of caution, city officials said. Repair work on the damage, which city officials said totaled tens
of thousands of dollars, was completed early this morning.

Police are seeking help identifying the man who was flying the drone, who witnesses said drove away in a white hatchback.

By Bay City News / Image via Shutterstock