JetBlue passenger plane hit by drone on JFK approach

The drone operator, if identified, faces civil FAA penalties of up to $75,000 per violation and potential criminal charges – but faces those penalties with no insurance backstop. Flying in controlled airspace around an airport without authorization, which is what an operator would need to do to place a drone at 3,000 feet on a commercial approach path, voids coverage under virtually every drone policy on the market. SkyWatch, one of the leading drone insurance platforms, is explicit: policies “do not cover flights conducted in violation of FAA regulations. Flying legally is the baseline for your coverage to hold.”