Drone Accident Reporting: What Part 107 Pilots Are Required to Report

Every Part 107 pilot should understand the accident reporting requirement before they need it. Filing late or not at all is a regulatory violation. Understanding the thresholds clearly means you report what you must without over-reporting minor incidents.

What the Regulation Says

14 CFR Part 107.9 requires the remote pilot in command to report certain accidents to the FAA within 10 calendar days of the operation. The regulation applies to all Part 107 operations, including those conducted under a waiver.

A reportable accident under 107.9 is one that results in either:

1. Serious injury to any person -- defined as hospitalization for more than 24 hours, bone fractures (other than simple, non-displaced fractures of fingers, toes, or nose), severe hemorrhages, nerve, muscle, or tendon damage, internal organ damage, second or third degree burns, or any infection resulting directly from injury.

1. Loss of consciousness in any person.

1. Property damage (other than to the unmanned aircraft) in excess of $500 to repair or replace the damaged property, whichever is lower.

That is the complete list. If none of these apply, the accident does not need to be reported under 107.9.

Common Scenarios and Whether They Are Reportable

Your drone crashes into a parked car and causes a dent that costs $600 to repair. Reportable -- property damage over $500.

Your drone crashes into a tree and is destroyed. No one is hurt, nothing else is damaged. Not reportable -- the $500 threshold applies to property other than the UAS itself. Your aircraft damage does not trigger the reporting requirement.

Your drone hits a person in the shoulder. They say they are fine, no medical attention is sought. Not reportable under 107.9, assuming the person does not seek care and does not experience serious injury as defined above. Document the incident thoroughly regardless.

Your drone loses signal during an autonomous mapping mission and lands in a wheat field, crushing a section of crops valued at $400. Not reportable -- below the $500 threshold. (Liability to the landowner is a separate matter.)

Your drone suffers a flyaway and cannot be located. Not a reportable accident unless it caused injury or property damage meeting the thresholds. A missing aircraft alone does not trigger 107.9.

Your drone strikes a manned aircraft. This is a serious incident that may involve additional reporting obligations beyond 107.9. Contact the FAA immediately and consult an aviation attorney.

How to File an Accident Report

Reports under 107.9 are submitted to the FAA through the Drone Zone portal at faadronezone.faa.gov.

Steps:

1. Log in to Drone Zone with your FAA credentials
2. Navigate to your drone registration
3. Select "Report an Accident"
4. Complete the incident form with date, location, description of the accident, property damage amount or injury description, and operator information

You have 10 calendar days from the date of the operation. The date of the operation is the date the accident occurred, not the date you discovered the damage.

There is no extension process. Late reporting is a violation of 107.9.

What Happens After You Report

The FAA uses accident reports to identify safety trends, understand failure modes in UAS operations, and support regulatory development. Most accident reports do not result in enforcement action against the pilot unless the accident itself involved a separate regulatory violation (flying without authorization, operating recklessly, etc.).

Honest, timely reporting is always the right approach. Failing to report a required accident while continuing to operate under Part 107 creates a more serious regulatory exposure than the reporting obligation itself.

The ASRS Option

The Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) operated by NASA provides a voluntary, confidential safety reporting program for all aviation participants, including drone pilots. Reports submitted to ASRS are de-identified and shared with the FAA in aggregate for safety research.

Submitting an ASRS report does not satisfy the 107.9 reporting requirement -- they are separate systems. However, an ASRS report filed before any FAA enforcement notification can provide limited immunity from FAA enforcement action in some circumstances. If you are uncertain about a situation, consulting an aviation attorney before filing either report is prudent.

The ASRS system is available at asrs.arc.nasa.gov.

Recreational Pilot Reporting

Recreational pilots flying under 49 U.S.C. §44809 (the Exception for Limited Recreational Operations) are not subject to 107.9 because that regulation applies only to Part 107 commercial operators. However, recreational pilots who cause injury or property damage may face civil liability and potentially criminal charges for reckless operation depending on the circumstances. FAA enforcement action against recreational pilots typically proceeds through the penalty provisions of §44809 rather than 107.9.

Documentation Best Practices

Whether or not an accident is reportable, thorough documentation protects you.

After any incident:

• Photograph the scene, the aircraft, and any property damage
• Note the exact location (GPS coordinates), time, and conditions
• Record the names and contact information of any witnesses
• Write a factual account of what happened while it is fresh
• Preserve any telemetry logs or flight data from the aircraft
• Do not repair or dispose of the aircraft before documenting the condition

If the property damage is close to the $500 threshold, get a written repair estimate before deciding whether to report. An estimate you later discover was low does not retroactively change your obligation -- the threshold is based on the actual cost to repair or replace, whichever is lower.

Rules change. This post reflects the regulations as we understood them on the date above and is not updated automatically. Verify current federal rules at faa.gov/uas, and any state or local rules with the relevant authority, before you fly.