A fatal plane crash in Watertown, Wisconsin, claimed the lives of a 73-year-old pilot and his 8-year-old grandson joining him for a flight up to northern Wisconsin.

Summit View Elementary School sent a letter to inform families about the tragic loss of student Colin Strebe on June 14 due to an accident.

The aircraft plunged into a grove of trees at Brandt Quirk Park near a residential area on Wednesday at approximately 9 a.m. Investigators spent much of Thursday at the site, where pieces of the wreckage were spread across the soccer field.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were at the airport hangar to examine the evidence.

According to reports from Federal Aviation Administration, the plane had just taken off from the Municipal Airport about 3 miles from the accident site. Sources say the flight was planned to Manitowish Waters.

Investigators will collect as much information as they can from witnesses, and the wreckage itself, to determine, if they can, what led to this family tragedy in Watertown.

Watertown police department said the Brandt Quirk Park would remain closed through the weekend for site cleanup.

Police have yet to identify the victims, officially saying only that there were two victims. The pilot is from Watertown, and his grandson is from Waukesha.

The FAA and National Transportation Board will lead the investigation.

WATCH: Scary moment for Watertown neighbors who heard and 'felt' the plane crash

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Environmental groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration in federal court over SpaceX's launch of its massive Starship rocket last month. The groups argue that the agency failed to adequately investigate the potential harm the launch – or a mishap – could do to the surrounding environment.

The rocket, which is the most powerful ever built, took off from a launch pad at SpaceX's privately owned spaceport in South Texas on April 20 before exploding over the Gulf of Mexico about four minutes into flight.

The lawsuit, which was filed Monday in a federal court in Washington, D.C., alleges that the FAA authorized the launch "without complying with bedrock federal environmental law, without fully analyzing the significant environmental and community impacts of the Space X launch program – including destruction of some of the most vital migratory bird habitat in North America – and without requiring mitigation sufficient to offset those impacts."

The lawsuit says the area around the launch is essential habitat to federally protected species, including the endangered ocelot.

"It's vital that we protect life on Earth even as we look to the stars in this modern era of spaceflight," Center for Biological Diversity senior attorney Jared Margolis said in a statement.

The FAA declined to comment on the active litigation.

'All kinds of environmental harm'

Ahead of the launch on April 20, the FAA issued a finding that the launch would have no significant impact on its surrounding environment. Therefore, the agency didn't proceed with a more in-depth environmental assessment, which would have taken more time.

Margolis told CNN that the SpaceX explosion proves the groups' legal argument that the FAA erred in its decision-making.

"They just proved our point here," Margolis said. "What ended up occurring was exactly what we expected. There's all kinds of environmental harm that's clearly an issue and needs to be fully considered, and they didn't consider it."

Environmental groups are suing the FAA in hopes the agency will go back and do a far more comprehensive environmental analysis of the impacts of the launch. Margolis said a more in-depth environmental analysis from FAA could have issued a finding that SpaceX needed to use more water to cool down its launch pad, which ended up exploding.

Margolis argued that even when launches don't end in a massive explosion, they still can present a danger to bird species that use the area for migratory routes.

"It's an incredibly important area for birds," Margolis said. "There's an incredible amount of heat and light from the launches even when they don't go wrong."

Video above: SpaceX Starship explodes after launch

Margolis said the impact of scattered debris from the explosion isn't over yet; environmental groups are concerned that recovery efforts of trucks and other heavy equipment to pick up residual metal and concrete could further harm wildlife.

"You have so much [debris] in the area that recovering it could cause even more damage," he said.

The FAA's role

The FAA licenses commercial rocket launches and gave the green light for the SpaceX launch attempt after more than a year of back-and-forth.

The agency is also currently charged with overseeing a mishap investigation into what caused the Starship's failed test flight last month. Such investigations are routine and have taken place after previous – but smaller-scale – Starship test launches in South Texas.

The FAA's review "will determine the root cause of the event and identify corrective actions the operator must implement to avoid a recurrence," the agency said in an emailed statement last week.

