Drone Rules for Monumento Santa Rita de Cássia
The airspace over and surrounding the Monumento a Santa Rita de Cássia (Santa Cruz, RN) is classified as a restricted High-Density Pilgrimage Sanctuary and Low-Altitude Aviation Hazard Zone.
The Monumento a Santa Rita de Cássia, located atop the Alto de Santa Rita in the city of Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte, is one of the largest religious statues in the world. Standing at an imposing 56 meters tall (surpassing the Christ the Redeemer statue in height), this colossal concrete monument is the centerpiece of a major religious tourism complex that attracts thousands of pilgrims weekly.
Operating an unauthorized civilian drone near this massive monument presents high security and physical risks:
Severe Kinetic Risk to Crowds: The open plazas, viewpoints, and staircases surrounding the base of the statue are regularly packed with large numbers of tourists and worshippers. If a civilian drone suffers a battery failure, mechanical breakdown, or loss of control, it will fall directly into densely populated pedestrian zones from a significant height.
Complex Hillside Aerodynamics: The monument sits on a high, exposed hill where atmospheric conditions change rapidly. The site is subject to strong, unpredictable wind drafts and thermal currents that can easily overpower the stabilization systems of recreational drones, causing them to crash into the statue's structure.
Low-Altitude Aircraft Corridors: The airspace in the region is frequently used by medical evacuation helicopters, military flights, and small regional aircraft operating at low altitudes. An uncoordinated drone introduces an immediate risk of a mid-air collision.
The entire sanctuary area is monitored by local security and municipal authorities. Any civilian drone attempting to operate over the complex without a formal flight plan approved via DECEA's SARPAS NG—along with specific authorization from the sanctuary administration—is strictly prohibited. Violators face immediate grounding of the aircraft, equipment seizure, and federal administrative fines under DECEA instruction ICA 100-40.