U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is urging the Federal Aviation Administration to enforce regulations relating to unsafe operation of drones and to warn operators of the consequences of reckless behavior. In a letter to Michael P. Huerta, FAA administrator, she cites data showing more than 190 incidents over the last nine months, including two dozen reports of near mid-air collisions with other aircraft.
In addition, she cites reports of drone crashes, overflights of stadiums and a power plant, and unlawful commercial use.
She writes, “It’s clear that we have a serious safety problem which could cause a serious threat to life. Yet, very few of these incidents resulted in FAA enforcement actions…even though the drones’ operations appear to have been plainly illegal.”
She says she plans to introduce legislation to codify and expand the moratorium on private drone use without specific FAA authority that is already in place and to impose substantial criminal penalties if manned aircraft or people are put at risk. She invites Huerta to provide comments and technical assistance for the proposed legislation.
You can read the complete letter here.
