• The man was caught flying the drone at a classic car event in Sweden.
  • His blood alcohol level was 0.69, several times over Sweden’s 0.2 legal limit.
  • Now, he faces nearly $3,000 in fines for the drunken drone-flying offense.

Drone technology is amazing these days so it’s no wonder that more people are getting into it. With that widespread adoption, we’re starting to see things we’ve never observed before. In America, that recently led to hundreds of drone sightings over New Jersey between November and December 2024. Meanwhile, in Sweden, it led to something far more unexpected: the country’s first-ever charge of drunk driving (or rather piloting) a drone.

Evidently, the situation went down in July of last year during a classic car event. Police in the area were flying their own drone over the grounds when they noticed a privately flown drone in the same area. That was a problem since the air space was restricted for the event so officers located the operator.

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When authorities found him, the 55-year-old drone pilot had a blood alcohol level of 0.69 milliliters per milliliter. The legal BAC limit in Sweden is 0.2, and drunk driving laws are relatively strict. According to Swedish broadcaster SVT, the authorities applied the drunk driving penalty scale to determine the fine in this case.

“It is an aircraft, even though it is flown by itself, it is controlled by someone down on the ground and can fall from a high height and injure someone,” explains Karin Hellmont, the District Court President. That framing explains why the penalty itself sounds so harsh.

The man will pay a fine of 32,000 Kronor, which translates to about US$2,900 based on current exchange rates. All signs point to this being the first case of its kind in the country. No doubt, this will make other drone enthusiasts think twice before having a drink and taking to the skies

Notably, Japan already has a law against drunk piloting a drone. There, the fine for those found guilty is 300,000 yen or around $1,940 US. Interestingly, those flying drones in the USA are supposed to register with the FAA and maintain a blood alcohol level below 0.04. The message here is clear; piloting a drone while intoxicated is a no-fly zone