Drone Operator Safety Act

To impose criminal penalties for the unsafe operation of unmanned aircraft. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Drone Operator Safety Act 2. Finding; sense of Congress (a) Finding Congress finds that educating operators of unmanned aircraft about the laws and regulations that govern such aircraft helps to ensure their safe operation. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration should continue to prioritize the education of operators of unmanned aircraft through public outreach efforts like the Know Before You Fly 3. Unsafe operation of unmanned aircraft (a) In general Chapter 2 (1) in section 31— (A) in subsection (a)— (i) by redesignating paragraph (10) as paragraph (11); and (ii) by inserting after paragraph (9) the following: (10) Unmanned aircraft The term unmanned aircraft ; and (B) in subsection (b), by inserting airport appliance (2) by inserting after section 39A the following: 39B. Unsafe operation of unmanned aircraft (a) Offense Any person who operates an unmanned aircraft and, in so doing, knowingly or recklessly interferes with, or disrupts the operation of, an aircraft carrying 1 or more occupants operating in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, in a manner that poses an imminent safety hazard to such occupants, shall be punished as provided in subsection (b). (b) Penalty (1) In general Except as provided in paragraph (2), the punishment for an offense under subsection (a) shall be a fine under this title, imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both. (2) Serious bodily injury or death Any person who attempts to cause, or knowingly or recklessly causes, serious bodily injury or death during the commission of an offense under subsection (a) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both. (c) Operation of unmanned aircraft in close proximity to airports (1) In general The operation of an unmanned aircraft within a runway exclusion zone shall be considered a violation of subsection (a) unless such operation is approved by the airport’s air traffic control facility or is the result of a circumstance, such as a malfunction, that could not have been reasonably foreseen or prevented by the operator. (2) Runway exclusion zone defined In this subsection, the term runway exclusion zone (A) centered on the centerline of an active runway of an airport immediately around which the airspace is designated as class B, class C, or class D airspace at the surface under part 71 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations; and (B) the length of which extends parallel to the runway’s centerline to points that are 1 statute mile from each end of the runway and the width of which is ½ statute mile. . (b) Clerical amendment The table of sections for chapter 2 section 39A 39B. Unsafe operation of unmanned aircraft. .

Summary: Drone Operator Safety Act This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to operate an unmanned aircraft (i.e., drone) that knowingly or recklessly interferes with or disrupts the operation of an aircraft carrying one or more occupants in U.S. airspace. The prohibition includes the operation of an unmanned aircraft within the runway exclusion zone (i.e., defined area of controlled airspace around an active runway) of an airport without approval. A violator is subject to a fine, a prison term, or both.