Philadelphia Area Reckless Drone Pilot Gets In Serious Trouble By The FAA
by Alex Lloyd Gross
Federal Authorities clipped the wings of a Philadelphia resident who they said was operating a drone recklessly from December 2019 until recently. According to court documents, Michael DiCiurcio of Philadelphia would fly his drone to make YouTube videos for his channel “Philly Drone Life” which was ordered taken down.
DiCiurcio lost everything he had relating to drones, which he seemed to enjoy flying. flew them irresponsibly, by flung in restricted airspace and over people and cars. At one point he almost hit a church steeple in center city. He would fly close to the William Penn statue and 1 Liberty Place, investigators said. During one flight, he lost control of a drone which was over center city.
In Lieu of fines or jail, DiCurcio entered into a consent agreement with the government. He will (1) never operate in any manner any sUAS of any type, size, model, of any kind within the United States, nor will he ever seek any type of certification or license to operate any type or form of sUAS; (2) take down the YouTube channel known as “Philly Drone Life” and no longer operate or resurrect its content or any part in any form; (3) abandon those sUAS and other items he surrendered to the FAA on May 23, 2024,
Before this, the government contacted him and warned him of his actions. He was also offered classes on ow to fly responsibly, which he ignored. The South Philadelphia resident could be liable for $182,000 in fines if he flies a drone in the United States.
By entering into this agreement, he admitted that he flew dangerously . “Failing to adhere to the safety requirements for flying small unmanned aircraft systems endangers people and property,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “All drone flyers have a responsibility to ensure that they observe all applicable regulations and guidance. Our Office is committed to ensuring total compliance with the FAA regulations and we will vigorously enforce violations wherever we find them.”
The allegations regarding unsafe sUAS flights in violation of FAA regulations are described in detail in the complaint. The case is captioned United States of America v. Michael DiCiurcio, Case No. 24-0612 (E.D. Pa.).
The case has been investigated by the FAA’s Flight Standards Division, and the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General. The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Viveca D. Parker.