A Risk Based Assessment of a small UAS Cargo Delivery Operation in Proximity to Urban Areas

A whole host of applications for the use of small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have been enabled by new regulation for this class of system. However, much work remains to establish appropriate regulatory infrastructure that allows UAS to operate for commerce over populated areas. The magnitude of that effort is compounded by the wide-ranging variety of UAS types and possible Concepts of Operation (ConOps), as well as the diversity in quality and provenance of UAS components. This paper introduces a case study to investigate hazards posed by a small unmanned rotorcraft operating in proximity to a suburban environment for the purpose of package delivery. A potential mitigation to some of these hazards involves the use of an assured containment system, which is different from a common geofencing application. The proposed assured containment system is expected to reduce the risk posed by the operation, which may then be conducted in compliance with the parameters for operation outlined in 14 CFR Part 107, Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems [1].

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