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Stay where you are, protect people and property, and record what you can actually observe. Do not approach, chase, interfere with, or put yourself at risk to photograph an unfamiliar object. In the United States, report immediate danger to local law enforcement or emergency services; send a general UAP (unidentified anomalous phenomena) report to the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), as directed by the FAA. A dangerous or apparently criminal drone should be reported to local law enforcement immediately.
1. Deal with immediate danger first
An unusual appearance is not automatically an emergency. The deciding question is whether people, aircraft, buildings, or other property may be in danger.
If life or property may be endangered
Move to a safe location and contact your local emergency number or law-enforcement department. The FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) specifically says that a concern about UAP activity endangering life or property should be reported to local law enforcement. Give the dispatcher the location, direction of travel, timing, and the behavior that creates the danger. Do not delay the call while trying to obtain better video.
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The FAA’s public guidance says to notify local law-enforcement first responders immediately. Do not confront the operator, throw anything, shine a laser, attempt to jam the signal, or try to capture the aircraft. If you believe the operation violates an FAA rule, you may also contact your local FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO); that referral does not replace an emergency call.
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When there is no immediate danger
Remain in a safe place and observe briefly. You do not need to follow the object, enter restricted areas, climb onto a roof, or use specialized equipment. A clear, honest account made from where you are is more useful than a risky close-up.
2. Record observations, not conclusions
Write down what you saw before memory changes. The FAA’s reporting guidance calls for the date, time, location, people and aircraft involved when applicable, the nature of the event, and pertinent details. Use a paper notebook or an ordinary notes app; no special camera, binoculars, telescope, or paid service is required.
| Record | What to include |
|---|---|
| Date and time | Local date, start time, end time, and your time zone if known. If the sighting was intermittent, list each interval. |
| Location | Street, landmark, airport vicinity, city or town, and country. Add an approximate viewpoint if you do not know an address. |
| Duration | How long you watched it and whether it disappeared, landed, or went behind an obstruction. |
| Direction and movement | Where it first appeared, where it went, approximate altitude only if you can make a reasonable observation, speed changes, hovering, turns, and whether it moved relative to fixed objects. |
| Appearance | Visible lights, color, shape, apparent size, sound, reflections, smoke, or changing brightness. Use descriptions such as “a steady white light” rather than naming a vehicle you cannot identify. |
| Viewing conditions | Weather, cloud cover, precipitation, daylight or darkness, visibility, nearby lights, and anything that blocked your view. |
| People and aircraft | Other witnesses, nearby aircraft, vehicles, buildings, or property involved in the event, when relevant and safe to note. |
Separate the observation from the interpretation
“Three lights moved slowly from west to east for about two minutes” is an observation. “It was an extraterrestrial craft” is an interpretation that the observation does not establish. An object remains unexplained only because the available information does not identify it; that label does not prove an extraordinary origin.
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Preserve recordings without creating a hazard
If you already have a photograph or video, keep the original file and note when and where it was made. Do not edit the original in a way that removes timing or location information. A recording can support your account, but an uncertain image should not be presented as proof of what the object was. Never step into traffic, approach an aircraft, or ignore a safety warning to continue filming.
3. Choose the right reporting channel in the United States
Different agencies handle different kinds of reports. Use the channel that matches the urgency and event type rather than sending the same account everywhere.
| Situation | First action | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate risk to life or property | Local emergency services or law enforcement | Rapid response to a potential threat. |
| Dangerous or apparently criminal drone operation | Local law-enforcement first responders immediately | Address conduct that may endanger people or involve a crime. |
| Apparent FAA rule violation without an emergency | Local FAA Flight Standards District Office | Refer an aviation-regulation concern to the FAA. |
| General UAP or unexplained-phenomena observation | All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) | Submit a public UAP report, as directed by the FAA AIM. |
| Aviation safety issue | NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) | Make a voluntary safety report about an aviation event or hazard. |
4. Submit a general UAP report to AARO
The current FAA AIM states: “Persons wanting to report UAP/unexplained phenomena activity should visit the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) website.” Use AARO when you want to document an unexplained observation for the federal UAP reporting process and there is no need for an emergency response.
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Prepare the account before opening the form
- Write the date, local time, time zone if known, and exact or approximate location.
- Describe the object’s appearance, lights, sound, movement, direction, and duration without assigning an identity.
- Describe weather, lighting, visibility, obstructions, and your viewing position.
- List other witnesses and any aircraft, people, or property directly involved, if applicable.
- Attach or retain original media only if you can do so safely and lawfully.
- Review the text for guesses stated as facts, then submit it through the current AARO route identified by the FAA.
