An Amazon Prime Air MK30 delivery drone crashed into an apartment complex in Richardson, a northern suburb of Dallas, Texas, on the afternoon of Wednesday 4 February 2026. The incident occurred between 4.00 pm and 5.00 pm local time along Routh Creek Parkway, in a residential area with multi-storey buildings and pedestrian walkways. No injuries were reported and damage to the structure was described as minor by local authorities. The aircraft was operating on an active Amazon Prime Air mission. The service has been running in Richardson for around two months as part of the recent expansion of Amazon’s drone delivery programme in Texas. According to accounts from local and national media, the drone struck the exterior façade of the building before falling to the ground, sustaining visible damage.
Footage recorded by a resident shows the drone flying at low altitude as it slowly approached the side of the apartment complex. Videos broadcast by Fox 4 Dallas and CBS Texas show parts of the aircraft detaching and falling before the final impact. After hitting the ground, the drone was seen emitting smoke, with its propellers still turning and visible sparks, while debris landed on the pavement below. The witness said she heard unusual noises shortly before losing sight of the drone, followed by the fall of fragments.
Richardson fire crews attended the scene and confirmed there were no flames or immediate risks linked to the drone’s lithium-ion batteries. The area was secured and no evacuation of the building was required. Amazon technicians and staff arrived shortly afterwards, examined the wreckage, dismantled the drone and loaded it onto a company vehicle, while also coordinating minor repairs to the damaged façade.
Amazon confirmed it has opened an internal investigation to determine the cause of the incident and apologised to residents, committing to cover repair costs. No official cause has been identified so far. Available information does not clarify whether the crash was triggered by a technical failure, a software issue or a navigation error, but the flight pattern and the loss of components before impact suggest a possible loss of control while manoeuvring close to buildings.
The drone involved, the MK30, is the latest generation of Prime Air aircraft. It is designed to be lighter and quieter than previous models and to carry out rapid deliveries of small parcels in urban and suburban areas. The same model has already been involved in other incidents in Texas in recent months. In November 2025, in Waco, an MK30 struck and severed an overhead internet cable, causing service disruptions but no injuries. In that case, the Federal Aviation Administration opened an investigation into the operator.
Other incidents in 2025, including a collision with a crane in Arizona involving Prime Air drones, prompted intervention by federal authorities, with investigations launched by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Following those events, Amazon temporarily suspended drone deliveries in Texas and Arizona, before resuming operations just weeks before the Richardson incident.
For Amazon, the Richardson crash comes at a sensitive phase for the Prime Air programme, which remains in expansion mode and under close regulatory scrutiny. Ongoing investigations and any corrective measures required could affect the timing and manner of the service’s rollout in Texas and other states, with direct implications for last-mile operations and the integration of drones into existing logistics networks.
