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 A Texas search-and-rescue group, Texas EquuSearch, had challenged
the FAA's drone policy against using unmanned aerial vehicle for
search-and-rescue operations in a case filed in April.
Texas EquuSearch, which is a privately funded not-for-profit
organization, uses sonar boat, an unmanned aircraft, foot searchers,
ATVs, horses and helicopters to find missing persons, according to
information available on its website.
The FAA had argued in a June letter to the court that anyone wishing
to operate an aircraft in the United States - other than hobbyists
operating model aircraft - must obtain FAA approval.
However, the email communication against using drones was not a
formal cease-and-desist order, which follows a formal investigation,
the FAA had said.
"The challenged email communication from a Federal Aviation
Administration employee did not represent the consummation of the
agency’s decision-making process, nor did it give rise to any legal
consequences," according to the court decision filed on Friday.
Three judges of the U.S. appeals court for the district of Columbia
circuit threw out the case, saying "this court lacked the authority
to review a claim where an agency merely expresses its view..."
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The case is Federal Aviation Administration v. Texas Equusearch
Mounted Search and Recovery Team, et al, U.S. court of appeals for
the district of Columbia circuit, No. 14-1061.
(Reporting by Amrutha Gayathri and Devika Krishna Kumar in
Bangalore; Editing by Ken Wills)
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