Drone Sightings and Close Encounters This is a Center for the Study of the Drone Research Document. For more information, email [email protected] Distance from Drone Altitude Drone-Aircraft Manned Aircraft Manned Aircraft Manned Aircraft Date Time Location City Location State Report Narrative Airport (Miles) (Feet) Proximity (Feet) Incident Category Model Owner Class Drone Description During Air Operations on the fire, a media small helicopter drone was launched in front of Big Sur Station. Fortunately, with the heavy media coverage a PIO witnessed the drone and was able to quickly convince the media involved to bring the drone down to the ground so as not to interfere with Incident aircraft. A TFR was in place and Air attack and Helicopters were in the airspace and had no conflict with the 12/17/2013 14:00:00 Big Sur California low flying drone. Sighting Multirotor Pilot reported near miss. A Helicopter departed and at 750 FT had a near miss with a UAV painted white and very difficult to detect against the background. UAV was reported as a fixed Fixed-wing, 5 ft. 2/11/2014 Picayune Muni Mississippi wing aircraft, with a wingspan of approximately 5 FT 750 Close Encounter Helicopter Helicopter wingspan Reported for domain awareness. Both pilot and right seat non-pilot occupant observed what appeared to be an unmanned aircraft and tracked it from our 11 o'clock to our 4 o'clock for approximately 45 seconds. We were level 10,000 MSL at the time and altitude of unidentified aircraft estimated 9,000 and under power. It appeared to be an airplane in type, too small for carrying a person; mostly black with red and 2/14/2014 SDF.TRACON Kentucky green markings. 9000 1,000 Sighting 2102Z: AFTER LANDING AT RDU, PILOT REPORTED SEEING A POSSIBLE UAS 7-10 NM NNW OF RDU AT 2500. THE PILOT REPORTED THE UNKNOWN OBJECT GETTING WITHIN A FEW HUNDRED YARDS OF HIS AIRCRAFT. THE UNKNOWN OBJECT APPEARED TO HAVE A TWO TO THREE FOOT WING SPAN, FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL AT A GOOD RATE OF SPEED. 2022Z: A PRIMARY TARGET DEPARTED 8NC8 (LAKERIDGE) NW BOUND, NO ALTITUDE READOUT, SPEED INDICATING 60 KTS. 2023Z: THE PRIMARY TARGET MERGES WITH AIRCRAFT, TRAFFIC WAS ISSUED BY ATC, AND THE TARGET CONTINUES ON A NW BOUND HEADING. 2117Z: THE PRIMARY TARGET CIRCLES THE 8NC8 Fixed-wing, 2-3 ft 3/1/2014 17:02:00 Durham North Carolina AIRPORT THEN APPEARS TO LAND. 8.5 2500 Sighting wingspan Civilian Pilot reported UAS 4000, 10 miles E of Montgomery 3/1/2014 15:21:00 Montgomery Alabama AL 10 4000 Sighting Pilot took evasive action to avoid. Pilot reports sighting a possible UAS in MIA Class B airspace at 6,500 FT. A right deviation is made to avoid the craft. Pilot reports object had Miami International no lights and appeared to be a small unmanned vehicle. It 3/1/2014 Airport Florida looked like a miniature ultra light with a camera mounted to it. 6500 Close Encounter Fixed-wing Pilot reported for domain awareness. An air carrier crew reported UAS at 6500 feet, roughly 15 mile SW of LGA. Reported UAS was black and small in size. Item did not 3/7/2014 LaGuardia Airport New York appear on ATC radar. 15 6500 Sighting Black Pilot at 4,000 FT reports sighting a possible drone opposite direction at 3,500 FT. Object describe as a small white drone 3/22/2014 ZMA.ARTCC Florida (estimated 8 feet). NFI 3500 500 Close Encounter White, 8 ft. MARCH 9, 2014 AT 1600Z, THE PILOT OF N181FA, PA28 CALLED TO REPORT THAT AFTER HE DEPARTED ANP AIRPORT ON MARCH 8, 2014 ABOUT 2357Z A QUAD COPTER (COMMERCIAL DRONE) CAME REALLY CLOSE TO HIS AIRCRAFT WHILE HE WAS CLIMBING OUT OF 1600'. PILOT STATED THAT WAS A VERY UNSAFE 4/6/2014 12:00:00 Anne Arundel Maryland SITUATION. 1600 Close Encounter Piper PA-28 General Aviation Single Engine Prop A pilot that was flying his personal aircraft just outside class D airspace west of Paine Field Washington claimed he was at 2,500 feet MSL approaching Paine Field when an unmanned helicopter passed by him at his altitude within 200 feet laterally. I called Pain Field and they had no knowledge of the unmanned helicopter. The pilot in the airplane estimated the 4/8/2014 Everett Washington size of the helicopter to be around 3 feet. 2500 200 Close Encounter General Aviation PILOT REPORTED A UAS 1/4 MILE EAST OF SILVER LAKE AT 2,300 FEET MSL. THE UAS WAS REPORTED TO BE A HELICOPTER APPROXIMATELY 1 METER IN 4/9/2014 Silver Lake Michigan DIAMETER. LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ADVISED. 