Phantom 4 drone pilot fined and grounded for flying near airport

The man who flew his Phantom 4 illegally in restricted airspace close to Yellowknife Airport, has been fined $3,000 CAD and is grounded for three years. The drone pilot had pleaded ignorance of the drone rules four times. This led to the judge saying that she had difficulty accepting the plea bargain that was proposed by both the prosecution and the defense, as we reported earlier.

Drone pilot fined and grounded

The drone pilot, Toufic Chames, 22, has now been fined and grounded for three years for flying his drone too close to incoming aircraft at Yellowknife airport.

The Yellowknife Royal Canadian Mounted Police said that Chamas was charged in September 2017 with one count of dangerous operation of an aircraft. The Mounties had started their investigation after receiving complaints about a “Remotely Piloted Aircraft System” flying around the city, including near the airport.

The case was handled by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada handled in territorial court. He received the maximum sentence for a first offense of $3,000 CAD and prohibited from flying for three years.

Clearly, judge Justice Bernadette Schmaltz meant business when she said: “He’d been warned twice he couldn’t do this. Is there anything else I should be considering?”

According to the RCMP, this was the first conviction of this type of charge regarding the unsafe operation of a drone.

“The public is reminded they need to know how to operate these types of aircraft safely and legally,” Insp. Alex Laporte, Yellowknife RCMP Detachment Commander said Thursday in a release, according to Prince George Citizen.

STAY IN TOUCH!

If you’d like to stay up to date with all the latest drone news, scoops, rumors and reviews, then follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or sign up for our email newsletter DroneRise, that goes out every weekday morning at 6 am.

Buy your next drone through directly from manufacturers, such as DJI, Parrot, Yuneec or retailers like Amazon, B&H, BestBuy or eBay. By using our links, we will make a small commission, but it will not cost you anything extra. Thank you for helping DroneDJ grow!