Separately, the FAA is also carrying out an "anomaly response plan," which is part of the Programmatic Environmental Assessment the FAA issued for Starship in 2022.

"SpaceX is responsible for its implementation and for local, state and federal compliance requirements," FAA spokesperson Steve Kulm said via email on Sunday.

When asked whether the FAA could confirm if debris reached areas that it was not expected to reach, Kulm said that Cameron County – which encompasses SpaceX's facilities near Boca Chica Beach – "issued a statement to address all inquiries regarding the dust to be sent to SpaceX."

CNN has reached out to SpaceX for comment on the lawsuit, though the company typically does not respond to routine requests for comment from reporters. SpaceX is not named as a defendant on the suit.

Metal 'hurled thousands of feet away'

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also said in a statement last week that it was working with SpaceX, the FAA and other involved parties to "provide on-the-ground guidance to minimize further impacts and reduce long-term damages to natural resources."

That activity includes ensuring that SpaceX is complying with the Endangered Species Act, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service, which became the subject of concern after reports that debris from the launch or explosion may have reached nearby protected wildlife areas.

"Following the launch and mid-air explosion, Cameron County closed Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 for 48 hours due to launch pad safety concerns, which prevented Service staff from accessing refuge-owned and managed land," the agency's statement reads. "Once the closure ended, Service staff began their assessment of the launch impacts at 10 a.m. April 22, 2023."

The agency cataloged some of the impacts:

• "Numerous large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects hurled thousands of feet away along with a plume cloud of pulverized concrete that deposited material up to 6.5 miles northwest of the pad site," according to the statement. Locals in Port Isabel reported a strange dust settling over the community after launch.
• "Although no debris was documented on refuge fee-owned lands, staff documented approximately 385 acres of debris on SpaceX's facility and at Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by the Service and managed as a component of the Lower Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge," the statement reads.
• "Additionally, a 3.5-acre fire started south of the pad site on Boca Chica State Park land. At this time, no dead birds or wildlife have been found on refuge-owned or managed lands," the agency said.

SpaceX's take

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said during a Twitter Spaces chat on Saturday evening that he believed SpaceX would be ready to launch Starship on another test flight within six to eight weeks from a technological standpoint.

When asked about potential legal backlash from environmental groups on Saturday, Musk was defiant. "Look at an aerial picture... apart from the area around the launch stand – tell me where things are damaged. ... I think you can't even see it at this point," Musk said.

"To the best of our knowledge, there has not been any meaningful damage to the environment," Musk added.

Musk said he was "glad to report that the pad damage is actually quite small," though it would take "six to eight weeks" to get the infrastructure prepared for another launch.

This story has been updated with additional information.

A group of Republican senators is pushing back against an effort supported by some of the airline industry to create a government blacklist of violent and disruptive passengers.

"Creating a federal 'no-fly' list for unruly passengers who are skeptical of this mandate would seemingly equate them to terrorists who seek to actively take the lives of Americans and perpetrate attacks on the homeland," the senators wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland dated Monday.

Nearly 500 unruly passenger incidents have been reported in the first six weeks of 2022, Federal Aviation Administration data show, for a total of more than 6,400 since the start of 2021. About two-thirds of the reports this year allege violations of the federal mask mandate. The FAA said Wednesday it has referred a total of 80 incidents to the Justice Department to consider criminal prosecution.

The spike in incidents has airlines calling for a government-coordinated "no-fly list" for passengers who create in-flight disturbances. Proponents say it would be separate from the existing government-run list that is part of the FBI's Terrorist Screening Database.

Airlines may ban an unruly passenger from their own flights, but competition rules mean that information is not shared with other carriers. CNN broke news of the industry's ask to the government in September, and Delta Air Lines renewed the request this month in a letter to the Justice Department.

The Senate group says they "strongly condemn" the violence, but urge the Justice Department to reject the request.

"The creation of this list by DOJ would result in a severe restriction on the ability of citizens to fully exercise their constitutional right to engage in interstate transportation," they wrote, and said the matter should be decided by Congress.

