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Cloudy. High 61F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..
Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
A high-end drone owned by Lincoln City Career Tech hovers at Newport harbor. (Photo by Casey Felton)
A high-end drone owned by Lincoln City Career Tech hovers at Newport harbor. (Photo by Casey Felton)
Last week, someone shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle being used to inspect power lines in the vicinity of Nashville Road in east Lincoln County.
“As part of our routine safety inspection, one of our contractor’s drones was shot out of the sky, resulting in a fire that our contractor was able to quickly extinguish,” John Kloor, public information officer for Consumers Power Inc., of Philomath, told the News-Times. “The contractor then reported the incident to local law enforcement.”
Kloor said no one was hurt during incident, which occurred Tuesday, Aug. 23, on State Route 180 between Eddyville and Nashville.
“It’s fortunate that no one was injured,” Kloor said. “All of our personnel and contractors carry the necessary tools and are properly trained to respond to small-fire-type incidents, so we’re fortunate that our contractor was able to respond in that manner.”
Kloor said he had no further information on the shooting, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, to which it was reported, had not made contact with the company regarding the incident as of Tuesday.
It’s not clear if an arrest has been made or a suspect identified.
The News-Times submitted a public records request for the police report in the incident. The sheriff’s office acknowledged the report exists but said it is currently exempt from disclosure as it is “either an active investigation or pending adjudication.”
Hobby drones cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to more than $1,000, while those with industrial applications, such as utility inspection and surveying, can cost several to many times as much.
In 2017, a Central Point man was charged with first-degree criminal mischief, a Class C felony, for shooting down a $1,000 drone at the Hoovers Pond recreation area near White City. The man was captured by the drone’s camera pointing a rifle in its direction.
It’s possible shooting down a drone could be charged as another crime under Oregon statute, such as recklessly endangering, especially considering the resulting fire in this case. The lithium-ion battery used by drones is highly flammable and can spark when punctured.
But the shooter could also be in trouble with the feds — the Federal Aviation Administration maintains that a drone is an aircraft, and downing one is no different than shooting down a plane, though crashing an occupied aircraft would likely carry additional charges — it’s a federal crime.
However, the FAA has so far left enforcement to states. In 2016, an agency spokesperson outright stated that it would not bring criminal charges but could take civil enforcement action, such as imposing fines.
“Regardless of the situation, shooting at any aircraft — including unmanned aircraft — poses a significant safety hazard,” the FAA rep said. “An unmanned aircraft hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air.”
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