Source: http://jrupprechtlaw.com/category/faa-enforcement
Timestamp: 2017-02-23 14:50:19
Document Index: 344431340

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 101', 'art 107', 'art 91', 'art 61', 'in fine', '§ 40103', '§ 46307', '§ 43607', '§ 40103', '§ 46307', '§ 3559', '§ 3571', 'art 61', 'art 107', '§ 46301', 'art 107', 'art 107', 'art 91', 'art 99', 'art 107', 'art 91', 'art 107', '§ 61', '§ 61', '§ 61', '§ 61', '§ 91', '§ 91', '§ 91', '§ 91', '§ 91', '§ 91', '§ 91', '§ 91', 'in fine', 'art 107', 'art 48', 'art 48', 'art 107']

FAA Enforcement Archives - Drone Law Attorney Services - Rupprecht Law, PA Helping Individuals and Businesses Navigate Drone LawHelping Individuals and Businesses Navigate Drone LawHomeAbout About JonathanDrone Law ServicesOther Drone ServicesMedia Appearances & ConferencesArticles How to Get Your FAA Part 107 Drone Pilot License (1st-Time & Current Pilots)Commercial Drone Operations (Part 107)Free Part 107 Test Study Guide For FAA Remote Pilot Airmen CertificatePart 107 Test Questions (41 Sample Questions Explained)FAA FAR Part 107 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)FAA Part 107 Waiver (COA) – What Drone Pilots Need to KnowHow to Fly Your Drone at Night-(Part 107 Night Waiver)Part 107 (ACS) Airmen Certification Standards ExplainedWhat Drone Pilots Need to Know About the Part 107 Drone RegulationsTFR (Temporary Flight Restriction)8 Different TFRs – Flight Restrictions for Good ReasonFAA TFR Violation PunishmentsDrone Crash-What Do I Do After I Crash My Drone?Don’t Drink and Drone – FAA Regulations on Drones & AlcoholPart 107 Statistics (3 Big Take-Aways)5 Problem Areas When Integrating Drones Into Large CompaniesDrone Law for Drone Training Educators, K-12 Schools, & Universities.7 BIG PROBLEMS WITH COUNTER DRONE TECHNOLOGY (DRONE JAMMERS, ANTI DRONE GUNS, ETC.)Amazon Drone Delivery – 3 Major Legal Problems with Amazon Prime Air23 Drone Operator Prosecutions by the FAA – What Every Recreational and Commercial Drone Operator Needs to Know.Recreational/Model Aircraft Flying (Part 101)Rupprecht Law’s Analysis of the FAA’s New Educational Use Exception for Drones11 Big Problems with the FAA’s Mandatory Drone RegistrationWhy the FAA’s Drone Registration Requirements Are ILLEGALAdvisory Circular 91-57 Canceled and Updated with AC 91-57A.Resources The ULTIMATE Guide of Drone Events & Factors for Choosing the Right Show.Drone Training Resources for Drone STEM Education or a Drone Flight School.Products Drone Operator’s LogbookDRONES: Their Many Civilian Uses and the U.S. Laws Surrounding ThemContact Me Home » Drone Law Blog » FAA Enforcement FAA Enforcement AboutLatest Posts Jonathan RupprechtMr. Rupprecht is an aviation attorney who focuses on drones. Read more about his background as a commercial pilot, flight instructor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University grad, and legal author. He has had media appearances on Forbes, Newsweek, Politico, NPR, Marketwatch, The Independent, Motherboard, and other sources. Feel free to send Jonathan a message here. Latest posts by Jonathan Rupprecht (see all) Arizona Drone Laws (2017) - February 22, 2017 Texas Drone Laws (2017) - February 22, 2017 California Drone Laws (2017) - February 22, 2017 FAA TFR Violation Punishments in Drone Law / FAA Enforcement / Part 107 tagged FAA Enforcement / TFR What Type of Criminal Punishment (Prison Time) or Fines can Result for a TFR Violation?Depending on the type of TFR, you can get punished in three different ways for a TFR violation: (1) you can be criminally punished up to a maximum of 1 year in federal prison and a $100,000 fine, (2) you can have your pilot license suspended or revoked, and/or (3) receive a civil penalty by itself or on-top of the $100,000 fine. Sometimes you can get charged with multiple violations for one flight. For example, a pilot operating under Part 91 can be charged with violating 14 CFR 91.103 which requires him to conduct a pre-flight check of all available information before a flight. Likewise, the remote pilot of a drone would be required by 107.49 to be familiar with the airspace prior to flight. The Part 61 pilot in this case got charged with a violation of 91.103 & 91.137 for the same flight by the FAA. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Why? There were only two options: either he did NOT check for TFRs (a violation of the FARs) or he did check and intentionally went into the TFR (a violation of federal criminal code). Flying into a TFR negligently results in fines while flying intentionally can result in prison time. Click here to tweet I wrote a lengthy article on the 23 drone operators the FAA has been prosecuting and showed that out of the 23 operators, some of them were cited with multiple violations of the Federal Aviation Regulations for the same flight. Sign up for the Newsletter to Receive Important Updates and Articles. Criminal Punishment: Federal prison for up to a Year and/or a $100,000 fine for a violation of a security related TFR.If you knowingly or willfully violate a TFR, you can have some serious consequences. In 49 U.S.C. § 40103(b)(3), the U.S. Congress gave the FAA the ability to:“(3) To establish security provisions that will encourage and allow maximum use of the navigable air-space by civil aircraft consistent with national security, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secre-tary of Defense, shall— (A) establish areas in the airspace the Administrator decides are necessary in the interest of national defense; and (B) by regulation or order, restrict or prohibit flight of civil aircraft that the Administrator cannot identify, locate, and control with available facilities in those areas.”