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.