Company accused of illegal drone flights settles with FAA for $200,000

Enlarge (credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

SkyPan International, a small aerial photography company that uses drones, settled a proposed fine on Tuesday over its alleged unauthorized drone flights over New York City and Chicago in 2012 and 2014.

To settle the issue and stave off a potential lawsuit by the Federal Aviation Administration, SkyPan has agreed to pay a $200,000 civil penalty and will also pay $150,000 if it violates related federal aviation rules and regulations within the next year. The company will also work with the FAA to publish three “public service announcements” within the next 12 months as a way to help drone operators comply with federal law.

Back in 2015, the FAA had proposed a fine of $1.9 million. According to the FAA’s allegations at the time, SkyPan International flew 65 “unauthorized operations” between March 2012 and December 2014. Of those, approximately two-thirds were in the New York Class B airspace, the highly congested areas over the city.

Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments



Source: Ars Technica – Company accused of illegal drone flights settles with FAA for 0,000