The letter was signed by Republican Sens. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Mike Lee of Utah, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Marco Rubio of Florida, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Ted Cruz of Texas, John Hoeven of North Dakota and Rick Scott of Florida.

A major flight attendant group responded sharply to the letter. Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants, called it "irresponsible and political brinkmanship that puts our economic security at risk right along with our lives."

"We've been punched, kicked, spit on, and sexually assaulted," Nelson wrote. "We urge the FAA, TSA, and DOJ to come together to implement a plan with due process to keep dangerous flyers on the ground."

CNN has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested to CNN last fall that a federal no-fly list for violent airplane passengers "should be on the table," and he told CNN last week that federal authorities were still "looking at" such policy recommendations.

But, he acknowledged, "there are enormous implications in terms of civil liberties, in terms of how you administer something like that. I mean, even when it was over terrorism, it was not a simple thing to set up."

Frustration over mask mandates

There have been multiple in-flight disruptions in recent days. Two passengers were charged this week with interfering with flight crew members after attempting to open aircraft exits in flight. In one of those incidents, four passengers helped American Airlines crewmembers subdue a passenger armed with plastic utensils and a wine bottle who was pulling on a door handle.

Buttigieg declined in a recent CNN interview to say whether the mask mandate will be allowed to expire in mid-March or whether it might be extended or lifted earlier.

"When we have the guidance saying that is the right thing to do, I will be as relieved as any traveling American that we can move on to the next phase," he said.

The FAA's announcement that it has referred 80 incidents since the start of last year to the Justice Department marks about a doubling of referrals since President Joe Biden called for an increased role for the Justice Department in October. In November, the FAA said it had referred 37 cases for prosecution.

Not all cases can be referred for prosecution and many of the cases referred to the FBI for criminal review involve physical assault on crew or passengers, and sexual assault or harassment cases on a passenger or crew, a FAA spokesperson said.

The FAA called the issue a priority and said the agency, along with the FBI, are "continuing to work together so unruly passengers face criminal prosecution when warranted." The Transportation Security Administration is also revoking expedited screening privileges through the PreCheck program in some cases, the agencies said.

The Federal Aviation Administration has released new concerning data pointing to a sharp uptick in dangerous laser strikes against aircraft such as airplanes and helicopters.

The agency reported that 9,723 laser incidents happened in 2021 alone, which is up from 6,853 incidents in 2020. That represents a 41% increase in just one year, making 2021 the year with the highest number of reported incidents ever, the FAA said.

The agency says that these laser strikes remain a "serious threat" to aviation safety and it is against federal law to intentionally point lasers at aircraft.

There have been jail sentences for those who are caught, and law enforcement has tried to offer rewards for information leading to an arrest for persons who have committed such crimes. Civil penalties imposed by the FAA up to $30,800 have been levied for multiple incidents. Fines can go up to $11,000 for breaking anti-laser laws.

The FAA says that at least 244 injuries have been reported since 2010 for laser strike incidents.

Airline passengers who behave poorly on flights could lose their privilege of PreCheck, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration announced Tuesday.

According to a news release, the FAA said it would pass along TSA information on unruly passengers facing fines and then get them removed from PreCheck eligibility as part of a new partnership between the two agencies.

“TSA has zero tolerance for the unruly behaviors, especially those involving physical assault occurring aboard aircraft. We have tremendous respect for airport staff, gate agents, and flight crews that get people safely to their destinations,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske in the news release. “This partnership with FAA will help ensure the safety and security of all passengers and hold those who violate federal regulations accountable for their actions.”

News of this comes after airlines have seen problems surge of lousy behavior from airline passengers, including the assault of flight attendants and passengers refusing to wear a mask, which could lead to them losing PreCheck, the agency said on its website.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —

Heads up, future space travelers: No more commercial astronaut wings will be awarded from the Federal Aviation Administration after this year.

