Armed Conflict Cybersecurity & Tech

Domestic UAVs and Ground Safety Concerns

Benjamin Wittes
Saturday, September 7, 2013, 5:28 PM
The other day, I posted this video of a drone crashing into the stands at a local sporting event.

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The other day, I posted this video of a drone crashing into the stands at a local sporting event. Now a teenager in New York has been killed when his own remotely operated helicopter fell on him and its rotors severed blood vessels in his neck:
A New York teenager has been killed when the toy remote control helicopter he was flying struck him in the head. Roman Pirozek Jr, 19, was pronounced dead at a park in New York City's Brooklyn borough where hobbyists often fly remote control aircraft. Police said reports suggested Pirozek was killed when the helicopter's blades struck his head and neck. His death is thought to be only the second ever from a toy remote control helicopter in the US.
I'm beginning to think we're going to need to take ground safety issues very seriously as more and more people start flying UAS.

Benjamin Wittes is editor in chief of Lawfare and a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of several books.

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