My Mavic Was Shot Out of the Sky

[bleedgr33n]

This is the wrong .DAT file. The file needed will be LARGE.... such as say 390MB. If you see say 5 files with the same date, you need the largest in file size from that date. Btw, it appears you are in the wrong folder.

Hm. It was a large file.... I will recheck when I get back home. I wonder if Dropbox nerfed it. I did have a couple flights today so there are multiple.

Should have another uploaded in an hour or 2.

I would have...but since I'm not on the list I'll watch from the sidelines.

 

[DomoDan]

I can't wait to see how this plays out.

 

[newnan3]

Why were you filming his property? How many times have you flown over his property?

How close were you to his property line when it got shot? What did he say to you when he gave it back to you?

 

[ksull72487]

Nothing's gonna happen that's how it plays out. End of story

 

[newnan3]

Judge rules man had right to shoot down drone over his house

Judge rules in favor of “Drone Slayer,” dismisses lawsuit filed by pilot

 

[OCTaconoob]

In to see how this plays out

 

[Deleted member 21971]

It was an air rifle, so while it's not cheap, it's also not overly expensive.

You would be amazed at the cost of some of the "high dollar" air rifles. I have 3. Two of which cost $1000 EA.!

 

[erkme73]

Judge rules man had right to shoot down drone over his house

Judge rules in favor of “Drone Slayer,” dismisses lawsuit filed by pilot

And there is the crux of our entire justice system. Laws may be black and white, but if those enforcing them, or those adjudicating them either refuse (or are mentally incapable of) adhering to the letter of the law, we have no real justice. The judge in the cited report above chose to believe (biased) eye-witness testimony of the people in the shooter's yard vs. the factual data from the Phantom's logs. You cannot fix stupid. You might be able to appeal it if you're on the right side of the table - but in this case, the defendant won. The STATE would have to appeal the dismissal (if that's even possible), not the aggrieved drone operator.

 

[newnan3]

A strong argument could be made that you were invading his privacy. The notion that a person's privacy right in their home on their property trumps your property right will resonate with a lot of people. The general population doesnt give a rat's *** about FAA regs involving the illegality of shooting down a drone. If this goes to a jury I think theres a good chance they find in favor of the shooter.

Judges live in their own fiefdom sometimes. They can and will make decisions that dont exactly follow the letter of the law.

As an attorney that does defense work I could make very compelling arguments that the OP was in the wrong.

OP if I were in your shoes I wouldnt continue to make comments on here. Youve already made statements that hurt your case.

 

[bleedgr33n]

And unregulated.



Not a lawyer, and until you speak with one, I would say don't take anything anyone here says as fact... But - even if you were harassing him (whether on this or prior flights) - I don't think he would have any legal justification for firing a projectile at an aircraft.

Given that you have the video and your logs, I think this has a very real potential of becoming a (inter)national news story - be prepared for interview requests. I would strongly suggest that you start looking for an attorney who is experienced in aviation law. There are a number who would probably do this pro-bono given the potential publicity for their firm.

I would NOT post the video publicly until you've spoken with an attorney. And as much as I'd like to see it, and hear the nitty-gritty details in the coming days/weeks, be very careful with what comments and statements you make on-line and to the press.

Good luck!!

I really appreciate this insight and your point of view. Also, I will keep those interested updated as I can. I am also interested to see how this can play out. I've heard/read varying opinions ranging from "he could be headed to jail" to "the FAA isn't going to do squat". I'm hoping they do something. I understand I am really the only one at a loss here but that is lucky. It could have easily come down on someone or something and caused damage.

 

[bleedgr33n]

I can not wait to see how this turns out.

That makes at least two of us!

 

[bleedgr33n]

Not that shooting your mavic was the appropriate response, but flying over people's houses/property at 100' in tripod mode is not very neighborly on your part.

Let me put it in perspective.....

