Predator goes down during training flight
An unmanned MQ-1B Predator spy plane crashed Tuesday on public land 11/2 miles west of Creech Air Force Base during a routine training mission, a spokeswoman for the 432nd Wing at the base said.
No injuries or property damage were reported. Base personnel responded to the crash site to work with local officials to secure the wreckage of the $4 million aircraft.
The crash occurred 8 a.m. Tuesday about 47 miles northwest of Las Vegas in a remote desert area managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
No military personnel or civilians were in the area at the time of the impact, said Capt. Brooke Brander, a spokeswoman for the 432nd Wing.
"We're still securing the site and picking up the pieces," she said, adding that investigators will determine what caused the aircraft to go down.
The aircraft was being controlled remotely from a ground station at Creech and was not armed with Hellfire missiles, Brander said.
Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.
