My drone was shot at, what should I do?
Michael Hill - The Drone Pro?
Award-winning Drone Technocrat | Multidisciplinary UAV SME | Uncrewed Aviation Consultant | #TheDronePro #TopDronesVoice | TheDronePro.net
I frequently hear from Remote Pilots who report incidents where someone has shot at their drone and seek advice on how to respond. The first step is to stay calm and prioritize your safety. Here are some important steps to take:
The FAA classifies “Drones” as aircraft and with the drone industry exploding, more and more drones are filling up our skies. Attempts to shoot down a drone are happening every day in our industry. Here are a few pointers I tell pilots when this happens to them.
INFORM LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
While laws vary from state to state, you should immediately call your local law enforcement agency and file a report that someone has shot at your aircraft, even if your aircraft was not hit. Depending on where you are located, discharging a firearm at an aircraft could get you charged with any number of charges ranging from discharging a firearm to attempted murder. It is very important to contact your local law enforcement entity as soon as possible.
CONTACT THE FBI
Reach out to your local FBI regional office and file a report, you can find the contact information to your local FBI office at www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices. Keep in mind that it is a federal crime to shoot at an aircraft, including shooting at your drone, no matter if it is a Firearm, Crossbow, or even a Pellet gun. The penalties can be severe, in some cases with penalties of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Even the threat of shooting down an aircraft can get you 5 years in federal prison.
REPORT IT TO THE FAA
You should report the incident to the FAA by calling the FAA Safety Hotline @ 1-800-255-1111 or file your report online at Hotline.faa.gov. This FAA portal is used by both aviators and concerned citizens to file reports regarding violations of federal aviation regulations or safety concerns involving our national airspace.
CONTACT YOUR FLIGHT STANDARDS OFFICE (FSO)
Your local FAA Flight Standards Office consists of aviation officials who are your local contacts within the FAA. While your local law enforcement and the FBI can handle the criminal side of this incident, your local FSO needs to understand the details of your aviation incident.
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NASA AVIATION SAFETY REPORT
File a NASA Aviation Safety report. This report is used to collect data related to the national airspace to help in reducing aviation accidents and incidents. You can find the report form at asrs.arc.nasa.gov/report/electronic.html Your report is confidential and non-punitive and goes directly into the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), making sure your data will be used to contribute to aviation safety.
NOTIFY YOUR INSURANCE CARRIER
Contacting your insurance carrier in the event you have physical damage to your aircraft will ensure repairs are made to your aircraft in accordance with your policy. The insurance company may decide to pursue legal action against the liable parties for your loss as well.
NOTIFY YOUR LOCAL NEWS MEDIA
Notifying your local news media will hopefully do two things, the first thing is getting your story out in the hopes of catching the suspected shooter if they had not been caught and secondly, your story will help educate the non-piloting public to think twice before discharging any firearms at any aircraft.
TELL OTHER PILOTS YOUR STORY
Share your story with other pilots in your area. Let them know about the details of your incident. Your incident can help other pilots in understanding the extra level of situational awareness they may need in and around that area.
Michael Hill is the Founder / CEO of Uncrewed Aerospace, an award-winning Drone Technology Company, that helps clients integrate Uncrewed Technology & Ai on the land, in the air, and at sea.?Follow our work at www.uncrewedaerospace.com #TheDronePro
Chief Marketing Officer | Product MVP Expert | Cyber Security Enthusiast | @ GITEX DUBAI in October
1 年Michael, thanks for sharing!
System Safety | Risk Management | AV, AAM, UAS and Commercial Space Safety | Safety Management Systems | Continuous Improvement | Data Analytics | Emergency Response | Cross-Enterprise Collaboration | Hiking
1 年I hear these stories all of the time. Many do exactly what you recommend. Few have any LEO or agency care two hoots and do anything. Without enforcement, laws are just chaff blowing in the wind. In fact, in several of reports I hear about, the LEO tends to take the side of the shooter (rural communities where discharging of a firearm is allowed), claiming the UAS was violating landowner's privacy. Thus, the UAS pilot must then try to educate the LEO, or get cited.
The Tom Joad of Drones - Blue helps the CCP, too!
2 年Call the local FSDO
Design Engineer B.S.M.E. Ballooning Skydiving Rockets Higher, Faster, Further!
2 年It would be nice to also have an article for drone flight limitations, so the general public knows if a drone is flying in or out of regulations. Such as drones being used to trespass, abade in theft, or viewing through house windows, versus commercial uses. Drones are great tools to use for real estate and film production, but amateur pilots as well as the general public often times do not know or look up the regulations for flight. Often times it is an individual who ruins a group of people on the view of a tools use. To be professional about a topic one must consider two different views of a topic, to not sound one sided or arrogant. I would look forward to more information, especially an article on comparing the does and don't of flight, to educate the general public. Thank you.
Associate Partner Success Manager | FAA Certified Drone Pilot
2 年Michael Hill Thanks for bring this to my attention. Never thought this could happen but I understand why people would take action in this way. Your suggestions are helpful. ????