FAA Suspends nuWay Ag’s Mike Yoder Over Drone Deer and Sled Lifts

Mike Yoder, co-owner of Ohio agricultural drone company nuWay Ag and founder of Drone Deer Recovery, says he has accepted a 180-day FAA suspension of his remote pilot certificate over YouTube videos showing heavy-lift drones carrying a deer carcass, logs and a person on a sled. He announced the settlement in a video on 13 October 2026 that passed 300,000 views in two days, and expects his certificate back around April 2027.

The case is a warning for anyone flying drones over 55 pounds: an agricultural exemption covers spraying and spreading, not general lifting. Most details below come from Yoder’s own account, as reported by DroneXL; the FAA has not published a statement.

Quick answer

What the videos showed

Yoder runs a YouTube channel showing what large agricultural drones can do. Three videos drew the FAA’s attention, according to the letter Yoder described: a drone hauling a deer carcass out of the woods, a drone lifting logs off a tree job, and a drone pulling a person on a sled. Yoder says the sled test was for a professional lifeguard, to see whether a large drone could tow a big-wave surfer in a rescue. He says every flight was on private land with no uninvolved people present.

Why a deer isn’t agriculture

Drones heavier than 55 pounds cannot fly under Part 107, the FAA’s small-drone rule. Agricultural operators like nuWay fly them under an FAA exemption combined with a Part 137 agricultural aircraft operator certificate. Under 14 CFR 137.3, agricultural aircraft operations involve dispensing substances such as pesticides, fertiliser or seed, or other dispensing for agriculture, horticulture or forest preservation. A deer carcass or a log is not dispensed, so in the FAA’s reading those lifts are not covered by the exemption.

Yoder’s side argued in an informal meeting that some lifting tasks, such as moving a generator or cutting a Christmas tree, are farm work. The FAA did not accept that, Yoder says. DroneXL’s Haye Kesteloo, writing about the case, said the FAA read Part 137 correctly, while criticising the slow process that left Yoder without a clear path to authorisation.

How it unfolded

1. September 2024: An FAA inspector called Yoder after finding his channel while investigating another complaint. In a recording Yoder played, the inspector said the deer work did not look like agriculture, and when asked what would cover it said: “I just don’t know what it would land under.”
2. The following year: Yoder’s team petitioned the FAA for heavy-lift authority. Each response took about three months and asked for more information.
3. About a year after the call: Yoder posted a tree-removal job, saying he went ahead because the FAA had no clear answer. He believes this prompted the formal investigation.
4. FAA letter: The agency cited all three videos and named four parties: Yoder, Miller, nuWay Ag and Drone Deer Recovery. It treated the flights as Part 91 operations and alleged careless or reckless operation.
5. Settlement: The FAA initially proposed suspending Yoder’s private pilot certificate for 275 days, he says. He agreed instead to a 180-day suspension of his remote pilot certificate to keep a reckless-operation finding off his private pilot record.

Yoder says he offered to pay double the proposed penalty against Miller if the FAA left his remote pilot certificate alone; the FAA declined. The video did not say what happened to the proposed penalties against Miller, nuWay Ag or Drone Deer Recovery, and Yoder did not mention an appeal.

What Yoder can still do

Under 14 CFR 107.12(a)(2), someone without a valid certificate may manipulate the controls of a small drone under the direct supervision of a remote pilot in command who can take over immediately. Heavy-lift spraying and demonstrations are off the table for him until the suspension ends. nuWay sells a Part 137 “Fast Pass” programme, at $800 a month, that lets qualified applicators spray 55-pound-plus drones as contractors under nuWay’s certificate; DroneXL’s report does not say whether the settlement affects it. Yoder says he has hired attorneys to write new exemption petitions for practical farm lifts, such as flying an irrigation pump to a centre pivot, and puts his legal costs in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Lessons for heavy-lift drone operators

• Read your exemption. A Part 137 approval covers dispensing. Lifting equipment, game or people is a different operation that needs its own authorisation.
• YouTube is evidence. The FAA inspector found Yoder’s channel during an unrelated investigation. Published videos of flights can become the basis of an enforcement case.
• Rescue flights have a route. Civilian search-and-rescue crews can fly under Part 107 if drone and payload stay under 55 pounds, and may drop gear if it creates no undue hazard (14 CFR 107.23(b)); hazardous materials are barred (14 CFR 107.36). The FAA’s emergency Special Governmental Interest process can approve urgent flights as amendments to an existing authorisation.
• Heavier rules are coming slowly. The FAA’s Part 108 rule for beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations is still unsigned; see our Part 108 tracker.

For more on what agricultural drones may and may not do in the US, see our spray drone ban explainer and how to start a drone business.

Frequently asked questions

Why did the FAA suspend Mike Yoder’s drone licence?

According to Yoder, the FAA said heavy-lift flights shown in his videos, carrying a deer carcass, logs and a person on a sled, fell outside his Part 137 agricultural exemption and were careless or reckless. He agreed to a 180-day suspension of his remote pilot certificate.

Can you use an agricultural drone to carry a deer?

Not under a Part 137 agricultural certificate alone. Part 137 covers dispensing substances such as pesticides or seed; lifting a deer carcass is a different operation that needs separate FAA authorisation if the drone weighs 55 pounds or more.

What drones can fly under Part 107?

Drones weighing less than 55 pounds including payload. Heavier drones need an FAA exemption.

How long is Mike Yoder’s FAA suspension?

180 days, with his certificate expected back around April 2027.

Can drones be used for search and rescue?

Yes. Civilian crews can fly under Part 107 with drones under 55 pounds, and the FAA’s Special Governmental Interest process can approve urgent flights.

Cover photo: an agricultural spray drone at an International Rice Research Institute demonstration in the Philippines, not a nuWay Ag aircraft. Photo: Christopher Hedreyd, PIA, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

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Sources

• DroneXL: nuWay Ag’s Yoder takes FAA drone suspension (15 October 2026)
• nuWay Ag: Mike Yoder’s video on the FAA settlement (13 October 2026)
• 14 CFR 137.3: Definitions (eCFR)
• 14 CFR 107.12: Remote pilot certificate requirement (eCFR)
• 14 CFR 107.23: Hazardous operation (eCFR)
• FAA: Emergency situations and the SGI process