Flying pig leaves Chinese village without electricity for over 10 hours

In China's Sichuan province, a farmer attempting to transport a live pig using a remote-controlled drone encountered an unexpected problem. The airborne device got tangled in high-voltage power lines. As a result, not only was the pig left hanging in the air for several hours, but an entire village was left without power.

Such incidents do not happen every day. However, this time the event was no joke, showing that the farmer's unusual transportation method had turned into a serious problem.

The farmer decided to transport pigs by drone

The incident once again demonstrated the unexpected consequences of using modern technology. A farmer, who could be called a "modern shepherd," came up with a unique way to deliver his pigs to a nearby slaughterhouse.

In his view, loading animals into trucks was time-consuming, and the process was quite laborious and inconvenient. Therefore, the farmer decided to tie the pigs to a large, remote-controlled drone and transport them to the slaughterhouse by air.

At first glance, this method might have seemed like a convenient way to save time and money. But the farmer's plan did not work as expected.

When the drone made its first flight toward the slaughterhouse, it became entangled in high-voltage power transmission lines. As a result, the pig tied to the device remained hanging in the air for several hours. The most serious problem was that the incident also caused a power outage for the entire village.

12 specialists involved to restore power supply

The farmer, who attempted to untangle the drone from the power lines, could not solve the problem on his own. Eventually, he was forced to contact the company responsible for the power supply and ask for specialists' help.

Twelve specialists were deployed to restore electricity to the village. They worked for more than ten hours to repair the local power supply.

According to initial estimates, fixing the damage to the power grids and carrying out repair work cost approximately 10,000 yuan, or around $1,400.

Thus, the experiment undertaken to save time and expenses brought the farmer additional trouble and financial loss. On top of that, the entire village population was left without electricity for a long time.

The farmer's excuse did not absolve him of liability

The farmer told the power company employees that poor visibility, namely weather conditions, caused the drone to get tangled in the wires.

However, this explanation was not enough to relieve him of liability. According to the investigation following the incident, the farmer was found guilty of flying a drone in a restricted area and overloading the device beyond its permitted capacity.

This situation showed that using drones requires taking into account not only technical capabilities, but also flight rules and safety requirements.

Use of drones in mountainous areas is expanding

Explaining his actions, the farmer in Sichuan province noted that due to the region's mountainous terrain, transporting pigs by vehicle was very difficult. He stated that using a drone could save a lot of time and money.

Indeed, Chinese media have reported that agricultural drones are increasingly being used to transport live animals in the country's mountainous regions.

Such technologies can facilitate transportation tasks in hard-to-reach areas. However, this event also showed how important it is to observe safety rules and correctly assess the device's capabilities when introducing new methods.

The farmer's plan to transport the pig by air ultimately turned into an unusual incident that left the whole village without electricity. Consequently, the method devised to save time resulted in extra costs, prolonged repair work, and unexpected problems.