Twin Falls Officials Find Drone Near Airport Runway

TWIN FALLS, Id. ( KMVT / KSVT ) On Friday, October 16, personnel at the Magic Valley Regional airport located a drone, within 50 feet of the main runway.After airport employees could not locate anyone nearby who may have been operating the device it was turned over to the Twin Falls Police Department for further investigation.

Now, detectives are working with the FAA to contact three persons of interest, who were believed to be using the device to photograph a nearby event.

The incident has prompted the City of Twin Falls to encourage hobbyists who operate drones to follow federal regulations that prohibit Unmanned Aerial Systems from operating in areas where they may create a safety concern.

“We have several different types of aircraft operating at our airport that include military, wildfire tankers, medical, commercial airlines, and personal aircraft,” said William Carberry, Magic Valley Regional Airport Manager. “And the folks who operate these aircraft are put in danger anytime a UAS or other object enter the restricted flight areas.”

UAS devices are prohibited in areas with Special Flight Rules, which include the following: airports, military or other federal facilities, certain stadiums, power plants, electric substations, dams, oil refineries, national parks, emergency, services and other industrial complexes. The areas are defined and enforced by the FAA with assistance from local law enforcement and facility staff.

Anyone who witnesses the use of UAS devices in prohibited areas within the City of Twin Falls, are encouraged to call the Twin Falls Police Department at 208-735-4357.

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Categories: Magic Valley News, Twin Falls News