Drone owner warned after crashing it into Queenstown hotel

The quadcopter with attached camera is worth about $1800.

A man who crashed a drone into a Queenstown hotel and then left the scene could be prosecuted for breaking civil aviation rules.

The man was seen flying the drone in Earnslaw Park with friends on Tuesday night.

Despite being warned by a bystander that he was breaking the law by flying it after sunset, he later crashed it into the Peppers Beacon hotel.

Senior Constable Chris Blackford, of Queenstown police, said the drone was handed in to police on Wednesday.

The DJI Phantom Vision quadcopter, which has a camera and is worth about $1800, had minor damage.

The man may have been too embarrassed to retrieve it, Mr Blackford said.

The owner, who is believed to be a Chinese tourist, was spoken to before the incident by Queenstown resident Colin Aitchison, who operates drones for his aerial photography company. He told him flying after sunset was illegal and he risked getting into trouble with police.

A drone flown in an urban area by an unskilled operator could be dangerous, yet their numbers in Queenstown had grown rapidly from three or four two years ago to about 40, he said.

Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Mike Eng said the agency was considering public submissions on a draft rule for unmanned aircraft operations, and expected to submit that to Transport Minister Simon Bridges next month.