The use of agricultural drones is becoming increasingly common in China, but risks also lurk. In Hunan, a licensed drone operator recently caused a fatal accident while spraying pesticides: due to failing to clear the area and confirm safety as required, the drone’s propeller struck the head of a passing rider during its landing, resulting in a tragic death. In the first trial, the court sentenced the operator to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence for negligent homicide.
According to the Sanxiang Metropolitan Daily, citing China Judgement Documents Network, the operator, surnamed Liu (alias) from Qiyang, Hunan, possessed a license for agricultural drone operation. On June 26, 2025, he was commissioned by a local farmer to spray pesticides on farmland. However, during the operation, Mr. Liu did not set up a safety perimeter or assign personnel to control the area as required; instead, only the farmer assisted with a simple environmental check.
After about an hour of work, he prepared to land the drone on a road beside the farmland, but failed to thoroughly check the safety of the surroundings. Even after the system prompted him to confirm safety, he proceeded to land directly. At that moment, an electric bicycle happened to be passing by, and the drone’s rotor immediately struck the head of the rear passenger. As the passenger was not wearing a helmet, the strike caused instantaneous and severe head trauma with massive bleeding. Although Mr. Liu immediately assisted, called the police, and transported the injured to hospital, the victim succumbed to severe cranial injury and heavy blood loss after several days of rescue attempts.
After the incident, Mr. Liu voluntarily turned himself in and compensated the victim’s family with about 630,000 yuan (around 365,000 Malaysian Ringgit), gaining their forgiveness. The court determined that his actions constituted negligent homicide, but considered his surrender, confession, and compensation, and thus rendered the above sentence. This accident has once again triggered public concern over "agricultural drone operation safety", with calls for strict safety management during operation to prevent similar tragedies.