A United States drone crash-landed at an airport in Seychelles Tuesday morning after experiencing engine problems just minutes into flight. The U.S. Air Force confirmed the crash happened at the Seychelles International Airport. The drone, which was not armed, was being used to monitor piracy off the coast of Africa.
"The cause of the incident is unknown and currently under investigation," the Air Force said in a statement.
According to a spokeswoman for Seychelles’ aviation authority, the MQ-9 drone was unable to stop at the end of the runway due to an “accelerated landing speed.” The unarmed aircraft caused a small fire upon impact, but the blaze was quickly extinguished and no one was injured. The runway was briefly shutdown.
Tuesday’s crash comes over a week after a U.S. drone crashed in eastern Iran. The Iranian government seized the wrecked RQ-170 Sentinel and displayed it on TV. President Barack Obama has submitted a formal request for the aircraft to be returned.
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