Small UAS; Multi Rotor
Flight Crew Remote Pilot (UAS)
Flight Crew Last 90 Days (UAS) 2; Flight Crew Total (UAS) 80; Flight Crew Type (UAS) 5
Confusion; Human-Machine Interface; Training / Qualification; Situational Awareness
Airspace Violation All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Unauthorized Flight Operations (UAS); Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Chart Or Publication; Software and Automation
Myself and a Visual Observer were sent to take commercial video/photographs of the [event] football stadium. We picked a location that was safe and away from traffic and non-participants. We made sure that there were no active games inside the stadium at the time of our flight. We checked the airspace via 'Skyward i/o'. The Skyward system told us that we were not inside any controlled airspace and there were no conflicts; so we were comfortable with flying the UAV. It was not until this morning; when I went to enter and upload our flight data that I realized our UAV had crossed over in ZZZ Class C controlled airspace for a portion of the flight. The desktop version of Skyward i/o is much more precise than the app we use in the field; so it was immediately obvious that I had made a mistake. The other issue was that when we did our pre-flight check of the area; the satellite image of that particular intersection was old; and did not match the buildings that are there now. Because of this; we were confused by our location. We were in a different location than we thought; but only a matter of less than a block difference. Now I can see where we made our mistake. Also; the aircraft controller confused us because it gives us alerts for hobbyists; but does not take into account our part 107 certificate; so we ignored the map warnings on our controller. The printed sectional chart does not give close enough detail to exact street locations; so we were forced to use the Skyward map in this particular case. I am reporting the incident to be as transparent as possible: I did not realize what had happened at the time; and I'm letting you know as soon as I discovered the incident. The incursion was very small; but I do understand the seriousness of the mistake; and I take it very seriously. My plan moving forward will be to file a detailed plan with Skyward i/o ahead of every mission to check for possible conflicts and not rely on the phone app. Also; I will need to use more current and detailed maps/satellites for site checks in the future. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions. Thank you.
Part 107 UAS pilot learned after a flight they had flown inside controlled airspace without a clearance. Flight was completed safely without incident.