Unmanned Aircraft Systems: FAA's Compliance and Enforcement Approach for Drones Could Benefit from Improved Communication and Data
Fast Facts
The FAA sets and enforces safety rules for all aircraft using the nation’s airspace. The rising popularity of small unmanned aircraft systems—commonly known as drones—has created new enforcement challenges for the agency.
FAA safety inspectors view local law enforcement as key resources when investigating potentially unsafe drone use. But, we found some law enforcement agencies don’t know what information to share with FAA or how to respond to such incidents.
We recommended that FAA focus on better educating and communicating with local law enforcement on their important role in drone investigations.
Drones can pose safety issues when not operated within FAA guidelines.
Two drones flying over a beach
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspectors GAO met with said that law enforcement is an important source of information when they investigate potentially unsafe small unmanned aircraft systems’ (UAS) operations. The inspectors also told GAO that they take actions to educate operators or enforce penalties, in line with FAA policies, but that they face several challenges, including obtaining key information for investigations. Inspectors explained that of the multiple sources that may provide information for UAS investigations, reports from state and local law enforcement generally provide the most useful and actionable information. However, most law enforcement stakeholders GAO met with (9 of 11) stated that officers may not know how to respond to UAS incidents or what information to share with FAA. While FAA has articulated the pivotal role local law enforcement can play, and has developed resources for these entities, FAA has not consistently communicated this information to its law enforcement partners. For example, while about half of the inspectors told us they regularly conduct outreach to law enforcement agencies, the remainder said their efforts have been limited. Without a clear approach to communicate to the tens of thousands of state and local law enforcement agencies across the country, FAA does not have reasonable assurance these agencies are armed with knowledge they need to help FAA identify and address unsafe UAS operations.
Examples of Locations and Sources for Information on Potentially Unsafe UAS Use
While FAA plans to continue its existing approach for small UAS safety oversight—focusing on operator education, targeted surveillance, and working with law enforcement—agency officials have not identified how they will use or improve existing data or considered whether additional data may be needed to assess their approach. FAA officials also said they will adjust their efforts moving forward based on semi-annual assessments of data. The agency, however, has not fully analyzed existing UAS safety data to identify trends in UAS incidents, and officials acknowledge these data have limitations (e.g., UAS data entries cannot be easily identified). In addition, FAA does not currently have plans to determine what existing or new data or information could help inform whether FAA’s oversight efforts are working as intended. Taking steps to identify and obtain key data will enable FAA to assess its existing approach and determine what further activities, if any, it should undertake to ensure safety. These steps will be important as the number and type of UAS operations the agency is responsible for overseeing expands.
Why GAO Did This Study
The use of small UAS—those weighing less than 55 pounds—continues to grow. As part of its safety mandate, FAA regulates and oversees UAS operations’ compliance, which includes prohibiting small UAS operators from endangering the life or property of another, among other things. Recent airport closures attributed to UAS sightings highlight the unique challenges small UAS pose to aviation safety oversight.
GAO was asked to examine the integration of small UAS operations into FAA’s safety oversight framework. This report examines: (1) how FAA’s aviation safety inspectors conduct small UAS compliance and enforcement, and challenges they face in doing so, and (2) the extent to which FAA is planning for compliance and enforcement in an evolving UAS environment. GAO reviewed relevant statutes and regulations, FAA guidance and reports; and interviewed FAA officials including headquarters and aviation safety inspectors at 11 FAA district offices selected to obtain geographic distribution and other criteria. GAO also interviewed FAA law enforcement special agents and selected state or local law enforcement agencies in each district.
Recommendations
GAO has three recommendations, including that FAA: (1) develop an approach to communicate to local law enforcement agencies expectations for their role in UAS investigations, and (2) identify and obtain data needed to evaluate FAA’s small UAS compliance and enforcement activities, as the UAS environment evolves. FAA concurred with the recommendations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Aviation Administration | The Administrator of the FAA should identify UAS-specific education and training needs for inspectors, and develop appropriate training to address any needs identified. (Recommendation 1) | The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversees compliance with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or "drones") safety regulations, including those prohibiting small UAS operators from endangering lives and property. In 2019, GAO reported that the nature of UAS operations presents a key challenge to obtaining sufficient evidence to investigate potential non-compliance. Selected inspectors at almost all of the 11 FAA district offices GAO met with identified limited UAS-specific knowledge as a challenge related to UAS compliance and enforcement, and said that FAA training related to small UAS was insufficient. Specifically, GAO reported that some inspectors said it would be helpful to have... investigation training tailored specifically to UAS. This practice is not uncommon in FAA. While FAA officials said the agency's general approach is to continually assess and identify emerging training needs, they did not identify any actions taken to formally assess whether inspectors' current UAS training is sufficient. Without assessing whether current training for inspectors is sufficient, FAA does not have reasonable assurance that its personnel can fully investigate and address incidents of UAS non-compliance. Therefore, GAO recommended that the FAA Administrator identify UAS-specific education and training needs for inspectors, and develop appropriate training to address any needs identified. In 2020, GAO confirmed that FAA has taken steps to refine the agency's UAS Outreach Program, which includes weekly interactive webinars, a dedicated internal SharePoint site, and an internal email support system for collecting and responding to UAS-related questions. FAA uses various tools to ensure the content of the webinars focus on the tasks and activities performed by inspectors in the field. The content is also continually refined to target the areas where inspectors demonstrate potential knowledge gaps. In addition, FAA officials analyze data applicable to UAS on a weekly basis, which provides an opportunity to identify any potential knowledge gaps. This information is subsequently used to develop content for future webinars and guidance and reference documents. FAA also uses audience polling to assess the effectiveness of its training program, and measure the transfer of knowledge to the inspectors over time. As a result of these actions to expand and continually refine UAS-specific education and training resources, FAA has more assurance that inspectors are equipped with the information they need to investigate and ensure compliance with relevant small UAS regulations.
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| Federal Aviation Administration |
Priority Rec.
The Administrator of the FAA should develop an approach to more effectively communicate key information to local law enforcement agencies regarding their expected role with regard to small UAS safety oversight. (Recommendation 2) |
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversees compliance with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or "drones") safety regulations, including those prohibiting small UAS operators from endangering lives and property. In 2019, GAO reported that selected FAA safety inspectors said that law enforcement is an important source of information when they investigate potentially unsafe small UAS operations. Specifically, GAO reported that of the multiple sources that may provide information for UAS investigations, reports from state and local law enforcement generally provide the most useful and actionable information. However, most law enforcement stakeholders GAO met with (9 of 11) stated that...
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| Federal Aviation Administration |
Priority Rec.
The Administrator of the FAA should identify existing or new data and information needed to evaluate oversight activities and develop a mechanism for capturing these data as needed. (Recommendation 3) |
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversees compliance with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or "drones") safety regulations, including those prohibiting small UAS operators from endangering lives and property. In 2019, GAO reported that FAA plans to continue its existing approach for small UAS safety oversight-focusing on operator education, targeted surveillance, and working with law enforcement. While FAA officials said they would adjust their efforts moving forward based on semi-annual assessments of data, FAA had not fully analyzed existing UAS safety data to identify trends in UAS incidents. In addition, officials acknowledged existing data sources used to inform UAS oversight...
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