Facebook drone accident probed
A U.S. safety agency is investigating an accident involving a massive experimental drone Facebook is developing to bring the internet to remote areas of the world.
No one was hurt in the incident, which came during the unmanned aircraft’s first test flight on June 28. It marks the latest hiccup in Facebook’s plans to wirelessly connect the world, after an explosion earlier this year that destroyed one of its satellites and political resistance to the service in India.
The high-altitude drone, which has a wingspan wider than a Boeing Co. 737 and is powered by four electric engines, suffered a “structural failure” as it was coming in for a landing, according to a previously undisclosed inquiry by the National Transportation Safety Board.
“We were happy with the successful first test flight and were able to verify several performance models and components including aerodynamics, batteries, control systems and crew training, with no major unexpected results,” the company said in an emailed statement.
While there has been no previous mention of the NTSB investigation or details about the incident, the company did say the drone, called Aquila, had had a structural failure in a July 21 web post.
The accident occurred near Yuma, Ariz., said Peter Knudson, a safety board spokesman. The board has classified the failure as an accident, meaning the damage was “substantial.” There was no damage on the ground, Knudson said.
The flying wing designed to eventually be solar powered so it can remain aloft for long stretches. The social media company is seeking to boost the percentage of people around the world who connect to the internet by leapfrogging groundbased infrastructure limitations.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he was “deeply disappointed” when a SpaceX rocket explosion Sept. 1 destroyed a Facebook satellite that would have helped spread internet access across Africa.
The company has also had political hurdles. In India, for example, Zuckerberg was surprised when people rejected the company’s offer of free web services that had Facebook at the center. Locals saw it as a poorly disguised land grab of the Indian internet market, instead of a charitable project.
Facebook’s drone has a wingspan of 141 feet and weighs 900 pounds. It has no traditional fuselage and is built almost entirely of thin black wings. It flies slowly, using only the energy required to power three hair driers, according to Facebook.
Aquila is designed to fly for months at a time, using solar energy to replenish batteries at altitudes above 60,000 feet.