An unmanned aircraft from Mexico crashed last week into the backyard of an El Paso, Texas, home, presumably while looking for drug smugglers along the U.S. border.

 

American officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were dispatched to investigate the accident, in which no one was hurt. But before the NTSB could examine the small drone, the Department of Homeland Security turned the aircraft over to Mexican officials.

 

The drone was reportedly an Orbiter Mini unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the Aeronautics Defense Systems, for use in military and Homeland Security missions. It has a wingspan of somewhat more than seven feet. Its manufacturer pitches the Orbiter Mini as “The ultimate solution for Over The Hill reconnaissance missions, Low Intensity Conflicts and Urban warfare operations.”

 

Officials at the Mexican Embassy in Washington, DC, said U.S. agencies approved the crash landing after they were informed the drone was experiencing mechanical problems.

 

The crash took place on Craddock Avenue, near its intersection with Yarbrough Drive.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Mexican Drone Crashes in Backyard of El Paso Home (by Diana Washington Valdez and Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times)

Mexico Government: No Laws Violated in Drone Crash (by Adriana Gómez Licón, El Paso Times)