Drone Sightings on the Rise in U.S.

Reports from pilots, citizens, and law enforcement of unmanned aircraft sightings in restricted airspace, or other apparent violations, continue to increase dramatically in the U.S., with the FAA receiving more than 180 such reports each month. There have been 1,696 reports in the first nine months of this year versus 1,761 in all of 2016. In 2015 there were 1,214 reports, and just 236 in 2014, the year the agency started collecting data.

The FAA said it wants to send a clear message that operating drones around airplanes, helicopters, and airports is dangerous and illegal. “Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.” To date, no drone operator has been convicted or jailed, but the agency said it has “levied civil penalties for a number of unauthorized flights in various parts of the country, and has many open enforcement cases.” As of mid-2017, the FAA said that more than 770,000 drone operators were registered since the registration requirement went into effect in February 2016.

Meanwhile, the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network (ASN) reports 17 collisions worldwide since 1997 between aircraft and drones (including model airplanes), one of which was fatal. In August 1997, the two people aboard a Grob motor glider were killed in a collision with a model airplane in Germany.

To date, the only corporate airplane encounter with a drone shown in the ASN database occurred on Oct. 12, 2017, and involved a Canadian-registered Beech King Air B100 on a charter flight with two crewmembers and six passengers aboard. The aircraft was on RNAV approach for Runway 24 at Quebec City and had just passed the final approach fix when the crew saw a drone at the tip of its left wing. The aircraft and drone collided at an altitude of 1,500 feet, after which the crew declared an emergency. Aircraft rescue and firefighting services were deployed but the turboprop twin landed safely.

“An inspection of the aircraft revealed a few scratches and a paint transfer on the left wing top surface, as well as friction marks on the deicer boot,” according to Canadian accident investigators. No one was injured, and the aircraft was returned to service.

At press time, Transport Canada said nearly 1,600 drone incidents were reported to the department so far in 2017. “Of these, 131 are deemed to have been of aviation safety concern,” the agency said.