Child Flew Drone Over Spectators at Night in Restricted Airspace | Violations Raise Urgent Safety and Legal Concerns
What Happened: A drone was operated by a 12-year-old school child during a live sporting event. The flight took place at night, within a Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ), and the drone was flown directly over a large assembly of people. The aircraft used was a DJI Mini (249g), and the flight appears to have been authorised by the school without full understanding of CAA regulations or necessary permissions. The incident was only discovered after a social media post surfaced, highlighting the flight. No responsible adult or qualified supervisor was identified, and there is concern that video or photographic content may have been captured in breach of GDPR regulations.
Actions Taken: The incident has been reported under obligations as a CAA-authorised operator. In line with safety protocols: Enquiries have been made to confirm the drone operator’s ID (likely the parent or guardian). The student’s Flyer ID and any qualifications are being requested. Checks are underway to confirm whether any permission were granted to fly in the FRZ. The school has been contacted for clarification on the adult responsible during the flight and to confirm if any insurance was in place. We have also raised this with the relevant authorities to ensure appropriate follow-up and accountability.
Prevention: To prevent incidents like this from happening again, we recommend the following steps:
- Never allow underage or untrained individuals to operate drones unsupervised
- Always use drone operators with valid CAA Authorisation
- Ensure full public liability insurance is in place for any drone flight
- Avoid flying over crowds or uninvolved persons this is strictly prohibited under UK drone laws
- Seek advice from qualified drone professionals before conducting any flight near events or in controlled airspace
- Develop and follow a formal school policy for student drone use
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