FAA Targets Unsafe Drone Pilots With Over $340,000 in Fines

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says that it cracked down on unsafe drone pilots with over $340,000 worth of fines in the last two years.

In a press release last month, the FAA says that it levied $341,413 in civil penalties against 27 operators who violated federal drone regulations between October 2022 and June 2024.

Under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, drone operators who conduct unsafe or unauthorized operations face fines of up to $75,000 per violation. 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,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker says in a statement.

“Flying a small drone means you are flying an aircraft, and unsafe behavior will cost you.”

Unsafe Drones at NFL Games and a Formula 1 Grand Prix

In the press release, the FAA described some of the most severe penalties it levied against drone pilots in the last two years.

According to the FAA, one drone operator was given an $18,200 penalty for flagrantly disregarding a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) during Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix in May 2022.

The person flew an unregistered drone in Class D airspace without prior authorization, failed to keep the drone within visual line of sight, and did not possess the required Remote Pilot Certificate — all during a major Formula 1 event.

Meanwhile, another individual was fined $32,700 for interfering with a police operation in Wesley Chapel, Florida.

The FAA described how 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.

In a further case, the FAA levied a $7,760 fine against a person who operated an unregistered drone using first person view while a NFL game was taking place inside Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The drone operator flew over the crowd during the 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.

Two people were also fined $16,000 and $4,000 for operating drones near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, while a TFR was in place for Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022.

The airspace was classified as national defense airspace. The two operators flew drones in Class B airspace without authorization, and neither possessed a Remote Pilot Certificate.

The FAA’s sweeping enforcement action underscore the agency efforts to crack down on unsafe drone pilots as the technology becomes more widespread.

 
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.