A video of a drone flying directly above passenger jet is now under investigation after the footage leaked on social media site. This video has enraged the entire UAV community as the footage shows the pilot flying drone directly above a passenger jet flying out of Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport.
The stunt video was captured by the drones’ camera, which shows it facing the jet before turning to fly in the same direction and quickly dropping altitude to get closer to the aircraft and the drone chases after the plane but quickly falls behind. The footage was first shared privately on the Facebook group 1% FPV by someone posting under the name “James Jayo Older” and some concerned members took a screen capture of the video and shared it outside of the Facebook group to bring attention to the dangerous stunt.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has started investigating the flight. Federal regulations prohibit drones from being operated above 400ft, near airports, and around aircraft and the pilot seems to have deliberately violated all three rules as operating a UAV at such a close distance to an aircraft could put the entire flight at risk.
According to the FAA’s website, recreational drone pilots are required to alert air traffic control towers (when present) and airport operators ahead of time about flights happening within a 5 mile radius of an airport. “However,” the FAA notes, “recreational operations are not permitted in Class B airspace around most major airports without specific air traffic permission and coordination.”
