Drones have become more and more prevalent in Colorado and beyond in recent years.
And while the flying contraptions haven't caused any disasters yet, a Federal Aviation Administration report recently obtained by 7News and on view below documents seventeen "close calls" involving drones and more traditional aircraft — the kind that could crash if one of the gadgets was sucked into an engine.
Cases in point include a June report from a Cessna pilot who said a drone missed him by 75 feet and two incidents involving commercial aircraft near Denver International Airport: an American Airlines flight in June and one from Delta in July.
We've included all seventeen Colorado reports from the document, complete with FAA jargon and occasional summaries written in something approaching standard English. But the most important details are the places and dates. Note that thirteen of the seventeen drone reports have occurred since June — and ten of them happened over Denver airspace.
Count down the entire photo-illustrated batch below, followed by the FAA report, which documents drown incidents in Colorado and across the country.
Number 1: Aspen, CO
1/23/2015 22:12
PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: ASPEN, CO/UAS INCIDENT/221200P/ASPEN ARPT OPS ADVISED UAS SIGHTED .75 S ASPEN AT 500 FEET OVER BUTTERMILK SKI RESORT (X-GAMES). PITKIN CO SHERIFF DEPT CHARGED AND RELEASED PERPETRATOR. UAS CONFISCATED.
Number 2: Denver, CO
3/7/2015 19:23
PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: DENVER, CO/UAS INCIDENT/1923P/DENVER ATCT REPORTED, MILITARY HOOK24, TYPE NOT REPORTED, AFTER LANDING AND TAXIING, OBSERVED A UAS MANEUVERING ON THE WEST SIDE HALF MILE OFF RUNWAY 17R BETWEEN 100-150 FEET. NO DESCRIPTION OF UAS REPORTED. NO LEO NOTIFIED.
Summary: AFTER LANDING, TAXIING IN AND PARKING, THE PILOT OF HOOK24 OBSERVED A DRONE MANEUVERING ON THE WEST SIDE OF RUNWAY 17R, 1/2 MILE OR LESS FROM RUNWAY, BETWEEN 100 AND 150 FEET AGL. HE OBSERVED GREEN/BLUE LIGHT.
Number 3: Centennial, CO
3/21/2015 21:20
PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: CENTENNIAL, CO/UAS INCIDENT/2120M/CENTENNIAL TOWER OBSERVED A UAS FLYING WITHIN .5 MILE WEST OF ARPT FROM SURFACE UP TO ESTIMATED 500 FEET. NO ACFT INVOLVED. DENVER PD NOTIFIED.
Number 4: Denver, CO
5/24/2015 13:15
"PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: DENVER, CO/UAS INCIDENT/1115M/CENTENNIAL ATCT ADVISED CESSNA C172, ON UPWIND FOR RUNWAY 17R APA IN RIGHT CLSD TRAFFIC, REPORTED A UAS NORTH OF LINCOLN AVE, EAST OF I25, AT 6,200 FEET MSL FLYING OVER A DARK BROWN APARTMENT COMPLEX. NO EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN BUT UAS WITHIN 200 FEET OF ACFT. ARAPHOE COUNTY SHERIFF, AIRPORT AUTHORITY AND FBI NOTIFIED.
Summary: PILOT WAS IN THE UPWIND RWY 17R IN RIGHT CLOSED TRAFFIC, REPORTED A DRONE NORTH OF LINCOLN AVE, EAST OF I-25 AT 6200' MSL FLYING OVER A DARK BROWN APARTMENT COMPLEX. THE PILOT DID NOT HAVE TO MANUVEUR DUE TO THE DRONE BUT DID MISS IT BY 200'. THE FOLLOWING HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED VIA LANDLINE: DENVER TRACON, ARAPAHOE COUNTY SHERIFF, AIRPORT AUTHORITY, FBI, AND DEN."
Number 5: Federal Heights, CO
6/8/2015 14:45
"PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: FEDERAL HEIGHTS, CO/UAS INCIDENT/1245M/D01 ADVISED CESSNA C206, REPORTED A UAS PASSED 75 FEET FROM ACFT AT 8,500 FEET JUST EAST FEDERAL HEIGHTS. EVASIVE ACTION AND LEO INFO UNKN.
Summary: PILOT REPORTED A DRONE AT 085 JUST EAST OF ALIKE. PILOT SAID IT MISSED HIM BY 75 FEET."
Number 6: Denver, CO
6/19/2015 14:30
PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: DENVER, CO/UAS INCIDENT/1430M/DENVER APCH ADVISED MULTIPLE ACFT, OBSERVED 3 UAS E BOUND AT 7,000 - 9,000 FEET, 9 NW OF DENVER INTL ARPT. NO EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN. AIRPORT POLICE NOTIFIED
Number 7: Denver, CO
6/20/2015 14:50
"PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: DENVER, CO/UAS INCIDENT/1450M/DENVER APCH ADVISED AMERICAN 2368, MD83, DEN - ORD, OBSERVED A LARGE BLACK UAS AT 6,500 FEET, 2 NE OF DEN. NO EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN. DENVER INTL ARPT POLICE NOTIFIED.