Portals and agency responsibilities can change, so check the current FAA AIM and AARO website when you file. A report does not require you to solve the sighting or identify the object yourself.
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5. Report a drone sighting correctly
“Drone sighting” covers very different situations. A distant aircraft that merely looks unfamiliar is not the same as an aircraft operating dangerously near people or property.
Use law enforcement for danger or suspected criminal conduct
Call local law enforcement first responders immediately when the drone appears to threaten people, interfere with emergency operations, trespass in a way that creates an immediate safety concern, or participate in apparently criminal conduct. Give the location and direction, explain the specific behavior, and state whether anyone is at risk.
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Use the FAA route for an apparent rule violation
For a non-emergency concern that appears to involve an FAA rule violation, the FAA says you may contact the local FSDO. Include the same factual timeline you recorded for any other report. Do not claim a rule was broken unless you know the relevant facts; describe what happened and let the appropriate authority evaluate it.
Do not try to identify or disable the aircraft yourself
The official guidance does not require special equipment or a close approach. Avoid actions that could endanger other aircraft, the operator, bystanders, or you. If the drone leaves, record its last known direction rather than following it.
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NASA describes the Aviation Safety Reporting System as “a voluntary, confidential, non-punitive, safety reporting system.” Anyone may submit a report about an aviation-safety issue. NASA’s overview page says ASRS has collected and analyzed more than 2 million safety reports since 1976; that cumulative figure is not a count of UAP sightings.
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When ASRS is appropriate
Use ASRS when your account concerns aviation safety, such as a hazard, operational event, or situation that could help prevent an accident. The system is intended for safety learning and analysis, not immediate dispatch of police or aircraft.
When ASRS is not appropriate
ASRS is not an emergency service and does not replace a call to law enforcement for imminent danger, a dangerous drone, or the FAA’s AARO referral for a general public UAP report. Do not wait for an ASRS submission to address an active threat.
Understand the limits of its protections
NASA’s UAS reporting guidance describes eligibility requirements and a 10-day reporting timeframe for qualifying FAA protections. Those conditions do not mean every report receives immunity. Read the current ASRS instructions and eligibility language before relying on any protection.
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The FAA, AARO, FSDO, and NASA ASRS procedures described above are U.S. arrangements. There is no single worldwide reporting route established by these sources. If you are elsewhere, use your local emergency number when there is an immediate threat, and consult your national aviation authority for aviation or drone concerns. Keep the same factual record—time, place, duration, movement, appearance, conditions, witnesses, and consequences—so the receiving authority can assess it.
Quick Recap
8. A practical decision path
- Check safety: Are people, aircraft, buildings, or property at immediate risk? If yes, move away and call local emergency services or law enforcement.
- Classify the event: If it is a dangerous or apparently criminal drone, call law enforcement immediately. If it is a non-emergency suspected FAA violation, consider the local FSDO.
- Observe from a safe position: Do not approach, interfere, chase, or enter a hazardous area.
- Write the timeline: Capture the factual fields in the observation table while they are fresh.
- Select one or more appropriate channels: AARO for a general U.S. UAP report; ASRS for an aviation-safety issue; the relevant emergency or aviation authority for other cases.
- State uncertainty honestly: Explain what you saw, what you could not determine, and what evidence you have.
9. Common mistakes that make reports less useful
- Delaying an emergency call: Documentation comes after protecting people and property.
- Chasing the object: Following it can create traffic, trespass, or personal-safety hazards and rarely improves the report.
- Turning assumptions into facts: A label such as “drone,” “aircraft,” or “spacecraft” should be qualified unless directly established.
- Leaving out basic timing and location: A dramatic description without when and where it occurred is difficult to assess.
- Assuming social-media posts are official reports: Public discussion may preserve a record, but it does not notify the responsible authority.
- Expecting one agency to handle every issue: Emergency response, UAP intake, aviation regulation, and safety analysis have different channels.
- Assuming ASRS protection is automatic: Eligibility rules and deadlines apply to qualifying cases; read the current program instructions.
10. A compact checklist
- Stay safe; do not approach or interfere.
- Call local emergency services or law enforcement if life or property may be endangered.
- For a dangerous or apparently criminal drone, notify local law enforcement immediately.
- Record date, time, location, duration, direction, movement, appearance, sound, weather, light, witnesses, and involved aircraft or property.
- Describe observations separately from explanations.
- Use AARO for a general U.S. UAP or unexplained-phenomena report, as directed by the FAA AIM.
- Use the local FSDO for an apparent non-emergency FAA rule violation.
- Use NASA ASRS for a voluntary aviation-safety report, not for emergencies.
- Outside the United States, contact your national aviation authority and local emergency services.
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