CRASH LANDING

Amazon Customers Rage After Drones Let Packages Drop From 10 Feet Up

The retail giant’s drone delivery dream is crashing into reality.

Amazon’s delivery drones aren’t just dropping packages, they’re smashing them. Customers are fuming after footage showed orders being released from roughly 10 feet in the air, with some skidding across driveways or bursting on impact. The rollout is part of Amazon’s Prime Air program, which uses drones to deliver small packages in under an hour across select U.S. states. The company says the drones are equipped with “sense and avoid” technology to safely navigate people, pets, and property. But a viral YouTube video shows one drone dumping a package into a woman’s yard as she crouches under a table. The clip has racked up huge views, along with a wave of comments, including one from a customer who said a bottle of blue raspberry syrup “exploded” after a similar drop. In another viral clip, a drone’s propellers appear to blast nearby parcels into the street. The complaints add to a growing list of issues, including reported crashes and weather-related malfunctions since the program’s 2024 expansion, according to The New York Post.