Per the NTSB, drones ARE aircraft:
On November 18, 2014, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB ) reversed an earlier decision by an NTSB Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), and held that unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are properly considered “aircraft” and subject to Federal regulations that prohibit operation of “an aircraft in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another.” See Michael P. Huerta, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration v. Raphael Pirker, NTSB Order No. EA-5730, Docket CP-217 (Nov. 18, 2014).
The NTSB determined that the statutory language defining aircraft was broad enough to encompass unmanned aircraft. The definition of aircraft is “any contrivance invented, used, or designed to navigate, or fly in, the air.” The NTSB further concluded that the FAA was within its regulatory rights to determine that the regulation prohibiting careless or reckless operations applied to unmanned aircraft just as it does to manned aircraft. In conclusion, the NTSB stated “this case calls upon us to ascertain a clear, reasonable definition of “aircraft” for purposes of the prohibition on careless and reckless operation in[the Federal Aviation Regulation]. We must look no further than the clear, unambiguous plain language [of the statute]” that an “ aircraft” is any “device” used for flight in the air.” The NTSB stated that this included “any aircraft, manned or unmanned, large or small.”
(Quotes from other sources)
