NASA · Aviation Safety Reporting System
Part 107 UAS pilot reported they inadvertently flew in controlled airspace without authorization due to an error made when using a LAANC app.
What is ASRS?
The Aviation Safety Reporting System is NASA's voluntary, confidential, non- punitive incident-reporting system, established 1976. Pilots, controllers, dispatchers, and maintenance technicians file reports describing safety- relevant events. NASA de-identifies every report before adding it to the public database. Reports are not investigated by NASA, the FAA, or the NTSB — they represent the reporter's perspective.
Pilot narrative
Verbatim from the de-identified NASA record. First-person account by the
reporter. NASA strips identifying details (names, company, specific time);
anonymization placeholders are ZZZ,
X, Y.
While operating under Part 107, I received LAANC authorization for a grid near El Paso International Airport. After flight completion, I reviewed my telemetry and realized that due to app lag/incorrect pin placement, I had actually flown in adjacent Class C airspace that was not covered by my authorization. The operation was brief, under 400ft altitude, and no conflicts with manned aircraft were observed. The error was unintentional and discovered only after the flight. In the future, I will cross-check LAANC authorizations with the FAA's B4UFLY app and verify grid location before launch to prevent recurrence.
NASA classification — Anomalies
- Airspace Violation
- Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural
NASA classification — Assessments
- Contributing Factors / Situations
- Human Factors
- Primary Problem
- Human Factors
ASRS reports are voluntarily submitted, de-identified by NASA, and represent the reporter's perspective. The presence of reports on a topic cannot be used to infer prevalence in the National Airspace System. The authoritative source is the NASA ASRS Database Online at asrs.arc.nasa.gov ↗.