Authorities Say He May Have Created A 'Substantial Risk Of Death Or Serious Injury'

The operator of an UAV that impacted the Seattle Space Needle on December 31 last year is under investigation by the Seattle Police Department for possibly creating a “substantial risk of death or serious physical injury.”

Television station KIRO reports that the 19-year-old operator has not been named because he has not been arrested or charged with a crime.

The operator was allegedly flying his aircraft near the Seattle landmark while workers set up a fireworks display for New Year's Eve. The aircraft impacted the deck of the structure near those workers, who retrieved the drone and downloaded the video. The video was shared by the Space Needle staff on January 11.

While the media has not named the operator, he is known. Space Needle employee Dave Mandapat told KIRO in January that the operator "came looking" for the aircraft. The DJI Inspire drone is still being held in evidence by the Seattle Police Department.

Investigators say that while the workers on the Space Needle do wear safety harnesses, there are times when they only have a handhold on the structure. If they were to be hit by a drone while untethered, "a worker could lose his/her grip on either the appliance, or their own footing, resulting in an arrested fall and equipment being lost over the side" of the 605-foot tall structure.

A search warrant issued by the Seattle Police Department indicates that the drone operator is reportedly not cooperating with investigators and has hired an attorney.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.seattle.gov/police