In a literal, if somewhat disastrous, interpretation of the phrase “when pigs fly”, a drone delivery in China’s Sichuan province has gone spectacularly pear-shaped, taking the local power grid down with it. The ambitious plan involved airlifting “year-end pigs”—livestock destined for Lunar New Year feasts—from a remote mountain farm. Unfortunately, the inaugural flight on 24 January ended with the first pig and its drone chariot tangled in high-voltage power lines.
The incident, which took place before dawn in Tiefozhen village, Tongjiang County, has been blamed on poor visibility. The drone and its porcine passenger became suspended mid-air, causing a short circuit that plunged the entire village into darkness. After the villager’s own attempts to rectify the precarious situation failed, power crews were called in. It took a 12-person team 10 hours to clear the entanglement and repair the damaged infrastructure, with repair costs estimated at nearly 10,000 yuan (approximately £1,100).
Local police are currently investigating, noting that the farmer is suspected of operating the drone in a no-fly zone. The fate of the high-flying pig hasn’t been officially confirmed, though some reports suggest it survived the ordeal, albeit “a bit rattled.”
Why is this important?
This incident, while darkly comical, serves as a stark, bacon-scented reminder of the logistical hurdles facing the drone delivery industry. While agricultural drones are increasingly common in China for tasks like crop spraying, using them for heavy-lift cargo in complex, rural environments presents a different level of risk entirely. The episode underscores the critical need for rigorous planning, risk assessment, and adherence to aviation regulations—especially when your payload is a live animal and your flight path crosses critical infrastructure. It proves that even the most innovative solution is only as strong as its weakest link, which in this case was the unfortunate intersection of a pig, a power line, and a pre-dawn flight plan.
