Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021

Provision by remote pilots of information about UAS operators

2 (1) A constable may exercise the power conferred by this paragraph in relation to a person (P) if the constable—

(a) has reasonable grounds for believing that—

(i) a flight by an unmanned aircraft is taking place or has taken place, and

(ii) P is or was the remote pilot of the unmanned aircraft, and

(b) has reasonable grounds for suspecting that a relevant registration requirement is or was applicable as respects the UAS operator for the unmanned aircraft and the flight.

(2) The constable may require P to provide such information as the constable considers reasonable as to the identity of—

(a) the person or persons who are or were the UAS operator for the flight, or

(b) the person or persons who made the unmanned aircraft available for use by P.

(3) In this paragraph “relevant registration requirement” means a requirement imposed by, or referred to in, any of the following provisions of the ANO 2016—

(a) article 265A(5)(a) (open category: registration of UAS operator);

(b) article 265A(5)(b) (open category: display of UAS operator’s registration number);

(c) article 265A(6)(a) (specific category: registration of UAS operator);

(d) article 265A(6)(b) (specific category: display of UAS operator’s registration number);

(e) article 265A(7)(a) (specific category: registration of UAS operator);

(f) article 265A(7)(b) (specific category: display of UAS operator’s registration number);

(g) article 265A(9)(a) (specific category: registration of UAS operator);

(h) article 265A(9)(b) (specific category: display of UAS operator’s registration number);

(i) article 265E(1)(a) (registration of tethered small unmanned aircraft of 250g or more);

(j) article 265E(1)(b) (display of registration number of tethered small unmanned aircraft of 250g or more).

(4) P is guilty of an offence if—

(a) P fails to comply with a requirement imposed by a constable under this paragraph to provide, as respects a flight by an unmanned aircraft, information as to the identity of a person,

(b) P is or was the remote pilot of the unmanned aircraft for the flight,

(c) the relevant registration requirement which the constable had reasonable grounds for suspecting is or was applicable as respects the UAS operator for the unmanned aircraft and the flight is or was so applicable, and

(d) at the time when the constable imposed the requirement, P could have provided information of the kind which the constable required P to provide.

(5) A person who is guilty of an offence under this paragraph is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale.

(6) Paragraph 10 includes a defence to the offence under this paragraph.