A Federal Aviation Administration official warned this week about
the dangers of even small unmanned aircraft, pointing specifically to a recent
close call involving a drone and a commercial airliner that could have had
"catastrophic" results.
Jim
Williams, the head of the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) office,
discussed various potential perils during a presentation Thursday to those
attending the Small Unmanned Systems Business Expo. A video of his talk in San
Francisco, and those of others, to those who operate, create or otherwise are
involved or interested in such unmanned aircraft was posted to YouTube.
After
saying "the FAA has got to be responsive to the entire industry,"
Williams referred to a pair of incidents in which drones caused injuries to
people on the ground. One came at an event at Virginia Motor Speedway in which
an "unauthorized, unmanned aircraft" crashed into the stands, and in
the other a female triathlete in Australia had to get stitches after being
struck by a small drone.
Then,
Williams segued to a pilot's recent report of "a near midair
collision" with a drone near the airport in Tallahassee, Florida. The
pilot said that it appeared to be small, camouflaged, "remotely
piloted" and about 2,300 feet up in the air at the time of the incident.
"The
pilot said that the UAS was so close to his jet that he was sure he had
collided with it," Williams said. "Thankfully, inspection to the
airliner after landing found no damage. But this may not always be the
case."
According
to the FAA, the incident took place on March 22 and involved as U.S. Airways
Flight 4650 going from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Tallahassee.
The pilot
claimed to pass "an unreported and apparently remotely controlled aircraft
... five miles northeast of the Tallahassee airport, according to the federal
agency.
Such
close calls are rare, the FAA notes.
The pilot
reported that the small unmanned aircraft involved looked similar to an F-4
Phantom jet, and not like a helicopter that might hold a camera that many
associate more closely with drones. Such planes have gas turbine engines and
can fly higher than an average drone, according to the FAA. Neither the drone
in this case, nor its pilot, have been identified.
In its
own statement, US Airways said that it was aware of this reported
"incident with one of our express flights, and we are investigating."
Explaining
why this event is significant, Williams referenced to the so-called
"Miracle on the Hudson" from 2009, when US Airways Flight 1549 safely
crash-landed in New York's Hudson River after striking at least one bird upon
takeoff from LaGuardia Airport.
Airplane crash-lands into
Hudson River
Such bird
strikes are dangerous enough; a drone, even a small one, getting sucked into a
jetliner's engine could be even worse, Williams said.
"Imagine
a metal and plastic object -- especially with (a) big lithium battery -- going
into a high-speed engine," he added. "The results could be
catastrophic."
All these
incidents speak to "why it is incredibly important for detect-and-avoid
standards (for small unmanned aircraft) to be developed and right-of-way rules
to be obeyed," Williams said. He added that such standards are in the
works.
His
agency reiterated this sentiment in its statement Friday.
"The
FAA has the exclusive authority to regulate the airspace from the ground up,
and a mandate to protect the safety of the American people in the air and on
the ground," the agency said. "...Our challenge is to integrate
unmanned aircraft into the busiest, most complex airspace in the world.
Introduction of unmanned aircraft into America's airspace must take place
incrementally and with the interest of safety first."
As to
current regulations, Williams noted the FAA has appealed a federal judge's
decision in a case involving businessman Raphael Pirker.
Pirker
used a remotely operated, 56-inch foam glider to take aerial video for an
advertisement for the University of Virginia Medical Center. The FAA then fined
him $10,000 for operating the aircraft in a "careless and reckless
manner."
A judge
on March 6 agreed with Pirker that the FAA overreached by applying regulations
for aircraft to model aircraft, and said no FAA rule prohibited Pirker's
radio-controlled flight.
Pilot wins case against
FAA over commercial drone flight
But on
Thursday, Williams said that another judge had stayed this ruling pending the
FAA's appeal.
"Nothing
has changed from a legal standpoint," he said, "and the FAA continues
to enforce the airspace rules."
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