11

When things go wrong

Most of this book is about flying inside the rules. This chapter is about the moments that fall outside them — an accident you must report, an inspection you must satisfy, an emergency that lets you break a rule, and the honesty the whole system runs on.

In this chapter

• +Which drone accidents must be reported to the FAA, and the 10-day clock and dollar thresholds that decide it
• +What you must carry, present, and make available when the FAA or law enforcement asks
• +The authority to deviate from the rules in an in-flight emergency, and the report that can follow