SeaTac gets $40K refund after 4th of July drone show flop

Drone vendor refunds $40K after Fourth of July drone show flops in SeaTac

A Fourth of July drone show at Angle Lake ended in surprise as over 50 drones crashed into the water due to GPS disruption. Now, the operator is offering SeaTac a full refund.

SEATAC, Wash. - What was meant to be a dazzling Fourth of July drone show at SeaTac's Angle Lake ended abruptly when the drones began falling from the sky.

The $40,000 display designed to replace traditional fireworks, left an estimated 8,000 spectators bewildered as more than 50 drones splashed into the lake.

"Luckily, the drone show operator, Great Lakes Drones Company, has offered to give us a full refund," said Gwen Volpel, Deputy City Manager of Sea-Tac. "He was devastated by what happened. His equipment was worth a lot more than what we paid him for the show, and he wants to make it right."

According to the city, the drones lost their ability to navigate back to their starting points due to a GPS disruption. No spectators were injured. No property was damaged. Volpel reassured the public, "They’re small, they landed, it was at a low velocity impact."

The Great Lake Drones Company is also covering the recovery costs. Divers retrieved 48 drones from the lake’s bottom, but some remain unrecovered. The waterlogged drones are unusable. "This is unusual and has caught the interest of the drone industry," Volpel noted.

The city emphasized the reputable nature of the drone operator, which has been in business since 2016 and choreographs between 150-200 shows annually.

The drone show was intended as a quieter, eco-friendly alternative to fireworks, offering relief to veterans and pets sensitive to loud noises. However, the malfunction turned the event into a major disappointment.

The drone operator has reached out to the FAA for an investigation, which could take several months to determine the cause of the failure.