“A person that knowingly or willfully violates section 40103(b)(3) of this title or a regulation prescribed or order issued under section 40103(b)(3) shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.” 49 U.S.C. § 46307.Intentionally flying into a security related TFR is nothing to mess around with. Doug Hughes flew a gyrocopter onto the US Capitol lawn (a permanent security flight restriction) and he was indicted and prosecuted by the Department of Justice. One of the charges listed § 43607 and § 40103(b)(3). Read the Douglas Hughes indictment. He later pleaded guilty to one of the multiple charges and was sentenced to federal prison for 120 days.How much of a criminal fine can result from a security related TFR violation?To know how much a defendant can be fined for a security related TFR, we need to figure out what type of crime had been committed. A security related TFR violation is a Class A misdemeanor because § 46307 says the defendant can not be “imprisoned for not more than one year” and 18 U.S.C. § 3559 says:“(a)CLASSIFICATION.—An offense that is not specifically classified by a letter grade in the section defining it, is classified if the maximum term of imprisonment authorized is— [. . .](6) one year or less but more than six months, as a Class A misdemeanor;”A Class A misdemeanor can be punished according to 18 U.S.C. § 3571 which says:(a)IN GENERAL.—A defendant who has been found guilty of an offense may be sentenced to pay a fine. (b)FINES FOR INDIVIDUALS.—Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, an individual who has been found guilty of an offense may be fined not more than the greatest of—[. . .](4) for a misdemeanor resulting in death, not more than $250,000; (5) for a Class A misdemeanor that does not result in death, not more than $100,000; [. . . ]FAA Pilot Certificate Suspension or RevocationFor an accidental flight or intentional flight, you can be receiving a FAA order suspending or revoking your Part 61 pilot certificate or your Part 107 remote pilot certificate. The FAA order directed to FAA enforcement teams recommends a “30- to 90-day suspension” for a simple TFR violation. Keep in mind that if you did a bunch of other violations, these numbers will be higher or you’ll be getting a certificate revocation.FAA Civil PenaltyThe pilot license suspension or revocation will be the normal method of punishment, but with more and more drone pilots operating without an airmen certificate, the FAA will have to resort to a civil penalty since there is no airmen certificate to suspend or revoke. Additionally, the FAA has said, “For a deliberate, egregious violation by a certificate holder, regardless of whether the certificate holder is exercising the privileges of the certificate in connection with the violations associated with a UAS operation, certificate action, may be appropriate. Such certificate action may be in addition to a civil penalty.”49 U.S.C. § 46301(a)(1) provides that “a person is liable to the United States for a civil penalty of not more than $25,000 (or $1,100 if the person is an individual or small business concern) for violating” the TFR. Remember that you can get hit with $1,100 PER regulation violation. Be careful where you drone. Click here to tweet Next Page: What are the differences between the 8 TFRs? Why are some issued? AboutLatest Posts Jonathan RupprechtMr. Rupprecht is an aviation attorney who focuses on drones. Read more about his background as a commercial pilot, flight instructor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University grad, and legal author. He has had media appearances on Forbes, Newsweek, Politico, NPR, Marketwatch, The Independent, Motherboard, and other sources. Feel free to send Jonathan a message here. Latest posts by Jonathan Rupprecht (see all) Arizona Drone Laws (2017) - February 22, 2017 Texas Drone Laws (2017) - February 22, 2017 California Drone Laws (2017) - February 22, 2017 TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) in Drone Law / FAA Enforcement / Model Aircraft Rules / Part 107 / Section 333 tagged Part 107 / TFR A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is nothing to play around with. Violations of TFRs can be punished quite severely with a pilot license suspension, civil penalty, or in the worst case: prison time. The FAA has been pursuing enforcement actions against manned and unmanned pilots around the U.S. for TFR violations. In this series of TFR articles, I will help you understand more about each of the TFRs, and give you pro tips based upon my flight instructing experience, so you can pass a knowledge exam and fly safely and confidently. Also, if you want to create a TFR, get a waiver to fly into a TFR (i.e., sport event filming), or if you accidentally flew in a TFR unauthorized and potentially will be prosecuted by the FAA, contact me.What is a TFR?The FAA defines a TFR as “a regulatory action issued via the U.S. Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) system to restrict certain aircraft from operating within a defined area, on a temporary basis, to protect persons or property in the air or on the ground.” There are different types of TFRs and they are listed out in the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). The regulations for TFRs are located in Part 91 and Part 99 which govern manned aircraft operations. For remote pilots, Part 107.47 requires them to comply with all the TFRs located in Part 91 and 99 as well.How can I tell where a TFR is located?A TFR is not located anywhere on a sectional chart and can literally temporarily “pop-up” quite quickly. A helpful website is tfr.faa.gov, where the TFR will be portrayed in a picture of an overlay of the TFR on a sectional chart and also described in textual format. The picture will tell you the dimensions while the text will tell you the precise dimensions, altitudes, and times. The dimensions of the TFR are going to be explained by reference to a fixed point. Much of the time, the fixed point is a VOR, but sometimes it can be a random set of coordinates on the map (especially when elected officials are campaigning or fundraising). It is incredibly important to check for TFRs before EVERY flight. You should not rely on a pre-flight briefer over at 1-800-wx-brief to catch the TFR or whether it effects you or not.You should check tfr.faa.gov before EVERY flight. It breaks the TFRs down into states, chronologically on a list, graphically on a map, FAA ATC centers, and TFR types.Pro Tip: Never trust the flight briefer. If you are close to a TFR, make sure you check. Sign up for the Newsletter to Receive Important Updates and Articles. Why should you never rely on the briefer?President Obama came to Ft. Lauderdale when I was flight instructing and a TFR popped up. I called over to 1800WXBRIEF and requested a pre-flight briefing before the flight. The briefer told me about the TFR, but said that I was NOT within the TFR. I didn’t trust him so I checked online for the textual description and measured the TFR out. Guess what? I was right within the edge of the TFR and could not take off. The briefer got it wrong. When I was in the FBO, an airplane took off. In about a minute, the phone rang and the FBO manager answered. The manager talked shortly on the phone. He hung and up and turned to me and said, “That was the Secret Service trying to figure out who just took off.”Another Pro Tip: Sign up for the free drone law newsletter that has the latest info about Part 107, model aircraft rules, Section 333, COAs, etc.Who can go into a TFR?TFRs are NOT always a complete ban on all types of flying. It just means only authorized individuals can fly in those areas. If you are interested in doing some commercial drone work around TFRs, you can contact me about getting those approvals and COAs.Keep in mind that doing operations in a TFR can have benefits. One big benefit is for certain types of TFRs the airspace is segregated which means obtaining certain types of approvals could be easier.How many different types of TFRs are there?There are 8 different types of TFRs. Each has a different set of facts surrounding why they are issued and who can operate in them. Each of these different types of TFRs will be discussed.Section 91.137, Disaster/Hazard Areas Temporary Flight Restrictions;Section 91.138, National Disaster Areas in the State of Hawaii Temporary Flight Restrictions;Section 91.139, Emergency Air Traffic Rules;Section 91.141, Presidential and Other Parties Temporary Flight Restrictions;Section 91.143, Space Flight Operations Temporary Flight Restrictions;Section 91.144, Abnormally High Barometric Pressure Conditions;Section 91.145, Management of Aircraft Operations in the Vicinity of Aerial Demonstrations and Major Sporting Events; andSection 99.7, Special Security Instructions.Next Page: What type of criminal punishment (prison time) or fines can happen if you fly into a TFR? AboutLatest Posts Jonathan RupprechtMr. Rupprecht is an aviation attorney who focuses on drones. Read more about his background as a commercial pilot, flight instructor, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University grad, and legal author. He has had media appearances on Forbes, Newsweek, Politico, NPR, Marketwatch, The Independent, Motherboard, and other sources. Feel free to send Jonathan a message here. Latest posts by Jonathan Rupprecht (see all) Arizona Drone Laws (2017) - February 22, 2017 Texas Drone Laws (2017) - February 22, 2017 California Drone Laws (2017) - February 22, 2017 23 Drone Operator Prosecutions by the FAA – What Every Recreational and Commercial Drone Operator Needs to Know. in Drone Law / FAA Enforcement tagged FAA Enforcement (June 11, 2016) – Recently released documents from a FOIA request reveal a total of 23 FAA enforcement actions against drone operators. Here are the important take-aways I’ve found with the cases that have been released via Jason’s great work over at Motherboard.Quick Summary (Explanations and Graphs Below)Not everything was released.None of the regulations that are exempted in