Richmond, Texas — What was supposed to be an exciting first experience with Amazon’s drone delivery service quickly turned into an unexpected backyard mishap for one Texas woman. Lindsey Austen said she was looking forward to seeing her first order arrive by drone, but instead of watching the package land safely at her doorstep, she watched it fall directly into her swimming pool.
The unusual delivery was captured on video after Austen received an alert telling her that her Amazon order was about to arrive by drone.
Woman Runs Outside to Capture First Drone Delivery
Austen said she had never received an Amazon delivery by drone before, making the arrival something she wanted to see for herself.
When she heard a loud buzzing sound outside her home, she grabbed her phone and rushed outdoors. She began recording as the drone approached her property.
The footage reportedly shows the Amazon drone flying over Austen’s backyard and positioning itself above her swimming pool.
Then, instead of dropping the package in a designated delivery area, the drone released it straight into the water.
“When it went into the pool, I was shocked,” Austen said.
The unexpected moment turned what could have been an exciting introduction to drone delivery into a delivery experience she is unlikely to forget.
Package Lands in Swimming Pool
The incident was particularly surprising because Austen was outside and filming the drone when the problem occurred.
The footage shows the drone hovering above the pool before the package falls into the water below. Rather than being placed safely at the home, the order ended up in the swimming pool.
For Austen, the experience has raised questions about whether she wants to use the service again.
She said the incident has made her hesitant to choose drone delivery in the future, despite being interested enough to try it for the first time.
“I don’t think I’ll be wanting any more drone deliveries,” Austen said.
Amazon Says Incidents Are Uncommon
Amazon responded to the incident, saying that problems like the one experienced by Austen are not typical of its Prime Air service.
Amazon spokesperson Allie Payne said Prime Air is designed to provide customers with fast and reliable delivery across a broad range of products.
“Prime Air provides customers with fast, reliable delivery across a broad selection of products and the response from customers using Prime Air has been overwhelmingly positive,” Payne said.
Payne also said Amazon reviews cases when deliveries do not go as planned, suggesting the company evaluates incidents to understand what happened and address problems.
The response comes as drone delivery continues to attract attention as companies explore ways to move packages to customers without traditional delivery vehicles.
A Delivery Method Still Getting Attention
Drone delivery is designed to make certain deliveries faster by sending packages directly to eligible customers’ properties. The technology relies on drones navigating to designated delivery locations and safely releasing packages.
But Austen’s experience demonstrates how even a highly automated delivery can produce unexpected results.
In this case, the package did not arrive at the intended location. Instead, it landed in a swimming pool, turning a routine delivery into a memorable moment caught on camera.
For Austen, the experience appears to have changed her view of drone deliveries. What began with curiosity and excitement ended with a package in the water and a reason to reconsider whether she wants to use the service again.
Would you trust a drone to deliver your packages after seeing what happened here? Share your thoughts in the comments below.