I wasn't being a jerk. This house is known for regular drug activity. Early this morning a shop burned down on the property. I'm talking some serious flames, and I just wanted a little footage of the aftermath. There were news crews there virtually all day. As of ~4 hours ago, the city has condemned the property and it has been vacated and taped off.

 

[bleedgr33n]

Some things to consider : Shooting down a drone is illegal and wrong . We will get that out of the way but is there a chance he can turn this around on you ? 100' AGL is not high considering law states a property owner has airspace rights 83' over the tallest structure on the property . Did you have the Mavic in VLOS the whole time ?

When flying over someone elses property I would fly a lot higher than 100' given the disdain for flying cameras and public opinion of them .

Yes, I was physically across the street, maybe 30 feet away. I also had someone with me watching the Mavic itself, in the sky.

 

[bleedgr33n]

I would have...but since I'm not on the list I'll watch from the sidelines.

Try this link. Same file, but on Google Drive. Also, how can I decipher it? I would like to see whatever it is you guys see. 2017-05-25_14-06-14_FLY109.DAT

 

[bleedgr33n]

Upload the video and post here for back up.

Once I know my options, I will absolutely post the video.

 

[bleedgr33n]

Shooting a drone out of the sky turns it into a rock that can kill someone. He is in big doo doo. Pursue this to the fullest extent of the law. Let me know if you want me to email you money towards a lawyer so you can sue for damages and mental anguish. .

I appreciate that. That's a wicked kind offer. I will be exploring options tomorrow. I plan to contact the FAA and discuss their intent. If they basically say, yeah oh well, then I will possibly move towards legal action. My concern is not only with my Mavic, but the idea that it can be ok to take out someone else's property on a whim, because you don't like it. By taking it out of the sky in the way he did, he essentially turned it into a falling weapon. Had it fallen on someone, it could have seriously injured them. It could have fallen in traffic. I mean, it didn't, and that's great, this time. But if this is ok now, where is the line that makes it not ok?

The deputy that came to my house said he will be pursuing charges but there is a chance the local prosecutors office will decline to pursue the charges. If that happens, then well, that's it.

 

[bleedgr33n]

This is the wrong .DAT file. The file needed will be LARGE.... such as say 390MB. If you see say 5 files with the same date, you need the largest in file size from that date. Btw, it appears you are in the wrong folder.

Posted a new link, to Google Drive. Same file. See if that's more informational.

 

[bleedgr33n]

And there is the crux of our entire justice system. Laws may be black and white, but if those enforcing them, or those adjudicating them either refuse (or are mentally incapable of) adhering to the letter of the law, we have no real justice. The judge in the cited report above chose to believe (biased) eye-witness testimony of the people in the shooter's yard vs. the factual data from the Phantom's logs. You cannot fix stupid. You might be able to appeal it if you're on the right side of the table - but in this case, the defendant won. The STATE would have to appeal the dismissal (if that's even possible), not the aggrieved drone operator.

Interesting. Let's hope this goes a little differently.

 

[bleedgr33n]

A strong argument could be made that you were invading his privacy. The notion that a person's privacy right in their home on their property trumps your property right will resonate with a lot of people. The general population doesnt give a rat's *** about FAA regs involving the illegality of shooting down a drone. If this goes to a jury I think theres a good chance they find in favor of the shooter.

Judges live in their own fiefdom sometimes. They can and will make decisions that dont exactly follow the letter of the law.

As an attorney that does defense work I could make very compelling arguments that the OP was in the wrong.

OP if I were in your shoes I wouldnt continue to make comments on here. Youve already made statements that hurt your case.

There was no fence, nothing I couldn't see from the street. I also understand a person's right to privacy but there was no privacy I was invading. The same view I recorded could be recorded from a helicopter. I just happen to be abiding by hobbyist laws, not helicopter laws.

 

[bleedgr33n]

You would be amazed at the cost of some of the "high dollar" air rifles. I have 3. Two of which cost $1000 EA.!

I used to have one, not quite THAT expensive, but it wasn't cheap. They are fun! His was a pump action; you can see him pumping it up multiple times to make multiple shots in the video.