SINGAPORE – Commercial drone operator to be prosecuted for drone theft crashed into a condo building in a north on July 19.

H3 Dynamics will be charged with using a drone in a manner likely to endanger lives and property, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said on October 25.

If found guilty, the company could be fined up to $100,000.

The drone pilot who carried out the flight was given a 12-month conditional warning for operating the device without the required license.

Another pilot involved in the drone flight also received a 12-month conditional warning for failing to actively use a flight management system mobile application during the operation.

On the day of the accident, H3 Dynamics was carrying out a series of flights from the Pixel Building at the One North drone domain with the Hexadrone Tundra 2 drone model.

Around 6 p.m., the pilots lost control of the drone which hit the facade of a One-North Residences building, 200 m from its takeoff location.

The drone crashed, causing a fire which was quickly put out by residents. There were burn marks on the ground, but no injuries were reported, CAAS said.

Authorities found that H3 Dynamics failed to follow procedures in the operations manual it submitted to CAAS. The drone was modified without approval and one of the pilots was not authorized to fly it.

Following the incident, CAAS conducted two on-site audits on H3 Dynamics in August and September 2024, and issued four corrective orders, which the operator followed.

CAAS said it was satisfied with the corrective measures taken by H3 Dynamics. Thus, from October 25, the company will once again be authorized to produce aerial photographs and videos. She was suspended from these operations during the investigation.

However, H3 Dynamics will no longer be allowed to conduct drone operations for flight tests and demonstrations, CAAS said.

The company will also be subject to an increased frequency of security audits after drone operations resume, CAAS added.

As of October 25, CAAS also lifted the suspension of the Hexadrone Tundra 2 base model, with which it found no safety issues.