The FAA said Friday it's clipping its astronaut wings because too many people are now launching into space and it's getting out of the astronaut designation business entirely.

The news comes one day ahead of Blue Origin's planned liftoff from West Texas with former NFL player and TV celebrity Michael Strahan. He and his five fellow passengers will still be eligible for wings since the FAA isn't ending its long-standing program until Jan. 1.

NASA's astronauts also have nothing to worry about going forward — they'll still get their pins from the space agency.

All 15 people who rocketed into space for the first time this year on private U.S. flights will be awarded their wings, according to the FAA. That includes Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson, as well as the other space newbies who accompanied them on their brief up-and-down trips. The companies handed out their own version of astronaut wings after the flights.

All four passengers on SpaceX's first private flight to orbit last September also qualified for FAA wings.

Adding Blue Origin's next crew of six will bring the list to 30. The FAA' s first commercial wings recipient was in 2004.

Earlier this year, the FAA tightened up its qualifications, specifying that awardees must be trained crew members, versus paying customers along for the ride. But with the program ending, the decision was made to be all-inclusive, a spokesman said.

Future space tourists will get their names put on a FAA commercial spaceflight list. To qualify, they must soar at least 50 miles on an FAA-sanctioned launch.

"The U.S. commercial human spaceflight industry has come a long way from conducting test flights to launching paying customers into space," the FAA's associate administrator Wayne Monteith said in a statement. "Now it's time to offer recognition to a larger group of adventurers daring to go to space."

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

WASHINGTON —

Federal officials say they will allow operators to fly small drones over people and at night, potentially giving a boost to commercial use of the machines.

Most drones will need to be equipped so they can be identified remotely by law enforcement officials.

The final rules announced Monday by the Federal Aviation Administration “get us closer to the day when we will more routinely see drone operations such as the delivery of packages,” said FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson.

Drones are the fastest-growing segment in all of transportation, with more than 1.7 million under registration, according to the Transportation Department.

However, the widespread commercial use of the machines has developed far more slowly than many advocates expected. Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos once predicted that his company would use drones to deliver goods to customers’ doorsteps within five years, but that prediction is already off by two years.

There have been several tests and limited uses. United Parcel Service said last year that it received approval to operate a nationwide fleet of drones and has already made hundreds of deliveries on a hospital campus in North Carolina.

Also last year, Google sister company Wing Aviation won FAA approval for commercial drone flights in a corner of Virginia.

And this past August, Amazon got similar FAA approval to deliver packages by drones. The company is still testing the service and hasn’t said when shoppers will see deliveries.

For drone supporters impatient with the pace of adoption, regulatory hurdles are a leading complaint. Currently, operators who want to fly a drone over people or at night need a waiver from the FAA.

The new rules will require that drones used at night include flashing lights that can be seen up to three miles away. Operators will need special training. Small drones flying over people cannot have rotating parts capable of cutting skin.

The rules covering flights over people and at night will take effect in about two months. They finalize proposed rules issued last year.

Related video: 2 arrested after drone crashes into prison

All drones that must be registered with the FAA will be required to have equipment that broadcasts their identification, location and control station or be operated at FAA-recognized areas. So-called remote ID was a requirement impose by Congress at the urging of national security and law enforcement agencies.

Drone manufacturers will have 18 months to begin making drones with remote ID, and operators will have one year after that to start using drones with remote ID.

Unruly passenger incidents are rising again, new Federal Aviation Administration numbers show.

FAA figures released Tuesday show more disruptions on commercial flights in the past week than any week in the past two and a half months.

The FAA says there were 128 new incidents reported by flight crews, bringing this year's total to 4,626 incidents. The new number is the highest weekly figure since the FAA started releasing weekly data on July 20.

About 72% of issues in the past week were over the federal transportation mask mandate, figures show.

The FAA adopted a zero-tolerance policy for unruly, sometimes violent passengers on board flights earlier this year.

The agency has proposed more than $1 million in fines against unruly airline passengers this year.

