A marketing company hires a remote pilot to drop 200 promotional flyers from 150 feet AGL over an outdoor festival with approximately 500 attendees. Can this be conducted under standard Part 107?
Why →14 CFR § 107.23 prohibits careless or reckless operation and prohibits allowing an object to be dropped in a manner that creates an undue hazard to persons or property. Dropping objects over a crowd creates that hazard regardless of object weight; even lightweight objects falling from altitude can cause eye injuries. The FAA treats crowd-overflying object drops as requiring waivers.
The trap →Object weight is not the determining factor. The hazard created by dropping anything over a crowd is the issue. The 400-foot and 3 SM rules govern airspace and visibility; they do not authorize hazardous operations.
Field note →If a client asks about drone drops for marketing events, the legal path requires waiver application, OOP compliance review, and insurance verification. Most standard drone insurance policies exclude object-dropping operations.