FAA investigates Nashville drone that flew into fireworks

Heidi Hall,

Flying a drone into Nashville’s downtown fireworks is all fun and games — until someone emails the Federal Aviation Administration.

The agency’s Nashville office confirmed two people sent complaints about a drone zipping around downtown on the Fourth of July, producing what became a viral video. Now the FAA is investigating the eye-catching flight.

The drone belongs to Nashville entrepreneur and app developer Robert Hartline. Told by The Tennessean of the investigation, Hartline was unconcerned.

“The reality is that somebody was much more likely to have an accident on the way to the show than for (the drone) to fall out the sky and land on them,” he said this afternoon. “The technology is here, and it’s going to take the FAA awhile to process how it’s going to affect people.”

While the FAA’s struggles to regulate drones are well documented, it operates under longstanding rules for unmanned aircraft systems. Those include guidelines covering whether flights are for commercial use and how close they are to populated areas and airports, said Walter Bevan, manager of the agency’s Nashville Flight Standards District Office.

It’s unclear how long the investigation into Nashville’s incident will take, and potential penalties include a warning or fine.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2014/07/08/nashville-man-flew-drone-fireworks-investigated/12377667/