Illegal drone footage of the Cincinnati Bengals game

Every so often, we come across illegal drone footage. Today we received an email from one of our readers (thanks Vic!) pointing us to this Drone Video of the Cincinnati Bengals game last weekend.

Last Saturday, the Cincinnati Bengals played the Las Vegas Raiders. One drone operator thought it would be a good idea to capture some illegal drone footage of the football game. Not only did he or she illegally fly the unmanned aircraft over the game, but the same person (BrickByBrickProduction513) also posted the video on YouTube.

Illegal drone footage

In the short clip, you can see the drone flying over and into the stadium as the evening is setting in. At some point, the drone is about 20 feet over the field as the game is being played. A little later the drone flies in front of the spectators, some of whom seem to be waving at the unmanned aircraft.

This illegal drone video has to be one of the most offensive examples we have seen recently. In all likelihood, a number of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) drone rules will have been broken. We expect that the operator will soon be contacted by the agency, local Police, or possibly even the FBI.

Why do we cover drone videos like these?

To be clear, we cover stories like these to educate people and teach them about safe and responsible drone flying. Flying your manned aircraft over a stadium packed with people does NOT qualify as safe or responsible drone flying, in case you’re wondering.

While we do not have all the facts regarding this video, and we also don’t know if this person is a recreational flyer or a Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot, it seems that a number of drone rules are likely to have been broken.

What FAA rules might have been broken?

Here are some of the relevant questions we have about this seemingly illegal drone flight over the Bengals football game last weekend.

• Was the drone registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)?
• Was the drone flown by a recreational flyer or a Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot?
• Was the drone outfitted with an anti-collision light visible for at least three statute miles that has a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision?
• If the drone was operated by a Part 107 Certified Remote Pilot, did he or she successfully complete the updated initial knowledge test from the FAA to comply with night operations?
• Was the drone flown within visual line-of-sight?
• Was the drone flown safely over the people who were not part of the operation? Very likely not. Watch the video below from the Pilot Institute for more on this.
• Even if there was no TFR in place, the FAA prohibits drone flights in and around stadiums. Did this operator have some kind of authorization?

Note: the Bengals Stadium rules prohibit the use of drones in the stadium.

We’ll keep an eye out for any news updates with regards to this illegal drone video and will update this article if needed.

Let us know what you think about this illegal drone footage in the comments below.

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