AIM
4/20/23
helicopters, agricultural aircraft, light civil aircraft, and military aircraft. UAS pilots must ensure they have
unblocked visual access to both their UAS and the airspace around it; not seeing a manned aircraft due to blocked
line of sight does not absolve the UAS pilot from responsibility for avoidance.
2.
Should public safety or emergency responder aircraft (e.g., police, fire suppression, helicopter
emergency medical services) operations be interfered with by UAS, substantial fines can be levied on the UAS
operators involved. Enforcement actions can include revocation or suspension of a pilot certificate, and up to
a $20,000 civil penalty per violation.
c.
Night Operations.
1.
Night operations are permitted under 14 CFR Parts 91, 14 CFR Part 107, and Section 44809. However,
requirements for meteorological visibility, and for the operator or visual observer (VO) to maintain VLOS with
the UAS at all times, should be considered; see subparagraph 11
1i.
2.
14 CFR Section 107.29, Operation at Night, requirements include initial pilot training and equipment
such as an anti
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collision light which is visible for at least three statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid
a collision.
3.
Part 91 operators civil and PAO should refer to their specific COAs for any further instructions or
limitations on night flight.
REFERENCE
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14 CFR Section 107.29, Operation at Night.
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4. Accidents and Incidents: UAS Operator Responsibilities
a.
Reporting responsibility. A drone crash or malfunction, irrespective of which flight rules govern the flight,
may trigger a reporting requirement to either the FAA, the NTSB, or both. The NTSB reporting requirements
listed in 49 CFR 830.5, Immediate Notification, are separate and distinct from the FAA reporting requirements.
All UAS flyers operating in the NAS recreational, civil, and public are encouraged to read and follow NTSB
reporting requirements should they experience a crash or malfunction that meets NTSB criteria and triggers
NTSB reporting. See NTSB Reporting Requirements and subparagraph 11
4b. COAs issued to Part 91 civil
and public operators will contain specific incident/accident reporting requirements for the operator.
1.
Part 107 Operations. Part 107 operators have a reporting requirement described in 14 CFR Section 107.9,
Accident Reporting. A remote pilot
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in
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command is required to report any sUAS crash that causes serious injury
or loss of consciousness, or property damage other than to the UAS of over $500. Property damage refers to any
property that is not part of the UA System or attached to the UAS.
2.
Recreational Flyer Operations. Recreational flyers fully complying with the exception listed in 49 USC
44809 are not required to report crashes to the FAA. However, this does not alleviate the recreational flyer from
the requirement to report the crash to the NTSB if the crash meets the NTSB reporting requirements.
3.
Part 91 Operations. Part 91 operators typically flown by public aircraft operators, civil aircraft operators,
or civil operators flying FAA type certificated UAS have unique reporting requirements delineated in the terms
and conditions of their certificate of waiver/authorization and must comply with those specific requirements.
b.
NTSB Reporting Requirements. The NTSB defines a UAS accident as an occurrence associated with the
operations of any public or civil UAS that takes place between the time that the system is activated with the
purpose of flight and the time that the system is deactivated at the conclusion of its mission, in which any person
suffers death or serious injury, or the UAS holds an airworthiness certificate and sustains substantial damage.
In the case of a midair collision involving a UAS, any midair collision must be reported.
REFERENCE
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14 CFR Section 830.5, Immediate Notification
.
14 CFR Section 107.9, Accident Reporting
.
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Other Information and Best Practices