FAA report details drone sightings in U.S. airspace, and some close calls

A Federal Aviation Administration report details 765 sightings of unmanned small aircraft, commonly called drones, in the nation's airspace - a surge in encounters with remotely piloted mini-planes.

It contains a new list of pilot, air traffic, and citizen reports of possible unmanned aircraft sightings covering Nov. 13, 2014, through Aug. 20, 2015.

"Because pilot reports of unmanned aircraft have increased dramatically over the past year," the agency said, "the FAA wants to send a clear message that operating drones around airplanes and helicopters is dangerous and illegal."

Although the FAA's report, released late Friday, said unauthorized drone operators can face stiff fines, criminal charges, and jail time, catching them remains a challenge.

"It's a big sky," FAA spokesman Les Dorr said. "Even if a pilot has a fairly detailed report, it's very difficult to identify who the operator is. And unless we identify the operator, obviously we can't take any enforcement action."

Of the 765 incidents reported in the last nine months, only four were in airspace around Philadelphia International Airport:

On May 12, a Dash-8 passenger plane descending from 4,700 feet saw a drone at 4,000 feet on the aircraft's right side, 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia International.

A week later, an Air Wisconsin commuter jet climbing on takeoff saw a drone 10 feet off the aircraft, at 5,200 feet, 10 miles southwest of Philadelphia airport.

On June 6, a DC-10 military aircraft headed to McGuire Air Force Base was descending from 4,000 feet, 15 miles west of Philadelphia International, when the pilot saw "a basketball-sized" drone 15 feet above his aircraft. The drone was at 3,800 feet, well above the 400 feet that hobbyists are permitted to fly.

On July 18, a PennStar 2 medical-transport helicopter was cruising five miles east of Philadelphia International when the pilot spotted a drone 100 feet above him.

Earlier, on May 24, a Grumman American AA5 general-aviation plane was on approach to Northeast Philadelphia Airport on Ashton Road when the pilot saw a model airplane "within ¼ mile and 100 feet above" him, two miles from the runway near Benjamin Rush State Park.

In these incidents, and hundreds of others, the planes all landed safely, the report says. "Near collisions" with drones were reported in Van Nuys and San Jose, Calif.; Wichita, Kan.; New York's JFK Airport; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Sanford, Fla.; and York, Pa.

Drones sometimes hovered near sports stadiums, such as on March 25, when a 25-foot drone crashed in a residential neighborhood in Lancaster, Calif. No one was injured.

On Nov. 15, a drone flying outside the University of Alabama football stadium before a game tried to land and struck a bystander.

In Livermore, Calif., on April 27 a pilot climbing at 4,500 feet on takeoff heard a "loud thump and jolt to the aircraft." After landing in San Bernardino, the pilot said, he found two three-inch gouges on the plane's nose cover or nose cowl.

Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, drones were sighted by pilots in Allegheny County, Allentown, Harrisburg, Reading, Johnstown, Monongahela, and Pittsburgh. In New Jersey, drones were reported near Atlantic City, Newark, Princeton, Teterboro Airport, and Salem, near the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station.

As the technology has advanced, unmanned aerial vehicles have been able to fly higher and have become cheaper. They are available for anywhere from less than $100 to more than $4,000.

Safety is the biggest concern of Dan Goldfedder, a pilot for Republic Airways, which operates passenger flights for US Airways and American Airlines.

"For me personally, luckily, I haven't seen one out of my window," said Goldfedder, who lives in South Philadelphia. "I hope no one ingests one in an engine and loses an engine, and then they have an emergency."

In February, the FAA proposed new regulations for small unmanned aircraft, opening the way for their use to monitor crops, inspect buildings, aid in searches and rescues, and take aerial real estate photos. The agency expects the rules to be final "about this time next year, maybe a little sooner," Dorr said.

But for recreational drone pilots, the rules now are clear: no higher than 400 feet, always within sight, and at least five miles from airports and crowds.

The FAA said it had initiated more than 20 enforcement cases and had settled five in which operators paid civil fines. "We have proposed penalties in at least five additional cases," Dorr said.

"The vast majority of the reports are unverified because we can't find the [drone] operator," he said. "We can't say with certainty what the pilot of the aircraft saw. If the pilot says, 'It was a hexacopter about two feet across, 200 feet off my port wing,' that was probably a drone.

"But if the pilot says, 'I saw a round object about 500 feet at 2 o'clock off my nose' that could be anything."

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