Video Appears To Show Drone Flying Through Approach Path to KLAS and Over Airbus A320

A video posted to Facebook in the last few days has been receiving a great deal of attention from, first, the Drone community, and now, the rest of the world. If it is as it appears, someone has done something stupid and dangerous and counterproductive to the interests of the unmanned aircraft communities--much less aviation safety, in general. 

A person, as yet not officially identified, posted what was claimed to be an FPV or ‘First Person View’ drone racer flying in the approach path to Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport.

The barely 30 second video appears to be shot fairly high above the ground, a thousand feet or more, and within visual sight of the McCarran Airport. It is unknown as to whether or not it was actually shot within the the airport’s protected airspace. As the video progresses, an Airbus A320 appears approaches and flies underneath the drone, and thereafter shows the drone's flight path appearing to dive down and toward one side of the airliner as it passes below. The rest of the foolish flight continues its descent, away from the approach path.

The video is drawing extensive and nearly unanimous condemnation from all segments of the Drone community.

Chad Budreau, Public Relations and Government Affairs Director for the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), told ANN that, “No one should be flying in a careless and reckless manner and – importantly – all drone and model aircraft pilots must stay well clear of manned aircraft. We condemn the type of operation depicted in this video. Furthermore, anyone who violates aviation regulations or endangers public safety must be held accountable for their actions. We urge the FAA to take strong enforcement action against this drone pilot, and against any future violators. We continue to believe education and increased enforcement are effective ways to protect our nation’s airspace.”

Even those segments of the Drone World known for pushing the limits of the FARs appear fully united in opposition to the video, which if real, is a serious danger to the future of the Drone industry.

And again, as noted, Unmanned industry powerhouses like the Academy of Model Aeronautics and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International have already weighed in--aggressively and incontrovertibly.

Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), expressed deep concerns over the video... “All UAS operators need to understand their aircraft, stay well-clear of manned aircraft and adhere to the law. AUVSI supports strict enforcement against careless and reckless operators who endanger the safety of the airspace and violate the law. AUVSI is committed to the safe and responsible use of UAS and co-founded the Know Before You Fly campaign with the FAA and the Academy of Model Aeronautics to provide education and guidance to the UAS community.”

And while the media is just starting to become aware of the video, which was foolishly posted to a number of public sites long before it can even be verified, the industry seems prepared to counter the potential damage as carefully as it can. And interestingly; we are pleased to see that there is unanimous concern and condemnation of what is obviously a very dangerous flight, as portrayed in the video.

The FAA is apparently more than aware, and our sources indicate that of the alleged pilot has been identified. What may or may not be happening to that pilot, and how the FAA may proceed with this matter from there, is as yet unknown. The FAA’s Ian Gregor, is limiting the FAA’s ‘on the record’ position only stating that, “...we’re aware of the incident and are investigating.”  

There is a tremendous amount of detail and rumor being exchanged in various drone community discussion boards and social media sites... ANN is analyzing all this and has reached out to a person implicated in the video flight. We’ll have more to say as we are able to verify details.

FMI: www.auvsi.org, www.modelaircraft.org