a typical Section 333 exemption were cited.None of the notices or orders say anything about 333 exemptions.Two drone companies were targeted.Defendants received reduced penalties when an attorney was involved.No one had a 333 exemption in effect at the time of the flights.Two certificated pilots were targeted.1 case started with a subpoena.151 days is the average from the date of the first violation to a notice from the FAA.Phantoms were the most popular aircraft.Many of the flights occurredin Class B Airspace.The FAA enforcements appear to be spread out chronologically but not geographically.4 of the flights were commercial.5 notices or orders mentioned the loss of line of sight in the facts justifying a violation of the prohibition on careless and reckless flying.9 of the cases also had some type of arrest or fine under state or local law for the flight.The FAA did NOT charge the defendants with all the regulations that were violated.Note: I’m not going to be citing directly to legal sources because I don’t want to educate my competition. Take a look at my drone attorney bio and you’ll see a graph of the drone law firms with the number of 333 exemptions they have filed. You’ll see that a really large majority of them don’t have much drone law experience. Remember, when hiring an attorney, don’t hire a poser, hire an attorney who is a commercial pilot.If you want to use the graphs, I only require that you leave the watermark intact. 🙂 Sign up for the Newsletter to Receive Important Updates and Articles. Not everything was released. There are more enforcement actions that I know of than what was released. I won’t say anything else so as to not “inflame” their situations due to media attention.None of the regulations that are exempted in a typical Section 333 exemption were cited. This is a very important point. A 333 would provide a defense to those charges, provided the operator was following the exemption, but you have to remember, all the regulations apply. The 333 only exempts you from some of the regulations, not ALL. The 333 exemption isn’t your own little world to operate in. The Federal Aviation Regulations still apply.Compare with the regulations that are in an exemption:14 C.F.R. § 61.23(a) & (c)14 C.F.R. § 61.101(e)(4) & (5)14 C.F.R. § 61.113(a)14 C.F.R. § 61.315(a)14 C.F.R. § 91.7(a)14 C.F.R. § 91.119(c)14 C.F.R. § 91.12114 C.F.R. § 91.151(a)(1)14 C.F.R. § 91.405(a)14 C.F.R. § 91.407(a)(1)14 C.F.R. § 91.409(a)(1) & (2)14 C.F.R. § 91.417(a) & (b)What is the take away here? Everyone of the flights could have been cited with many more violations of the regulations. The FAA left a lot on the table with charges. So why would anyone get a 333? Because the 333 exemption would keep additional charges from the second list above “off the table,” provided you were operating under the 333. It would be beneficial as a partial defense.Another take away is that the FAA treats 91.13(a) like bacon, they put it on everything to make it better.None of the notices or orders say anything about 333 exemptions. This does give us a clue of the future dynamics when everyone has a 107 certificate. A 107 certificate being suspended or revoked would be bad when mostly everyone has one in the future. Remember that suspension actions, civil penalties, and revocations go on your record.Two companies were targeted. Most individuals think the FAA is targeting individuals only but they have targeted at least two companies here. Without getting into the distinctions of how involved the drone operators were involved in the companies fined, this is one of the reasons why large companies hire 333 operators so they are not “on the hook” for the flight of the drone operator. What is interesting is the FAA didn’t go after the individuals operating the drones as well! However, SkyCamUSA, LLC managed to escape this but their pilot David Quinones, the “mistletoe” pilot from back in 2014 who cut a reporters nose, received a pilot license suspension of 90 days while the company was not fined separately. Future enforcement actions could see the 333 operator AND the pilot on the receiving end of enforcement actions.Defendants received reduced penalties when an attorney was involved. Except for Skypan, because it has not yet settled, every case that had an attorney representing the defendant resulted in a reduction in the proposed civil penalty from the original notice. In the following graph, the cases where an attorney was involved are navy blue while the pro se defendants are light blue.One important thing to remember is that the attorney-client privilege applies to communications between an attorney and his client, not an attorney and a “consultant.” This is an important distinction because a prosecutor could subpoena the consultant to turn over documents or to testify as a witness in an enforcement action against you!No one had a 333 exemption in effect at the time of the flights. Four of the flights were commercial but the operators didn’t have 333s in effect at the time. This means we don’t know if the FAA has or will pull a 333/COA as part of an enforcement action.Two certificated pilots were targeted. Two of the cases involved people with pilot licenses. A student pilot license was voluntarily revoked for a reduction