The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed USD341,413 in civil penalties against 27 people who violated federal drone regulations. The FAA issued the fines between October 2022 and June 2024.
Drone operators who conduct unsafe or unauthorised operations face fines up to USD75,000 per violation, according to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The FAA can also suspend or revoke drone operators’ pilot certificates.
The FAA encourages people to report unsafe and unauthorised drone operations to their local Flight Standards District Office. The agency reviews all reports and investigates when appropriate.
The FAA does not identify individuals against whom it proposes civil penalties but has provided examples of the enforcement cases:
- USD32,700 against a person who interfered with a law enforcement operation while flying an improperly registered and unlit drone on September 22, 2021, in Wesley Chapel, Florida. The FAA says the drone operator flew so close to a Pasco County Sheriff’s Office helicopter that the pilot had to stop the search for a burglary suspect to prevent a mid-air collision. The individual operated at night without a Remote Pilot Certificate, did not have anti-collision lighting and flew the drone higher than the 400-foot limit.
- USD18,200 against a person who operated an unregistered drone during the weekend of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix on May 7, 2022. According to the FAA, the operator disregarded a temporary flight restriction (TFR) and several FAA regulations, including operating in Class D airspace without prior authorisation, not maintaining visual line of sight with the aircraft at all times and operating without a Remote Pilot Certificate.
- USD16,000 and USD4,000 against two people who operated drones near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, while a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) was in place for Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022. The airspace was classified as national defence airspace, and the FAA says the operators flew drones in Class B airspace without authorisation, and that neither possessed a Remote Pilot Certificate.
- USD7,760 against a person who operated an unregistered drone using first person view inside Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 15, 2022. According to FAA data, the operator flew over the crowd during an NFL game at night, did not have a Remote Pilot Certificate and flew beyond visual line of sight in a TFR without an approved FAA airspace waiver.
- USD5,000 against a person who the FAA says created a collision hazard while flying a drone close to a helicopter in Little Rock, Arkansas on July 30, 2022. The drone crashed to the ground after experiencing rotor wash from the helicopter. The drone operator did not have a Remote Pilot Certificate.
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