It was supposed to be a spectacular performance of glittering, firefly-like orbs over Sydney. But the light show ended in disaster as a swarm of 89 drones crashed down into Darling Harbour.
Footage showed the sparkling drones veering suddenly from their aerial choreography and falling into the water not far from crowds watching the display. The mass malfunction led to the cancellation of the Vivid Sydney winter festival show.
Skymagic, the British company behind the display, blamed a change in radio frequency for the malfunction. Authorities said it was not a deliberate, malicious attempt to jam the drones.
One witness, who gave his name as Robert, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he had seen drones “crashing” into the wharf of the marina, almost hitting some workers.
He said: “Everything seemed normal, and then very shortly after that first image was displayed, on the southern side of Cockle Bay, you started seeing drones dropping in the water, and then from there it was a cascading failure of the drones.
“The sound of them crashing on the wharf was considerable. You could hear them crash and smash on to the cement marina. They’re not meant to fly over anyone or even close to anyone, and [they] fell within metres of people I was with.”
He said it was “remarkable” no one had been injured. The abrupt descent of the drones “sent people running near where I was”, he said.
Robert described the malfunction as a “catastrophic failure”, adding: “Drones can go wrong, but for them to severely go haywire ... was a big concern.”
The organisers of Vivid Sydney, an annual festival that features large light installations, said the malfunction on Monday evening was caused by “unforeseen technical difficulties”. There were no reported injuries.
Skymagic insisted that no drones had fallen outside safety perimeters, and said the cause had been “an unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment occurring after take-off”.
A spokesman said 89 drones landed in the water around Cockle Bay, the wharf area in Darling Harbour.
The show had been cancelled in accordance with “standard safety protocols”, a spokesman for the festival said, adding: “Public safety is always the number one priority and a full assessment is now underway, with the specialist operators and relevant government agencies advising on next steps.”
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