Heart Broken

[sar104]

He’s being charged for unlawful discharge of firearm & wreck less endangerment. The police officers said the city is charging him regardless. The mavic is on its way back to California/DJI. Depending on the cost to replace I’ll be holding him responsible for that amount.

The endangerment wasn't wreck less - you definitely ended up with a wreck¡

 

[Capt KO]

He’s being charged for unlawful discharge of firearm & wreck less endangerment. The police officers said the city is charging him regardless. The mavic is on its way back to California/DJI. Depending on the cost to replace I’ll be holding him responsible for that amount.

Bet they save yours for the wall of shame. ? Guy nailed it!

 

[Capt KO]

He’s being charged for unlawful discharge of firearm & wreck less endangerment. The police officers said the city is charging him regardless. The mavic is on its way back to California/DJI. Depending on the cost to replace I’ll be holding him responsible for that amount.

Guess it’s a little late for show and tell your brand new drone to the neighbor. Droning might have relieved his stress. Educating the public might take a while. ?

 

[Amorotor]

Good point Cyborg . . . I'd go after his homeowners insurance. He discharged the firearm from his own yard (illegally).

This was a criminal act...home insurance doesn't cover damage/loss caused by a intentional criminal act. His recourse is the small claims court which is easy to do...especially if the man received a criminal conviction of some sort for his action. It will not be a fast process unfortunately.

 

[Frustrated]

Might have been a covid 19 scare.Crazy world.

 

[WanderingSpirit]

Unfortunate incident and glad no one got hurt. Sure it gave a few folks quite a scare. Not everyday you hear a shot gun blast in your community. Hope DJI doesn't give you much pushback on the situation. And if not covered I agree with the prior comment regarding the diplomatic approach asking the perp paying your expenses for shipping and replacement vs court/legal fees.

I'd like to think a judge would side in your favor if the neighbor doesn't want to cooperate. Good luck and look forward to seeing your future footage with a new drone.

 

[Wick]

I know I’m a newbie here but regardless if he pays or not I contact the FAA immediately. He needs to realize he can’t just run around and shoot drones out of the sky. I can promise you he thinks it’s funny and will get a slap into he wrist. You send this to the FAA and it’s a whole new world for him and he deserves what could possibly be headed his way

 

[DoomMeister]

In your first post I got the impression that you just flew straight up over your mother’s property and not out over your neighbor’s back yards. While it is illegal for the neighbor to take the action he did, yours was not exactly considerate of your neighbor’s privacy either. Especially when you brought it down to a lower altitude within what I would guess to be thirty feet away from where he was standing. Just saying there is a fine line of being legally right and being socially wrong.

 

[jato]

I am sorry that your Mom's neighbor decided to act so irresponsibly, illegally as well as dangerously. Once your MA2 was shot it could have done some serious damage to someone on the ground. One caution, however, is that I believe the FAA guidelines in the US prohibit drones from being flown over a person not protected by some form of structure. I could be wrong but worth checking into.

I believe you’re right about over flying people. In the video I posted of the incident there’s no one except my mother & myself outside in the entire neighborhood. It’s not until I came in to land that the guy emerged from his house with the shotgun. I intentionally picked that time of the evening because the light was even & most everyone was in for the night. My only true concern now is him committing some form of retribution towards my mother or her dogs. He’s been charged with two crimes that according to the police will likely affect his ability to own weapons. In his mind that’s my fault. I live 90 miles away so that leaves my 88 year old deaf disabled mother to deal with this nut.

 

[jato]

I know I’m a newbie here but regardless if he pays or not I contact the FAA immediately. He needs to realize he can’t just run around and shoot drones out of the sky. I can promise you he thinks it’s funny and will get a slap into he wrist. You send this to the FAA and it’s a whole new world for him and he deserves what could possibly be headed his way

I’m in agreement with bringing everything to bear against this guy but as I’ve mentioned to others, I live quite a distance away & this leaves my mother and her little dogs to deal with whatever this nut has twisted around in his head. He was once married to a relation of mine & has a history of behavioral issues. It’s a terrible situation that I have to do my best to de escalate for the welfare of my family. You’re exactly right, I’m sure he’s laughing & bragging to his buddies about bagging a drone. My grandfather used to say “if you’re walking thru a field & there’s a cow pie in you’re path, you step around it” this guy is nothing more than a pile of bull poop & best left to to decompose.
I can’t believe the response I’ve gotten on this forum, I’m glad I found it & looking forward to interacting on a more positive note in the future.

 

[Davros007]

Thanks for the greeting. I did buy the refresh service at the time of purchase. Not clear if it covers what happened to me but in the short time I had I definitely got the bug. So one way or another I’ll be back in the air. I was lucky to be recording video when the attack happened & captured the attack.

Well, welcome to the forum anyway! Hope you get justice that includes a new drone. That totally sucks. I understand people not liking drones. Plenty of things I don’t like - but I don’t shoot them!! Keep us all updated how it pans out!

 

[Negoti8r]

I believe you’re right about over flying people. In the video I posted of the incident there’s no one except my mother & myself outside in the entire neighborhood. It’s not until I came in to land that the guy emerged from his house with the shotgun. I intentionally picked that time of the evening because the light was even & most everyone was in for the night. My only true concern now is him committing some form of retribution towards my mother or her dogs. He’s been charged with two crimes that according to the police will likely affect his ability to own weapons. In his mind that’s my fault. I live 90 miles away so that leaves my 88 year old deaf disabled mother to deal with this nut.

