Accidents and Incidents: UAS Operator Responsibilities

(a) Reporting responsibility. A drone crash or malfunction, irrespective of which flight rules govern the flight, may trigger a reporting requirement to either the FAA, the NTSB, or both. The NTSB reporting requirements listed in 49 CFR 830.5, Immediate Notification, are separate and distinct from the FAA reporting requirements. All UAS flyers operating in the NAS recreational, civil, and public are encouraged to read and follow NTSB reporting requirements should they experience a crash or malfunction that meets NTSB criteria and triggers NTSB reporting. See NTSB Reporting Requirements and subparagraph 11-8-4 b . COAs issued to part 91 civil and public operators will contain specific incident/accident reporting requirements for the operator.

(1) Part 107 Operations. Part 107 operators have a reporting requirement described in 14 CFR section 107.9, Accident Reporting. A remote pilot-in-command is required to report any sUAS crash that causes serious injury or loss of consciousness, or property damage other than to the UAS of over $500. Property damage refers to any property that is not part of the UA System or attached to the UAS.

(2) Recreational Flyer Operations. Recreational flyers fully complying with the exception listed in 49 USC 44809 are not required to report crashes to the FAA. However, this does not alleviate the recreational flyer from the requirement to report the crash to the NTSB if the crash meets the NTSB reporting requirements.

(3) Part 91 Operations. Part 91 operators typically flown by public aircraft operators, civil aircraft operators, or civil operators flying FAA type certificated UAS have unique reporting requirements delineated in the terms and conditions of their certificate of waiver/authorization and must comply with those specific requirements.

(b) NTSB Reporting Requirements. The NTSB defines a UAS accident as an occurrence associated with the operations of any public or civil UAS that takes place between the time that the system is activated with the purpose of flight and the time that the system is deactivated at the conclusion of its mission, in which any person suffers death or serious injury, or the UAS holds an airworthiness certificate and sustains substantial damage. In the case of a midair collision involving a UAS, any midair collision must be reported. REFERENCE- 14 CFR Section 830.5, Immediate Notification. 14 CFR Section 107.9, Accident Reporting.