During the “May Day” holiday period, a drone show was held in Yibin, Sichuan, and at the end of the event, dozens of drones crashed into the river, sparking attention on social media.
On the evening of May 2, 5000 drones were performing at the Sanjiangkou in Yibin. A circulated video online showed that after the Yibin drone performance ended, many drones fell into the river during the recovery process.
According to a report by the “Xiaoxiang Morning Post” on May 6, the day after the performance (May 3), some residents captured footage of dozens of drones falling into the Yangtze River in Yibin.
The performance team staff responded, saying, “There is a one in three thousand normal probability, for example, if there is interference with the signal, some drones will drop, this is very normal. There should be about 10 drones (that fell into the river). It did not pollute the river water, and for us, we will definitely suffer losses…”
Subsequently, the topic labeled “Dozens of drones crashed into the river during a drone show in Sichuan” triggered hot discussions among netizens.
Some netizens commented, “The team’s claim of signal interference and normal wear and tear is too lightly put. Large-scale performances should have done signal inspections, equipment verification, and emergency plans in place. Dozens of drones crashing into the river is by no means a small probability accident. The phrase ‘normal wear and tear’ cannot hide the safety and preparation negligence, which not only leads to property damage but also poses safety hazards. ‘No pollution? No batteries?'”
Some netizens also analyzed, “The most likely reason is the high-intensity electromagnetic signal interference at the scene, which is also the main cause of multiple drones losing control simultaneously. The large number of people at the event site, a large number of mobile phones, wireless networks, and surrounding communication base stations operating intensively caused signal congestion and chaos in the frequency bands, directly interfering with the drone’s remote control signal and satellite positioning system, leading to the drones losing control instantaneously, mispositioning, and a large number of them falling uncontrollably into the river.”