Part 107 Accident Reporting: When §107.9 Requires an FAA Report

Most Part 107 pilots remember altitude and airspace. Fewer can recite the rule that turns a bad day into an FAA filing clock. 14 CFR § 107.9 — titled Safety event reporting — tells the remote pilot in command when an operation must be reported to the FAA. This DroneLaws.us explainer covers Part 107 accident reporting under § 107.9 only: the 10-calendar-day clock, the injury/loss-of-consciousness threshold, and the property-damage threshold that excludes the small UAS itself. Regulatory text was verified against the eCFR / Cornell LII compilation on 14 Oct 2026. This is a statute explainer, not legal advice. Confirm the current Code of Federal Regulations and FAA filing instructions before you rely on any summary—including this one.

For the federal Part 107 landing page on this site, see federal drone laws. For practical incident logging after a crash (separate from the FAA report trigger), see drone incident logging.

What § 107.9 actually says

Under 14 CFR § 107.9 (pull date 14 Oct 2026), no later than 10 calendar days after an operation that meets the criteria of either paragraph (a) or (b), a remote pilot in command must report to the FAA, in a manner acceptable to the Administrator, any operation of the small unmanned aircraft involving at least:

(a) Serious injury to any person or any loss of consciousness; or

(b) Damage to any property, other than the small unmanned aircraft, unless one of the following conditions is satisfied:

1. The cost of repair (including materials and labor) does not exceed $500; or
2. The fair market value of the property does not exceed $500 in the event of total loss.

That is the full trigger set in the text we pulled. Do not invent extra categories, dollar fines, or deadlines that are not in § 107.9.

The 10-calendar-day clock

The regulation says no later than 10 calendar days after the operation that meets paragraph (a) or (b). Calendar days are not “business days.” Weekends and holidays count. If you are unsure whether the event meets the threshold, do not burn half the clock guessing—read the text, document what you know, and use the FAA’s accepted reporting path (see below). This article does not invent grace periods.

Paragraph (a): serious injury or loss of consciousness

Paragraph (a) is about people, not property. Report when the operation involves serious injury to any person or any loss of consciousness. The regulation does not require you to invent a medical diagnosis in this explainer; it requires you to recognize that those outcomes are reportable events under § 107.9(a). If someone is hurt or loses consciousness in connection with the operation, treat the 10-day clock as live and follow FAA reporting instructions.

Note what paragraph (a) does not say: it does not create a separate “my aircraft is wrecked” trigger by itself. Aircraft damage is handled under the property rules in (b)—and the small UAS itself is carved out of that property analysis.

Paragraph (b): property damage other than the sUAS

Paragraph (b) covers damage to any property, other than the small unmanned aircraft, unless a $500 safe harbor applies.

The $500 repair safe harbor

You are not in the (b) reporting bucket if the cost of repair (including materials and labor) does not exceed $500.

The $500 total-loss safe harbor

If the property is a total loss, you are not in the (b) reporting bucket if the fair market value of that property does not exceed $500.

What is excluded

Damage to the small unmanned aircraft itself is excluded from the property-damage analysis in (b). A destroyed drone, standing alone, is not the (b) trigger. Damage to a car roof, a greenhouse, a skylight, or other third-party property can be—unless a $500 safe harbor applies.

This article does not invent fine amounts, civil penalties, or enforcement outcomes. § 107.9 states a reporting duty; it does not, in the text quoted above, list a dollar fine for missing the report. Do not treat blog summaries as a penalty schedule.

How the FAA says to submit the report

FAA public guidance directs Part 107 accident reports through FAADroneZone, and notes that reports may also be made by contacting the nearest Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). Use the method acceptable to the Administrator at the time you file. Keep copies of what you submit and when you submitted it. This is educational context, not a filing service.

What § 107.9 does not decide for you

§ 107.9 answers a narrow question: when must the remote pilot in command report a safety event to the FAA? It does not, by itself:

• Tell you how to write a client incident memo
• Replace insurance notice requirements in your policy
• Replace NTSB duties that may apply under other rules for some events
• Authorize you to invent dollar fines or “automatic certificate action” language

For shop-floor logging habits after a crash—photos, battery logs, witness notes—see drone incident logging. Keep that operational guide separate from the regulatory trigger in § 107.9.

Practical checklist for remote pilots in command

1. Identify the event against the text. Serious injury or loss of consciousness → (a). Third-party property damage → run the $500 repair / fair-market-value tests in (b). Aircraft-only damage → not the (b) property trigger.
2. Start the 10-calendar-day clock from the operation date if either paragraph applies.
3. Document facts early (time, location, people/property involved, photos) without guessing medical or legal conclusions you are not qualified to make.
4. File in a manner acceptable to the Administrator (FAADroneZone / FSDO path per current FAA guidance).
5. Notify insurance and clients per your contracts—those duties are separate from § 107.9.
6. Re-read the current eCFR before training your crew off a blog post alone.

Related federal reading on DroneLaws.us

Start from the federal hub for Part 107 context, then return to § 107.9 whenever the question is “do I have to tell the FAA?” rather than “how do I log this internally?”

Next step

If your operation meets § 107.9(a) or (b), treat the 10-calendar-day FAA report as a hard calendar deadline, use the FAA’s accepted submission path, and keep your own incident file. Re-check 14 CFR § 107.9 on the day you file—regulations can be amended, and this article is not legal advice.