Recreational / Hobbyist UAS pilot reported flying in controlled airspace without authorization.

Date: 2026-03 · 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-unauthorized-flight-operations-uas|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far

Synopsis

Recreational / Hobbyist UAS pilot reported flying in controlled airspace without authorization.

Narrative

Who; What; Where; When; Why?On Day 0; at approximately XA:40 local time; I operated a Small UAS (under 250g) at a park in Layton; UT. The location is within a 0ft LAANC grid for Hill AFB. My intent was a short local flight in a public park. At the time; I was unaware the park was in a 0ft LAANC grid for Hill AFB.I flew for approximately 3 minutes and at maximum altitude of 45 feet AGL. I landed the drone and powered it down completely. Shortly after I had finished the flight and the drone was secured; I observed a military aircraft taking off from Hill AFB. I immediately realized the proximity of my flight to active military operations and the potential safety risk I had inadvertently created. At no point was the drone in the air while manned military aircraft were operating.Contributing Factors:I am a new hobbyist and misunderstood that even micro-drones require LAANC in a 0ft grid. I incorrectly assumed that recreational flight in a city park was permitted without checking the specific UAS Facility Map (UASFM) for that GPS location.Corrective Action:Immediately following the event; I researched FAA regulations and successfully completed the TRUST Completion Certificate (The Recreational UAS Safety Test) to ensure full compliance with hobbyist rules. I have downloaded a LAANC-integrated app (B4UFLY) and will ensure all future flights are conducted in permitted airspace with proper authorization.I am filing this report to document the incident and demonstrate my commitment to following all FAA safety guidelines and respecting National Defense Airspace in the future.

NASA callback

The reporter confirmed this incident resulted from a lack of training and experience. After completing the Trust certificate training they are well aware of what needs to happen prior to future flights.

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