0.25 2300 Sighting Helo A report of two men flying a UAS on short final to Runway 9R at 400' by several airliners. After notification and discussion with ROC and the tower supervisor, I advised Airports to contact local police. Tower subsequently tasked Landside operations to investigate. No documentation was received from Landside operations and only identification was that it was a fixed wing a/c and there were two men in a white van. 5/1/2014 Atlanta Georgia Police did not show (were called off by Landside). 400 Sighting Fixed-wing Pilot reports near miss. Pilot reports sighting a radio controlled aircraft above his altitude (1000 feet MSL) and in 5/1/2014 SIG.Airport Puerto Rico close proximity during a visual approach to airport. 1000 Close Encounter Pilot took evasive action. An instructor and student departed OKV and while climbing through 1,500 FT took evasive action from a UAS approximately 1.5 miles south of the airport. Approximately 1.5 miles to the south of OKV encountered a small UAV helicopter at the same altitude. [We] came close enough to determine color, type, and approximate size, Winchester possibly within 200 FT. UAV was 2-3 FT across, it was red, 5/3/2014 Regional Airport Virginia and was the 3-channel type. 1.5 1500 200 Close Encounter Drone Sightings and Close Encounters This is a Center for the Study of the Drone Research Document. For more information, email [email protected] Distance from Drone Altitude Drone-Aircraft Manned Aircraft Manned Aircraft Manned Aircraft Date Time Location City Location State Report Narrative Airport (Miles) (Feet) Proximity (Feet) Incident Category Model Owner Class Drone Description While driving through Griffin, Georgia on 05-01-2014 at 1730 hours approx 1 mile east of 6A2 on Hill Street in between the intersections of Soloman Street and Taylor Street, I observed an "octo-copter" type UAS vehicle carrying a camera and operating directly over heavy traffic below the height of the adjacent buildings lining the street. I also observed several individuals at the intersection of Hill Street and Soloman Street conducting filming operations on the ground as well. On 05-02-2014, n 05-01-2014. I was given a name of [redacted] in production to speak to. I contacted [redacted] and began to inquire to the UAS operation. [redacted] denied that Stalwart Films was operating a UAS type vehicle or "drone" as he mentioned for filming purposes but did confirm they were filming in the same location as I observed the UAS operation. I drove the same route on 05-03-2014 but did not observe any filming type operations. On 05-05-2014 I overheard a report of a similar type UAS operated on or about 05-03-2014 in the McDonough, Georgia area in what appears to be the approach area for KATL. It was reported that this aircraft may have been operating at an altitude of about 4000 ft. I find it interesting that a similar type UAS aircraft operating in 2 areas relatively close in proximity in a time span of only a couple of days. There is a concern as to the safety of the operation of this type of UAS platform for the use of filming in what the FAA considers a populated or urban area and lacking an evaluation by the FAA in regards to the necessity of a Certificate of Authorization as per Notice 8900.227, effective 5/4/2014 17:30:00 Griffin Georgia 07-30-2013. 4000 Sighting Multirotor DAL1382 B752 DESCENDING OUT OF 040 FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 27L REPORTED A UAS OPERATING AT HIS ALTITUDE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO HIS AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT DID NOT INDICATE THAT IT WAS A NMAC AS THE UAS CONTINUED TO OPERATE TO HIS LEFT. THE UAS WAS DESCRIBED TO BE ABOUT FOUR FOOT SQUARE WITH 4 LEGS AND BRIGHT LIGHTS.TRAFFIC WAS NOT ISSUED AS NO PRIMARY OR SECONDARY RADAR RETURNS WERE VISIBLE ON THE RADAR 5/8/2014 Atlanta Georgia SCOPE. 4000 Close Encounter Boeing 757 Commercial Multi Engine Jet Multirotor, 4 ft. SUNRISE, FL : N5793J, AS355F1, REPORTED A NEAR MISS WITH A DRONE NE OF THE BBAND T CENTER IN SUNRISE, FL. PILOT STATED THE DRONE WAS BEING OPERATED BY A PEDESTRIAN ON THE GROUND. 5/4 5/16/2014 6:25:00 Sunrise Florida 1025Z Close Encounter Detroit Wayne ATCT (DTW) – Saturday, May 24, 2014 at 5:22 p.m. EDT: (SkyWest) SKW4644/CRJ2 en route to Detroit, MI (DTW) reported seeing a remote controlled aircraft at 1,600 feet on a three mile final for Runway 22R at DTW. The pilot reported that the remote controlled aircraft came very close to 5/25/2014 17:22:00 Detroit Michigan his aircraft. 3 1600 Close Encounter Bombardier CRJ200 Commercial Multi Engine Jet PILOT REPORTED SIGHTING A POSSIBLE DRONE AT 5500 OVER THE SOUTH END OF MANHATTAN.