AP/Lang
1/23/20
The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating what caused a University of Iowa research drone to crash in a mobile home park near the Iowa City Municipal Airport.
The drone came down Dec. 18 next to a home on Bayridge Drive in the Lake Ridge manufactured housing community, strewing shattered parts nearby but striking no one. It did cause an estimated $100 in damage to lawn ornaments.
The university reported that the 100-pound aircraft became unresponsive before crashing. The professor who was remotely operating it has declined to comment until the investigation is completed.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office says the drone had a wingspan of 18 feet, weighed 100 pounds and had a 100cc engine with a rear propeller. It was a total loss at an estimated $300,000.
The FAA was initially not going to investigate, as the organization generally does not investigate crashes of drones weighing less than 300 pounds.