⚖ Regulations · 49 CFR §§ 830.2, 830.5; 14 CFR § 107.9REG-056 · 53 of 261

A small UA suffers a flight control failure, strikes a bystander, and the bystander is hospitalized for three days with a broken arm. Which reporting obligations apply?

AA single accident report to the FAA within 10 calendar days covers both agencies

BImmediate notification to the NTSB under 49 CFR Part 830, plus an accident report to the FAA within 10 calendar days under § 107.9✓

CImmediate notification to the NTSB only. § 107.9 does not apply because the aircraft, not the pilot, caused the injury

Why →A broken arm with a hospital stay over 48 hours meets the § 830.2 definition of serious injury, which makes this an unmanned aircraft accident requiring immediate NTSB notification by the most expeditious means available. Separately, § 107.9 requires a report to the FAA within 10 calendar days of any operation that results in serious injury or loss of consciousness. The two duties run on different clocks to different agencies, and filing one does not satisfy the other.

The trap →The single-report option is the efficiency trap: the FAA and the NTSB are separate agencies with separate rules, and each report is its own obligation. The NTSB-only option invents a fault test. Neither § 107.9 nor Part 830 asks why the injury happened, only whether it did.

Field note →Serious injury is defined, not felt. Part 830 spells it out: hospitalization over 48 hours, a fracture other than a simple finger, toe, or nose break, severe bleeding, nerve or internal organ damage, or serious burns. The FAA side uses AIS Level 3 or higher per AC 107-2. This scenario clears both bars.

SOURCE → 49 CFR §§ 830.2, 830.5; 14 CFR § 107.9CHECKED JUL 18ACS I.B.K5MED

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