One $45,000 fine announced in August was against a passenger accused of throwing his luggage at another passenger and, while lying on the aisle floor, "grabbing a flight attendant by the ankles and putting his head up her skirt."

Another passenger would not wear his face mask, the FAA, said, and "acted as though his hand was a gun and made a 'pew, pew' noise as if he was shooting a fellow passenger."

CHICAGO — We’ve all seen them--cellphone videos of people misbehaving on flights and being removed.

This week, Delta Airlines proposed carriers share their no-fly lists of unruly passengers. It’s an effort to protect airline employees across the industry. It comes as flight crews are left to enforce pandemic-era restrictions and bear the brunt of travelers unwilling to comply.

In January, due to the disturbing increase in violent behavior on flights, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enacted a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who “assaults, threatens, intimidates or interferes with airline crew members.”

“Post-pandemic travel is not the same,” said Ron Phifer, supervisory air marshal in charge of the Chicago field office for the Federal Air Marshal Service.

Phifer says FAA mandates like wearing a mask must be enforced on flights by federal law.

“We treat mask requirements very similar to those other safety requirements on board the aircraft, and that's what aircrews are trained to do,” said Phifer.

After a pandemic pause, the TSA resumed self-defense training for crew members this past summer. Taught by federal air marshals, it’s designed to teach them effective defensive measures for use onboard an aircraft or even in public spaces.

“They learn to defend themselves with hand strikes with using their feet, their legs. So, protecting their vital parts of their body,” said Phifer.

Lisa Hodo has been a flight attendant for more than 30 years and finally decided to take the class.

“Flight attendants have been the subject of attacks,” she said. “I mainly, I came so that I could protect myself as well as my passengers on the plane.”

Hodo says enforcing federal mask mandates has been a real challenge.

“Even though they have signed the agreement, that they're going to keep wearing the masks, they don't necessarily want to do it,” said Hodo.

So far this year, the FAA has documented nearly 4,500 reports of unruly passengers and close to 3,300 mask-related incidents.

Flight attendant and instructor Barbara Aievoly, another first-time self-defense trainee, says it’s important now more than ever to be prepared for a confrontation.

“No matter what's going on, everyone knows it's going to be filmed. And I don't want to be famous for, you know, having to handle an unruly passenger,” said Aievoly. “I'd like to de-escalate at first. But I also want to know the proper way to get out of a situation that I might not be able to handle.”

Penalties for unruly behavior have been upped with a fine of up to $37,000 or criminal charges. The FAA’s already initiated 169 enforcement cases this year and collected more than $1 million in fines.

Hodo says she hopes those deterrents will work.

“You just don't want to escalate it. That's the main thing," Hodo said. "You don't really want to have to move to the things that we're being taught in here.”

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed late Wednesday it is investigating Richard Branson's flight to space, saying the rocket-powered plane operated by his company, Virgin Galactic, veered off course during its descent.

The FAA's statement came not long after the New Yorker's Nicholas Schmidle reported that warning lights had shown up on the dashboard of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo — signaling that the vehicle was on a wayward trajectory — as the company's billionaire founder, Richard Branson, was riding in it during a minutes-long joyride-slash-PR-event that reached the edge of space. Schmidle also revealed the existence of the FAA investigation.

Virgin Galactic will not be permitted to conduct another spaceflight until the FAA's "mishap investigation" concludes, as is standard during such investigations, the FAA confirmed on Thursday. The company previously said it was entering a months-long, self-imposed no-fly period anyway, as the company works to refurbish some of its hardware. But as recently as Thursday morning, the company said it was targeting later this month or early October for its next flight. It's not clear if that schedule will hold.

"Virgin Galactic may not return the SpaceShipTwo vehicle to flight until the FAA approves the final mishap investigation report or determines the issues related to the mishap do not affect public safety," according to a statement from the FAA.

The company's stock dipped about 4% during trading hours Thursday.

Virgin Galactic spokesperson Barney Gimbel confirmed in an email to CNN Business that the trajectory of the flight "changed," adding that "when the glide cone message indicated that the pilots should modify the flight path to adjust the trajectory, our pilots did exactly as they were trained and followed the procedures."

