Not every mishap has to be reported, but some do — and § 107.9 draws the line clearly. It requires the remote pilot in command to report to the FAA any operation that involves at least one of two things: serious injury to any person or any loss of consciousness, or damage to property, other than the small unmanned aircraft itself, above a dollar threshold. If a flight causes neither, there is nothing to file. If it causes either, a clock starts and a report is due. Chapter 2 introduced this duty; here is the full shape of it.

The two triggers work on different terms. The injury trigger is about people: a serious injury to anyone, or any loss of consciousness, makes the event reportable no matter what it cost. The property trigger is about dollars: damage to someone else’s property is reportable unless it is minor, which § 107.9 fixes with a $500 threshold that the next section unpacks precisely. One thing the rule pointedly excludes is damage to your own drone — that never counts. The concern is harm to people and to other people’s property, not the loss of your own aircraft. The panel gathers the two hard numbers; the sections that follow put them to work.