Recreational / Hobbyist UAS pilot reported they inadvertently flew into controlled airspace without authorization.

Date: 2024-08 · Aircraft: Small UAS (At or above 0.55 lbs and less than 55 lbs)

Anomalies: airspace-violation-all-types|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-unauthorized-flight-operations-uas

Synopsis

Recreational / Hobbyist UAS pilot reported they inadvertently flew into controlled airspace without authorization.

Narrative

On Day 0; between XA:41AM and XA:52AM; I was flying my UAS in Location X to gain experience flying in an area that I believed was out of harms way. Prior to taking off; I checked the AutoPylot app to see if there were any flight restrictions in this area. This is when I became aware that I would be operating just outside of the Class C airspace for ABE. I reviewed the map and tried to determine how far I could go without entering the restricted airspace; and made a mental note to remain outside of that airspace during the entire flight. I had believed that I was staying outside of the Class C airspace until I got an alert in the drones app that an aircraft was in the vicinity. I scanned the sky and saw a commercial aircraft off in the distance which appeared to be low - maybe 1000 ft AGL - and ascending. My UAS was approximately 210 ft AGL at this time and far enough away that nobody was at risk at any point. I immediately started to bring my drone down and proceeded to return to home and land. After landing; I took a closer look at the map and discovered I had unknowingly entered the Class C airspace. I believe I entered the Class C airspace and went as far as 100 feet inside with a maximum altitude of 230 feet AGL before I realized I had entered the restricted airspace and exited. I made the decision to end my flight and leave the area so I didn't risk entering the restricted airspace again. No damage or harm was done but I am reporting out of precaution.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.