The Associated Press and the Alamogordo (N.M.) Daily News are reporting that a drone aircraft from Holloman Air Force Base crashed Friday morning during a test. The crash has forced White Sands National Monument, where the test occured, to remain closed "until further notice."
Base officials say the QF-4 drone crashed around 9 a.m. Friday. They say the monument had been closed in advance to the test mission and will remain closed until further notice. Base officials say the cause of the crash isn’t immediately known and is under investigation.
Late last month U.S. Customs and Border Protection grounded its entire fleet of drones after one crashed off the coast of California during a patrol.
Also last month, Fronteras Desk reported on the start of drone testing in Texas, conducted by a team of university researchers.
White Sands National Monument — 275 square miles of white gypsum sand dunes — is located about 15 miles west of Alamogordo and 52 miles east of Las Cruces. It shares a name with the U.S. Army's White Sands Missle Range, and both are frequently closed for military testing.