iStockphoto / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Amazon delivery drone over swimming pool
Recent history suggests the future will be filled with robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles assigned to handle mundane tasks. However, it looks like Amazon has some work to do when it comes to its flying delivery fleet based on a video of a package being dropped into a swimming pool in Texas.
It seems like we’re still a long way away from living in a world where flying cars are constantly zipping through the skies over our heads. That staple of science fiction may not become a reality in the foreseeable future, but we have been treated to a comparatively underwhelming development in the same realm thanks to the drones that have become an increasingly common sight.
There are a number of drone companies that have partnered with major corporations to help them facilitate deliveries, as Walmart, UPS, and Uber Eats are among the biggest names that have begun to experiment with that particular form of transportation.
Amazon, on the other hand, has opted to use the trillions of dollars at its disposal to keep things in-house while developing Prime Air, which currently serves customers within 175 miles of 11 major metropolitan areas and is on track to cover 500 cities and towns across the United States by the end of 2026.
However, it apparently has some kinks to work out.
An Amazon drone deposited a package into a swimming pool outside of Houston
Amazon’s drone delivery initiative is still in its infancy, and there have been more than a few videos highlighting its shortcomings as it ramps up the service.
We’ve been treated to our latest one courtesy of Lindsey Austen, who lives in Richmond, Texas and was able to take advantage of the drones that operate out of the massive 3.7-million-square-foot fulfilment center located in that Houston suburb.
According to Fox6, Austen opted for the drone delivery option for the first time after placing a recent order, and she decided to head outside to document the delivery after hearing its buzzing rotors in her backyard. However, she ended up capturing the moment it opened up the storage hold and dropped the package directly in the hot tub next to her swimming pool.
An Amazon customer in Texas was not enthused when her first drone-delivered order was dropped into her swimming pool. After hearing the loud buzzing of the drone arriving, she ran outside to record the delivery, and to her surprise, it landed in her pool. pic.twitter.com/6TIcrJIVAR
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) August 19, 2026
She didn’t specify what she ordered, and while it appeared she had the opportunity to quickly scoop up the box that ended up floating on top of the water, she nonetheless noted, “I don’t think I’ll be wanting any more drone deliveries.”
I can’t say I blame her.