A Dutch visitor to Yellowstone National Park has been fined more than $3,000 after crashing a drone into Grand Prismatic Spring in August. Theodorus Van Vliet pleaded guilty in federal court this week to violating a park ban against operating an unmanned aircraft. He was fined $1,000 and ordered to pay over $2,200 in restitution. Van Vliet's mishap drew global attention after his small, remote-controlled helicopter drone plunged into the largest hot spring in Yellowstone. Continue Reading →
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Visitor fined, banned from Yellowstone for summer drone crash
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A German tourist who crashed a drone into Yellowstone Lake has been banned from Yellowstone National Park for one year and ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 after pleading guilty in federal court this week. Appearing by telephone from Germany, Andreas Meissner, 37, pleaded guilty to three charges related to the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle in a national park. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Yellowstone, andreas meissner, crime, drones
Yellowstone cracking down use of aerial camera drones
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Just weeks after a visitor crashed a drone into Yellowstone National Park's largest hot spring, park officials have filed criminal charges against the alleged pilot, and are stepping up their efforts to publicize and enforce a ban on unmanned aerial vehicles in the park. Theodorus Van Vliet of the Netherlands has been charged in connection with an Aug. 2 incident in which authorities say he crashed his unmanned aircraft into Grand Prismatic Spring. The drone sank into the popular hot spring and has not been found. Van Vliet is cooperating with the ongoing investigation and faces up to $5,000 in fines and/or six months in jail if found guilty. Continue Reading →
Filed under: News, Yellowstone, drones, enforcement, grand prismatic spring, midway geyser basin
Pre-ban drone videos offer aerial views of Yellowstone, Grand Teton
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Though it is against Yellowstone National Park regulations to shoot videos using a drone, their use was not specifically prohibited until this summer. A handful of videos posted to YouTube offer a glimpse of why camera drones are so popular with professional photographers and casual visitors. Continue Reading →
Filed under: Grand Teton, Inside the Parks, Photos & Videos, Yellowstone, drones, enforcement, video
Visitor crashes drone into Yellowstone’s largest hot spring
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Officials are considering whether to use a manned helicopter flight to try and locate a drone that has crashed into the largest hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. Several eyewitnesses watched Saturday as a small drone aircraft crashed and sank into Grand Prismatic Spring, and the incident remains under investigation. Continue Reading →