In its initial statement Wednesday afternoon, the company defended the safety of the flight, which had been dubbed "Unity 22," saying that it disputes what it termed "the misleading characterizations and conclusions" in Schmidle's article.

"Unity 22 was a safe and successful test flight that adhered to our flight procedures and training protocols. When the vehicle encountered high altitude winds which changed the trajectory, the pilots and systems monitored the trajectory to ensure it remained within mission parameters," the company said.

"Although the flight's ultimate trajectory deviated from our initial plan, it was a controlled and intentional flight path that allowed Unity 22 to successfully reach space and land safely at our Spaceport in New Mexico. At no time were passengers and crew put in any danger as a result of this change in trajectory," it said.

The statement added that the pilots of the spaceplane encountered high-altitude winds, and "responded appropriately to these changing flight conditions."

But in a separate statement in response to the FAA investigation, it also acknowledged that the flight "deviated from our initial plan" and the spacecraft dropped below the altitude it was approved to fly at for one minute and 41 seconds.

"At no time did the ship travel above any population centers or cause a hazard to the public," the company said. "FAA representatives were present in our control room during the flight and in post-flight debriefs. We are working in partnership with the FAA to address the airspace for future flights."

Virgin Galactic did not respond to follow-up questions about the reported warning lights in the cockpit of the spacecraft during Branson's flight.

The pilots of the rocket-powered, supersonic SpaceShipTwo were faced with yellow and red warning indicators as the vehicle veered off course, according to Schmidle's report.

The wayward orientation of the vehicle put the vehicle off-kilter for its descent back to Earth, which could have forced it to make an emergency landing in the New Mexican desert, according to the article.

The new report adds to several bombshell scoops Schmidle has had about the company's safety record, which its executives and PR officials have tried to sweep under the rug to save face among Virgin Galactic's wealthy clientele and would-be space travelers.

Branson's flight was only the fourth trip to space that Virgin Galactic has successfully completed following a tragic 2014 test flight that killed one pilot and badly injured another. And of those four trips, at least two have had serious safety issues. A test fight in 2019 — which was the first to include a passenger, Virgin Galactic engineer Beth Moses — nearly ended very differently due to a serious problem with the space plane's wing, according to Schmidle, who also wrote "Test Gods," a recently-published book about Virgin Galactic and years he spent with inside access to the company.

"This should have been a come-to-Jesus moment, not the kind of thing you brush under the rug," Todd Ericson, Virgin Galactic's former vice president of safety, who has since resigned from the company, told Schmidle last year.

Neither the FAA nor Virgin Galactic publicly disclosed the issues associated with the 2019 flight or Branson's flight.

The FAA did not respond to requests for additional comment.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating Virgin Galactic's July flight into space.

According to the Associated Press, the company is banned from launching into space because the plane carrying founder Richard Branson and five employees veered off course as it descended back to New Mexico.

The New Yorker reported that the warning lights on the ship's console began blinking, which signaled a trajectory problem.

On Thursday, Virgin Galactic insisted that no one on board was ever in any added danger but did acknowledge that the spacecraft dropped below the altitude it was approved for one minute and 41 seconds, the AP reported.

According to the AP, the ban comes as Virgin Galactic was scheduled in a few weeks to launch three Italian researchers to the edge of space.

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Cities across the country are answering calls for police reform, banning controversial tactics, and slashing police budgets.

A Southern California police department is taking a different approach, using drones to earn the public's trust.

“Most agencies that have drone programs, they have the traditional drone in the trunk, where the officer responds to a call for service. They see a drone may be needed, they launch it," said Captain Don Redmond, a support operations captain for the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) "We wanted to be proactive in how we responded with our drones."

Redmond says they're using drones as a tool for de-escalation, arming officers with information. Drones are only launched in response to calls for service; surveillance is prohibited.

“We have heard the national message that law enforcement needs to do things differently," said Capt. Redmond.