I know this has to be a stressful situation for both you and your mom. I hope for the best for both of you.

 

[dawgpilot]

Been a fixed wing & variable pitch rotor RC Pilot for 20 years. I was itching to buy a drone & couldn’t pass up on the Air 2
I was so impressed with the stability even in windy conditions and the incredible vistas. But it’s all over for now. Yesterday I took my MA2 up to my 88 yr old mothers home she’s preparing to list for sale to get some aerial shots. I went straight up to 300ft & slowly came down taking pics and video. At about 35ft her neighbor came running out of his house with a shotgun screaming like a madman. I can’t repeat what he said but it was the ranting of a lunatic. Within seconds he fired both barrels & my newest buddy fell into her yard. I calmly call the police. Cut to the chase, he’s getting charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm in a residential area & reckless endangerment. Fortunately I was doing everything by the book and presented pictures & video to illustrate how carefully I was flying. I was so looking forward to going out to some scenic places this week and having some fun. Here’s the video link-

lower left is the “person” with rifle waiting for me to come into land. Center is myself & 88 yr old mother. She’s legally deaf & was startled by shotgun blast. View attachment 102778View attachment 102779View attachment 102780

I suggest you talk to the prosecutor and demand an order of restitution be part of the criminal case. This saves you the hassle of bringing your own small claims case against him, since he will have to pay you (the victim) to comply with his criminal sentence.

 

[dronerdave]

Been a fixed wing & variable pitch rotor RC Pilot for 20 years. I was itching to buy a drone & couldn’t pass up on the Air 2

I was so impressed with the stability even in windy conditions and the incredible vistas. But it’s all over for now. Yesterday I took my MA2 up to my 88 yr old mothers home she’s preparing to list for sale to get some aerial shots. I went straight up to 300ft & slowly came down taking pics and video. At about 35ft her neighbor came running out of his house with a shotgun screaming like a madman. I can’t repeat what he said but it was the ranting of a lunatic. Within seconds he fired both barrels & my newest buddy fell into her yard. I calmly call the police. Cut to the chase, he’s getting charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm in a residential area & reckless endangerment. Fortunately I was doing everything by the book and presented pictures & video to illustrate how carefully I was flying. I was so looking forward to going out to some scenic places this week and having some fun.

Because you edited your post & didn't show the video when you first posted, I've kind of changed my views a bit on this incident after watching it. Myself, I'd never (as a common courtesy) fly over my neighbors homes at that low of an altitude (legal or not). Maybe I'm wrong but it looks like you're under 50 feet above his house? If so the word provoke comes to mind. It does appear that you were basically legal at that altitude. But was it a wise flight? Not in my opinion...just me. I have flown straight up over my property to capture a good sunset or sunrise but I avoid flying over populated areas when flying below a couple hundred feet. I'm not saying what this idiot did was acceptable. He broke the law and technically you didn't. I wouldn't care if the guy was shooting at birds from his backyard. If my neighbor popped off a round of anything so close to other homes I'd be all over that and he'd be talking to the local PD. Obviously he has no care for public safety or other damage he might cause to others by trying to down your aircraft. I do hope you get reimbursed for your quad but if the guy is a nut job as you suggest, I'd probably never fly there again. You have your mom to think about. I'll pat you on the back for staying calm after losing your aircraft and letting the police deal with him. Like you I fly a lot of fixed wing, so I'm guessing you are pretty experienced about crashing a plane and know about losing aircraft. Fly, crash, fix or strip. Sucks.

 

[Motorcycle Rider]

Sorry to hear about this.
What a psychopath the guy is.

 

[Scottalmas]

As I recall, this is actually a Federal crime, not just local or state. The FAA has exclusive jurisdiction over the airspace and he shot down an aircraft. That Federal and possible jail time. I'd strongly consider dropping a dime with the FAA, if not for yourself, but so that the press picks it up, reports the outcome and discourages any other lunatic from doing the same.

 

[skiptv]

Contact your local police, and the FAA, it is a felony to interfere with a legal registered aircraft being piloted by an FAA Licensed Pilot. The FAA see no difference between shooting at a Drone or an Airplane.
You can file a federal Complaint with the FAA, and a local complaint with your police for the unlawful firing of a gun with intent to destroy property, Go after him in small claims court and put his name an address out here and on social media drone sites so we can protest directly to him what he did.

 

[Nosebump]

Excuse the pun but it’s up in the air. My mother at 88 yrs must live next to this person. At least until she sells. The city is definitely charging him but I’d hate to bring retribution onto my family. The police were quite sympathetic & are encouraging me to follow up.

The first step is an easy and cheap one. Send him a bill ( registered, certified mail) for a new drone. You must first demand payment. Then if he refuses, file in small claims court. In both cases, you won’t need to hire a lawyer.

 

[PhoebeSnow]

Wow, what a bummer! Really feel for you. Glad he was charged and hope he's made to pay for the drone and aggravation as well. So much more can be said but others have covered it anyways.

 

[toad007]

It looks like you came low over his property before coming into yours. Not good practice. Fly high right over yours before landing.