A drone operated by a hotel guest crashed into a New York Hilton Hotel on February 21. The New York Post reported that the crash resulted in debris which prompted a shutdown of the block.
“The 36-year-old hotel patron was flying the drone around 3 a.m. when it struck the hotel on Sixth Avenue near West 53rd Street,” the article quoted law enforcement sources. “The guest called 911 around 10 a.m. and admitted that he was illegally operating a drone and tried to retrieve it due to the inclement weather. As he did that, the drone slammed into the edge of the building.” The alleged drone flier was issued a summons, but not formally arrested, and his name was not officially released by the New York Police Department.
It is the latest in a number of drone incursions in the United States. For example, on February 12, a drone crashed into safety wires used to transport people in and out of a uranium mine in Arizona, leading to the operator’s arrest. On January 31, a man was arrested for allegedly using a drone to photograph defence installations, including Cape Canaveral Space Force Base, Patrick Space Force Base, and a submarine base at Port Canaveral, on three separate occasions. According to a complaint issued on February 6 by the US District Court for the District of Maryland, on January 11, 2025, an individual operated an unregistered drone over a National Football League game, in violation of a Federal Aviation Administration temporary flight restriction, and without possessing a remote pilot certificate. As a result, the game was temporarily suspended.
On February 24, D-Fend Solutions, which manufactures counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS) technology and provides a drone incident tracker feed on its website, said the increasing frequency of drone incursions into sensitive airspace calls for a fundamental shift in C-UAS preparations. “The question is no longer if a drone incident will occur, but when and how prepared we are to respond.”
The company pointed to a number of recent incidents around the world, including a drone incursion at a gunpowder factory in Finland and halted airport operations in various European countries due to the presence of drones.
For more information
D-Fend Solution’s drone attack and incident tracker
Image: Shutterstock