The department spent years developing its Drone as First Responder (DFR) program. They formed a committee in 2015, studying best practices, policies, and procedures for the use of drones in law enforcement.

“We had a drone program for about a year before we ever bought a drone. We reached out to the public, we reached out to the ACLU, we developed policies," said Capt. Redmond.

CVPD was the only law enforcement agency selected for the FAA's Integration Pilot Project, a federal initiative designed to help integrate drones into the National Air Space.

“We are the only agency in the entire country to be staging drones and launching them for calls for service, for emergencies," said Capt. Redmond.

Perched on tall buildings, the drones are prepped and ready to respond to calls. Like a self-driving car, the drone can get to a scene with the push of a button.

The drone is often the first to arrive, live streaming video to officers in real-time.

Agent Matt Hardesty, a DFR teleoperator, decides which calls to send the drone to.

“I can hear something, the urgency, and can typically be on scene in 120 seconds, many times before the call is typed and entered into the dispatch center," said Agent Hardesty.

A 27-year veteran of the force, officers in the field rely on his experience to get the most accurate information in fast-moving situations.

“It is probably by far the best de-escalation tool I’ve ever seen in my career," said Hardesty. "We get calls of people possibly armed, and with the powerful camera I’m able to zoom in and be able to see if their hands are empty and be able to let officers on the ground know.”

In 2019, the drone responded to a report of a man waving a handgun outside a taco shop. Within 90 seconds, Agent Hardesty had eyes on the suspect.

Through the live stream, officers confirmed the suspect was holding what looked to be a gun but saw he was sitting down and not threatening anyone.

“As we watched him with the drone footage, and the officers watched, they soon saw him take that handgun and light a cigarette and we realized it was a lighter," said Capt. Redmond. "So, officers immediately made contact. No guns were drawn. No shooting.”

The department launches drones from two locations and is working with the FAA to establish three more. Redmond says this would give the department 100 percent coverage of the city.

The agency is also the first to live stream 911 calls directly to officers.

“As opposed to getting the paraphrase of what the caller told the call-taker, who then tells the dispatcher, who paraphrases it and gives the officers just a small amount of information," said Redmond.

Officers get information quickly and can make decisions based on what they see and hear minutes before arriving at a call.

Agencies in the U.S., and around the world, are now looking to adopt the drone program. But innovations designed to rebuild trust can also sow mistrust in communities.

More than just technology, agencies must invest in transparency, which Redmond says has been the key to their program's success.

An unnamed Delta Airlines passenger faces a $27,500 fine for allegedly hitting a flight attendant in the face back in October.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced the news of Friday in a press release, stating the incident occurred on a flight from Miami to Atlanta on Oct. 19.

The FAA said the passenger was traveling with and sitting next to another passenger who refused to wear his mask, secure his seat tray table, and fasten his seat belt.

As a result, the flight returned to the gate, and the passengers were asked to get off the plane.

The agency said the passenger facing the fine ignored the flight attendant’s instructions to deplane, began swearing at the flight attendant and other passengers and then struck the flight attendant under her left eye.

The FAA strictly enforces a zero-tolerance policy toward passengers who cause disturbances on flights or fail to obey flight crew instructions.

According to the news release, the unnamed passenger has 30 days to respond.

An unnamed JetBlue Airlines passenger faces a $14,500 fine for forcing a flight to turn around in December for not wearing a mask.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced the news of Friday in a press release, stating the incident occurred on a flight from New York to the Dominican Republic on Dec. 23.

The FAA said the passenger refused to wear a mask, crowded the traveler next to him, and wouldn't stop consuming alcohol he brought onto the plane.

According to the FAA, the passenger continued to disobey both JetBlue and FAA policies despite repeated warnings from flight attendants.

The pilot declared an emergency after being notified twice of the passenger's actions and returned the plane to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City.

According to the FAA, the plane landed 4,000 pounds overweight because of the unused fuel.

The unnamed passenger has 30 days to respond to its enforcement letter.