That Sryan pilot was a dumbass if the report is true. The ceiling for a MANPADS missile is 15,000 ft.
Decades ago, I was a SHORAD Platoon Leader. Back then, we had Vulcan 20 mm cannons and Chaparral (Sidewinder) missile systems. Redeye & Stingers were usually found in infantry and armor divisions, as well.
The max effective range of a Vulcan was 1000 meters. In actuality, it was maybe 750m. Against supersonic aircraft, it was only good for spitting a bunch of tracers that would hopefully cause the pilot to stray from his flight path to his target.
The Chaparral had a max effective range of 2000 meters, under perfect conditions.
You're absolutely right over the farcical decision of the FAA. So long as they're flying at 30,000 feet, no MANPAD could get within two miles of an aircraft.
They were right by or actually controlling their airbase.