View PDF Document

Summary

The Office of Inspector General plans to initiate an audit of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) oversight of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). FAA predicts there will be roughly 10,000 active UAS in the United States in 5 years, with over $89 billion in worldwide UAS spending over the next 10 years. Given the growing interest and potential safety issues associated with UAS flights, Congress recently directed the Secretary of Transportation, in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, to develop a comprehensive plan for integrating UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS) no later than September 30, 2015. In addition, the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate Commerce Committee, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and their Aviation Subcommittees requested that we assess FAA’s progress in these efforts. Accordingly, our audit objectives are to assess: (1) FAA’s efforts to mitigate safety risks for integrating UAS into the NAS; and (2) FAA’s progress and challenges in meeting the UAS requirements cited in the Act.