The FAA will investigate a drone incident that briefly delayed the Ravens-Bengals game in Baltimore on Thursday night.
Drones are prohibited from flying within 3 miles of stadiums with a seating capacity of at least 30,000 during events such as NFL and MLB games, as well as in the hour before and after the games, according to the FAA. The agency investigates all reports of unauthorized drone operations.
In 2021, the FAA installed drone detecting and deterring technologies, as well as signs reminding fans that it is a “No Drone Zone.” Stopping play while a drone is above a stadium’s seating is an NFL security requirement, it said.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh commented, “We saw them up there, drones. That’s a first. I thought I’d seen it all with the Super Bowl, the lights going out at the Super Bowl. Now we got drones flying around.”
The lights went out during Baltimore’s victory over San Francisco in the Super Bowl in New Orleans after the 2012 season.
Drone operators who conduct unsafe operations that endanger other aircraft or people on the ground could face fines that exceed $30,000 or have their drone operators’ pilot certificates suspended or revoked, according to the FAA.