Unmanned MQ-9 Reaper's Program Fails, U.S. Air Force Shoots Drone While Drifting Over Afghan Airspace

September 15, 2009 5:00 a.m. EST

Kabul, Afghanistan (AHN) - An unmanned MQ-9 Reaper drone was spotted Sunday by the U.S. Air Force drifting over Afghan air space. The drone's program, supposed to be fail-safe, apparently was not functioning prompting the American Air Force to deploy a manned aircraft which shot down the MQ-9.

Pilots of the armed and unmanned Reaper drone lost control of it a few days ago. According to the Air Force the Reaper hit the side of a mountain in a remote part of Afghanistan, but there were no reports of injuries to civilians or damage to civilian properties in the area.

The incident is being investigated.

This is not the first time such an incident took place. On Sept. 11, an MQ-11 Predator crashed at the Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, while another Predator crashed Monday in Iraq even if it was not hit by hostile fire.