A small remote-controlled drone which crashed in Tijuana, Mexico, on Jan. 21.(Photo: SAID BETANZOS, AFP/Getty Images)
The crash of a quad-copter drone on White House grounds early Monday comes as the Federal Aviation Administration is developing long-awaited rules for commercial unmanned aircraft.
Congress ordered the FAA in 2012 to develop rules for commercial drones, which range from a few ounces to as big as an airliner, to share the skies with passenger aircraft by September.
So far, commercial drones are largely prohibited, although the FAA has granted 16 permits out of 295 applications for purposes such as movie-making and smokestack inspections.
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The agency's latest proposal for small commercial drones weighing up to 55 pounds, such as a real-estate agent might use to film a property, is scheduled to be released by Friday.
The FAA restated its rules for hobbyists in June, which include avoiding manned aircraft, flying within sight of the remote pilot, staying below 400 feet in the air and notifying air-traffic control towers if flying within five miles of an airport.
"We want people who fly model aircraft for recreation to enjoy their hobby – but to enjoy it safely," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said at the time. "At DOT, we often say that safety is a shared responsibility, so to help, we are providing additional information today to make sure model aircraft operators know exactly what's expected of them."
The FAA prohibits aircraft over the White House, congressional buildings the National Mal for security and other reasons associated with the national welfare.
But among nearly 200 drone sightings that the FAA released from February to November 2014, the incidents included:
--A July 7 report that U.S. Park Service police questioned a personafter a quad-copter drone was flown near the Lincoln Memorial.
--A July 8 report that the pilot of a Piper P28A flying at 2,200 feet in the air saw a small, white drone plane pass 400 to 500 below him southbound toward Reagan National Airport.
--A Aug. 29 report that U.S. Capitol Police questioned a person operating a drone within the U.S. Capitol grounds.
--A Oct. 6 report that a white drone with red-and-blue lights flew 150 feet above FedEx Field, where Maryland's Prince George's County police questioned the pilots.
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