The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed US$341,413 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 unauthorized operations face fines up to $75,000 per violation, an increase included in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.
The FAA also can suspend or revoke drone operators’ pilot certificates.
“Violating the drone regulations puts lives at risk in the air and on the ground,” said FAA administrator Mike Whitaker. “Flying a small drone means you are flying an aircraft, and unsafe behavior will cost you.”
The agency reviews all reports and investigates when appropriate.
The FAA does not identify individuals against whom it proposes civil penalties. However, among the recent enforcement cases are several notable incidents.
One case involves a $32,700 penalty for a person who interfered with a law enforcement operation on September 22, 2021, in Wesley Chapel, Florida. The individual flew an improperly registered and unlit drone dangerously close to a Pasco County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, forcing the pilot to halt a search for a burglary suspect to avoid a mid-air collision. The operator flew the drone at night without a Remote Pilot Certificate, lacked anti-collision lighting, and exceeded the 400-foot altitude limit.
Another case resulted in an $18,200 fine for a person who operated an unregistered drone during the Miami Grand Prix, a Formula 1 event, on May 7, 2022. The operator violated a temporary flight restriction (TFR) and several FAA regulations, including flying in Class D airspace without prior authorization, failing to maintain visual line of sight with the aircraft, and operating without a Remote Pilot Certificate.
Two individuals were fined $16,000 and $4,000, respectively, for operating drones near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, during Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022. Despite the airspace being designated as national defense airspace with a TFR in place, the operators flew drones in Class B airspace without authorization, and neither possessed a Remote Pilot Certificate.
A $7,760 penalty was imposed on a person who operated an unregistered drone using first-person view inside Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 15, 2022. The operator flew the drone over a crowd during an NFL game at night, without a Remote Pilot Certificate, and beyond visual line-of-sight in a TFR without an approved FAA airspace waiver.
A $5,000 fine was levied against a person who created a collision hazard by flying a drone close to a helicopter in Little Rock, Arkansas, on July 30, 2022. The drone ultimately crashed to the ground after encountering rotor wash from the helicopter. The operator did not have a Remote Pilot Certificate.