Number 8: Castle Rock, CO
6/27/2015 18:49
PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: DENVER, CO/UAS INCIDENT/1214M/CESSNA C172, REPORTED A UAS OVER THE HESS RESERVOIR HEADED NORTH AT 500 FEET. DESCRIPTION UNKN.
Number 9: Englewood, CO
7/1/2015 1:55
englewood, co
Summary: CL60 REPORTED NEAR THE RESEVOIR AN R/C AIRCRAFT THAT OVERFLEW HIM.
Number 10: Denver, CO
7/18/2015 18:38
"PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: DENVER, CO/UAS INCIDENT/1238M/ PIPER P28A, OBSERVED A UAS AT 6,500 FEET, 5-6 SE OF CENTENNIAL ARPT. NO EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN. DOUGLAS COUNTY PD NOTIFIED.
Summary: PA 28 REPORTED DRONE @ 6500 MSL. 5 TO 6 MILES SOUTHEAST CENTENNIAL AIRPORT. NO EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN. PILOT INFO. UN-KNOWN."
Number 11: Denver, CO
7/22/2015 18:55
"PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: DENVER, CO/UAS INCIDENT/1255M/DENVER TRACON ADVISED DELTA 1845, B757, REPORTED A UAS WHILE ON RWY 16R FINAL AT 6,000 FEET 12 N DEN. DENVER ARPT PD NOTIFIED.
Summary: DAL1845 REPORTED DRONES WHILE ON RY16R FINAL. DAL1845 WAS 12 MILES NORTH OF DEN - REPORTED AT 060. DEN AIRPORT POLICE NOTIFIED."
Number 12: Colorado Springs, CO
7/24/2015 11:50
PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: COLORADO SPRINGS, CO/UAS INCIDENT/1150M/USAF K35 (CALL SIGN NOT REPORTED), REPORTED SEEING A UAS AT FL240 30 SE RESTRICTED AREA R2601. NO EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN. UNKN IF LEO WAS NOTIFIED.
Number 13: Colorado Springs, CO
7/24/2015 17:50
Summary: This aircraft was southbound departure from COS. Reported passing a very small drone at FL240. The aircraft was 30nm SE of R-2601 which often has drone and UAV activity. Called the R-2601 range officer and verified that they had no aircraft airborne at the time. No actions were taken by the flight crew.
Number 14: Denver, CO
7/26/2015 17:08
PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: DENVER, CO/UAS/1708M/DENVER ATCT ADVISED AN UNKN TYPE OF UAS IN THE VICINITY OF DEN AIRPORT. DENVER PD WITNESSED AND REPORTED THE UAS TO DENVER TOWER. DENVER PD
Number 15: Denver, CO
7/26/2015 20:32
"PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: DENVER,CO/UAS INCIDENT/1452M/DENVER ATCT REPORTED SKYWEST 5320, CRJ2, OBSERVED A SMALL WHITE UAS AT 7,000 FEET ON 7 MILE FINAL DEN. ADAMS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT NOTIFIED
Summary: PILOT REPORTED A SMALL WHITE DRONE ON 7 MILE FINAL RY 16L AT 7000 FT. FLM CONTACTED ADAMS COUNTY SHERIFF AND CCD. ROC AND DEN ALSO NOTIFIED."
Number 16: Denver, CO
8/12/2015 0:15
"PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: DENVER, CO /UAS INCIDENT/0612M/DENVER TRACON EMPLOYEE REPORTED AN INDIVIDUAL 2 MILES SOUTH OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 35L WITH A UAS. NO IMPACT TO AIRPORT OPERATIONS REPORTED. DENVER AIRPORT POLICE NOTIFIED
Summary: TRACON EMPLOYEE REPORTED AN INDIVIDUAL NEAR AIRPORT PROPERTY WITH A DRONE. LOCATION 56TH AVE AND MONAGHAN. APROX 2 MILES SOUTH OF THE APPROACH END OF R35L. INFO PASSED TO DIA POLICE "
Number 17: Denver, CO
8/14/2015 19:12
"PRELIM INFO FROM FAA OPS: DENVER, CO/UAS INCIDENT/1319M/DENVER TRACON ADVISED TRANS WORLD EXPRESS 3395, E45X, REPORTED A WHITE UAS WITH 4 ROTORS WHILE ON 5 MILE FINAL RUNWAY 16L AT 3,000 FEET. NO EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN. UNKN IF LEOS NOTIFIED.
Summary: PILOT REPORTED SEEING A POSSIBLE DRONE ON 5 MILE FINAL TO RWY 16L AT APPROXIMATELY 3000' AGL. IT WAS HOVERING IN THE VICINITY OF THE VAN AIRE. IT WAS WHITE AND APPEARED TO HAVE 4 ROTORS."
Federal Aviation Administration Drones Report, November 2014-August 2015
