WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published in the Federal Register a Notice of Interpretation to clarify that its existing definition of “unmanned aircraft accident” does not include model aircraft.
The definition appears in the NTSB’s regulation “Notification and Reporting of Aircraft Accidents or Incidents and Overdue Aircraft, and Preservation of Aircraft Wreckage, Mail, Cargo, and Records.”
In the interpretation, the NTSB notes that it considers instructive the description of “model aircraft” that appears in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012.
The interpretation also notes the NTSB’s exclusion of model aircraft from its regulation on notification and reporting of aircraft accidents or incidents is consistent with international practices and interpretations concerning accident notifications and investigations.
The notice does not request comments or issue any deadlines.