Pennsylvania Man Facing Federal Felony Charges for Illegally Operating a Drone During the National Football League’s AFC Championship Game

[jaja6009]

Fly safely everyone.

Pennsylvania Man Facing Federal Felony Charges for Illegally Operating a Drone During the National Football League’s AFC Championship Game

A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Matthew Hebert, age 44, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, on federal felony charges related to his flying a drone over M&T Bank stadium during the National Football League’s AFC Championship game in Baltimore on January 28, 2024.

www.justice.gov

 

[GFields]

A good reason to know the rules and regulations!
Trying to put the blame on DJI and the app is sad.

 

[MotoSavy]

Don't recall if TRUST covers such things. But, I bet he didn't do TRUST or maybe just hadn't waited the 8 hour bottle to throttle. Or was consuming at the time and didn't have clear judgment. Definitely lacking in his ADM skills.

 

[DoomMeister]

With the attention this type of thing has gotten in the past several years it is hard to believe anyone doesn’t know it is illegal to fly a drone near or over a stadium that is in use.

Not sure jail time is the answer in cases like this, but fines and forcing them to earn a §107 would definitely be in order. Having to earn their certification they could never again say they didn’t know the rules.

 

[rawman001]

Ignorance of the law excuses no one. Of course blaming DJI or anyone else is stupid.
I forget now, but doesn't DJI make you click the box stating you will abide by all of the rules when you first register your drone?

Side note, I also wanted to fly near Levi stadium for the 49rs game. It was 10 minutes before the TFR around the stadium went into effect and I decided it was cutting it too close for comfort. The stadium is directly in the flight path for KSJC so finding a good spot near the stadium isn't that easy anyway. I ended up taking pictures of the flyover instead (on my DSLR, from the ground of course.) I went back last weekend and found a semi close spot to the stadium but the max height was 200 feet so it wasn't that great of a shot anyway.

Flyover





Stadium from 200'

 

[GFields]

Please make your comments on the topic. Off-the-wall statements will be removed.

 

[mavic3usa]

May or may not add more details to the story. Sounds like it was a Mini 2.

Mini 2 pilot facing up to four years for illegal drone flight over NFL game

A Pennsylvania man has been charged with illegally flying a DJI Mini 2 drone during the NFL's AFC Championship game in Baltimore last month.

dronedj.com

 

[Kuiper Denizen]

According to that newspaper account, the charges are for ”knowingly“ doing what he did.

Maybe this is a case where ignorance is a defens!

If not, he may have three years of idle time to bone up on drone laws.

 

[jaja6009]

Ignorance of the law excuses no one. Of course blaming DJI or anyone else is stupid.
I forget now, but doesn't DJI make you click the box stating you will abide by all of the rules when you first register your drone?

Side note, I also wanted to fly near Levi stadium for the 49rs game. It was 10 minutes before the TFR around the stadium went into effect and I decided it was cutting it too close for comfort. The stadium is directly in the flight path for KSJC so finding a good spot near the stadium isn't that easy anyway. I ended up taking pictures of the flyover instead (on my DSLR, from the ground of course.) I went back last weekend and found a semi close spot to the stadium but the max height was 200 feet so it wasn't that great of a shot anyway.

Flyover

View attachment 172491

View attachment 172492

Stadium from 200'

View attachment 172493

Wow what a great shot of 35s and 16s.