in fine from $5,000 to $3,000 and a commercial certificate was voluntarily suspended for 90 days. These will show up on their airmen records. As time goes on, many more people are obtaining manned aircraft certificates or their 107 certificate.1 case started with a subpoena. There are three situations, at least that I know of, where subpoenas have been issued at the front end to go on fishing expeditions to figure out more evidence against the potential defendants. Skypan is the first example of this and the third instance is the Connecticut gun drone kid which is being fought out currently. The FAA might be switching up tactics to file a subpoena first and then use the evidence gathered as grounds for more violations. If they don’t “get” you on the civil penalty, they will at least get you to spend time and money on an attorney fighting the subpoena.151 days is the average from the date of the first violation to a notice from the FAA. Note: Adam Rupeka’s says “0” because the scan of the document was so bad I could not determine the letter date.Phantoms were the most used aircraft. Yes, you guessed it. The majority of the aircraft involved in these enforcement actions were Phantoms. I just lumped them all into one category as opposed to breaking down into different models of the Phantom. The Phantom is starting to be like the AK-47 of the drone world.Many of the flights occurred in Class B Airspace. Class B airports tend to be in major cities. The radius for Class B airspace extends 5 nautical miles out (10 NM diameter) and in some instances even more. Here is a graph of all the types of airspace that the defendants flew in. Notice that a defendant can fly in different types of airspace for one flight.The FAA enforcements appear to be spread out chronologically but not geographically. Some of the notices appear to have been filed around the same date. Maybe the prosecutor “batched” them on the side of their desk.4 of the flights were commercial. The FAA is not targeting only recreational flyers but also commercial.5 of the notices or orders mentioned the loss of line of sight in the facts justifying a violation of the prohibition on careless and reckless flying. This is an important distinction because Section 336(b) is the FAA’s good old fallback position in enforcements. FPV racers take note. The FAA explained its view in the 2014 Model Aircraft Interpretation and said that FPV racing is not compliant with Section 336’s definition of model aircraft requiring line of sight and therefore would not be protected.9 of the cases also had some type of arrest or fine under state or local law for the flight. You can be prosecuted under state/local law as well as federal law at the same time for the same flight. Also, keep in mind that a 333/COA is helpful for getting local law enforcement off your back as they are generally trying to find operators who do not have 333s. A good example of this is with the City of LA’s ordinance. Law enforcement officers were going around asking people if they had a 333 or not. If you didn’t have one, you could be arrested.The FAA did NOT charge the defendants with all the regulations that were possible. I went through the facts and noticed a lot of regulation violations. Each flight should have been a $5,500 fine at a minimum. Why? With a typical drone operator, at least 5 regulations are usually being violated in each flight. If the operator switched out batteries, that would be a 2x multiplier because they are violating each of those 5 a second time on the second flight. A two battery job could compile a fine of around $11,000 if a prosecutor really wanted to go after you. It appears that the FAA’s prosecutors were either disorganized as to how to fully prosecute these cases or they were too embarrassed to “throw the book” at the drone operator. As time goes on, I believe the prosecutors will get better at their game and there will be more and more pressure to vigorously prosecute violators. I asked my friend Craig Thompson, a Dallas Aerial Photographer, what he thought of this data and he said, “Given that more than a million drones have been sold in the U.S., the fact that only two dozen fines have been levied is surprising and likely reflects the FAA’s lack of resources, rather than a lack of desire.” I think his statement is correct. As time goes on, we can expect to see many more of these enforcement actions to be more fully prosecuted. Sign up for the Newsletter to Receive Important Updates and Articles. Potential Benefits to the Drone Community. The FAA’s lack of enforcement has been the catalyst for many states, counties, cities, and towns enacting some laws governing drones. The release of this information can have a positive effect by showing that the FAA IS doing something. I would suggest giving this article out to any of your elected officials who plan on doing something regarding regulating drones. Tell them to give the FAA time to get “up to speed” on the situation before they pass any laws that will stifle this industry.I hope this information will be helpful to the drone community. As always, when hiring an attorney, don’t hire a poser, hire an attorney who is a pilot. Fly safe guys. 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