This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/28/us-border-patrol-drone-crashes-california-mexico
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| US border patrol drone crashes off California coast | US border patrol drone crashes off California coast |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| An American drone that is part of a fleet that patrols the border with Mexico has crashed off the coast of southern California. | An American drone that is part of a fleet that patrols the border with Mexico has crashed off the coast of southern California. |
| Customs and Border Protection said the drone was looking for drug and people smugglers when a mechanical problem developed about 20 miles south-west of San Diego late on Monday. Spokesman Mike Friel said the Arizona-based crew operating the drone decided to crash it in the Pacific ocean. | |
| The $12m surveillance drone was part of a fleet of 10 the Department of Homeland Security uses to patrol the border. It was just one of two maritime Predator B drones equipped with radar specifically designed to be used over the ocean. | |
| Friel said the cause of the mechanical failure was unknown, and the fleet would be grounded pending an investigation. There were no injuries as a result of the landing. | |
| The agency last lost a drone was over Arizona in 2006, shortly after the program began. That crash was the result of an operating crew error. | The agency last lost a drone was over Arizona in 2006, shortly after the program began. That crash was the result of an operating crew error. |