UAV - Unpiloted Aerial Vehicle
Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 0; Flight Crew Total 130; Flight Crew Type 120
Training / Qualification; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors
A small unmanned aerial systems operator was flying a multi rotor copter at night over non-participating people at [a park] in St. Paul. The operator did not maintain situational awareness and line of sight at all times as the air vehicle passed behind trees. The waterfowl in the area were disturbed by the presence of the sUAS and moved away from the sUAS. Como Lake serves as a visual reporting point for approach to St. Paul Downtown Airport. The operator was on the east side of the lake on a peninsula jutting out into the lake just inside the Class D airspace for St. Paul Downtown Airport. The sUAS was equipped with nonstandard aircraft lighting. A person with me stated they saw a second sUAS without any aircraft lighting. I was unable to see the second one. The lighted aircraft stayed over nonparticipating people for about a minute.
A ground observer reported a UAV was operated at night over a group of people in a public park.