Welcome, Commercial Drone Pilots!
Join our growing community today!
Sign up

Calif. tourist fined $20K for out-of-control drone that landed at airport in Las Vegas flight in 2018

Someone should do a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request of the flight log so we can all see and learn something from it... even if it wasn’t a DJI drone and lacked all geofencing restrictions, that guy was responsible for what happened.
 
A local news story reported is as a Phantom 3 which may be how he got around some Geofencing issues. I also heard this happened when there was a VIP TFR. So much ignorance on so many levels.
 
Someone said on FaceBook that he had shared his logs online on several different forums. Surely one of us can figure out where and who [emoji2]
 
Someone said on FaceBook that he had shared his logs online on several different forums. Surely one of us can figure out where and who [emoji2]

I bet at least two well known members here may know what happened... they’ve both helped with mapping the possible location of at least one lost Phantom near the strip in Las Vegas from the flight logs... ;). They were just trying to be helpful with a maiden voyage that ended in a disaster, too!
 
I bet at least two well known members here may know what happened... they’ve both helped with mapping the possible location of at least one lost Phantom near the strip in Las Vegas from the flight logs... :)

Oh I'm sure but I was meaning to figure out where that operator posted his flight logs. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: AMann
Oh I'm sure but I was meaning to figure out where that operator posted his flight logs. :)

Phantompilots.com is where I saw some for starters... there are a few sad stories in the lost section of others flying there.
 
Last edited:
So what is typical with getting access to information regarding incidences like these.

Eventually, incidences like these are pretty much fully published within the greater aviation community.
 
So what is typical with getting access to information regarding incidences like these.

Eventually, incidences like these are pretty much fully published within the greater aviation community.

Well since we haven’t seen hardly any we don’t really know for sure. Eventually it will all come to light but it’s probably going to be a trickle here and there for a while. Plus we will inevitably see some false info and half truths sprinkled in for good measure by reporters and BS artists lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: AMann
I'd love to see his Flight Log for this incident.

Here's a thread he started over in the DJI forum (he apparently has multiple user names there LOL)
 
I'd love to see his Flight Log for this incident.

Here's a thread he started over in the DJI forum (he apparently has multiple user names there LOL)

Ugh, last quote of thread: “Glad it all worked out...”:eek:
 
I'd love to see his Flight Log for this incident.

Here's a thread he started over in the DJI forum (he apparently has multiple user names there LOL)

lmao; software glitch. It's all the aircrafts fault. Enough said.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LUIS MARTINEZ
I'd love to see his Flight Log for this incident.

Here's a thread he started over in the DJI forum (he apparently has multiple user names there LOL)
Great detective work Al!
 
If it was a DJI drone, he didn't nothing to bypass DJI geofencing and he has deep pockets he should sue DJI for negligence. Now I know everyone is going to say DJI has a disclaimer and you use the drone at your own discretion but (from LawFind.com)…

"A product liability disclaimer usually doesn’t shield a manufacturer from liability in a typical case where the customer purchases the product from a store. For customers, the law guarantees that the product will be safe when used in a reasonably foreseeable way. Manufacturers often try to avoid this responsibility by inserting written disclaimer. However, these disclaimers usually don’t count for much since, as a customer, you haven’t bargained for the loss of your warranty rights."

I know the issue is much more complex but with its practice of geofencing DJI IMHO has taken on some level of responsibility for keeping drones out of airspace where they don't belong.
 
If it was a DJI drone, he didn't nothing to bypass DJI geofencing and he has deep pockets he should sue DJI for negligence. Now I know everyone is going to say DJI has a disclaimer and you use the drone at your own discretion but (from LawFind.com)…

"A product liability disclaimer usually doesn’t shield a manufacturer from liability in a typical case where the customer purchases the product from a store. For customers, the law guarantees that the product will be safe when used in a reasonably foreseeable way. Manufacturers often try to avoid this responsibility by inserting written disclaimer. However, these disclaimers usually don’t count for much since, as a customer, you haven’t bargained for the loss of your warranty rights."

I know the issue is much more complex but with its practice of geofencing DJI IMHO has taken on some level of responsibility for keeping drones out of airspace where they don't belong.
You are kidding, right? He was flying in controlled airspace w/o authorization. DJI was negligent?
 
If it was a DJI drone, he didn't nothing to bypass DJI geofencing and he has deep pockets he should sue DJI for negligence. Now I know everyone is going to say DJI has a disclaimer and you use the drone at your own discretion but (from LawFind.com)…

"A product liability disclaimer usually doesn’t shield a manufacturer from liability in a typical case where the customer purchases the product from a store. For customers, the law guarantees that the product will be safe when used in a reasonably foreseeable way. Manufacturers often try to avoid this responsibility by inserting written disclaimer. However, these disclaimers usually don’t count for much since, as a customer, you haven’t bargained for the loss of your warranty rights."

I know the issue is much more complex but with its practice of geofencing DJI IMHO has taken on some level of responsibility for keeping drones out of airspace where they don't belong.

It really is simple. He was flying in controlled airspace without authorization in an urban environment and violated a few of the regs. The FAA fined him for it. Problem solved. Suing someone because you are incompetent is ludicrous.
 
You are kidding, right? He was flying in controlled airspace w/o authorization. DJI was negligent?

You missed my point. Did he knowingly fly into controlled airspace or was he relying on DJI's geofencing to prevent that intrusion? I know you'll say it doesn't matter one way or another but I'm saying it does matter.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
4,277
Messages
37,605
Members
5,969
Latest member
KC5JIM