By Nicole Maxwell – Alamogordo Daily News
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper assigned to the 49th Wing sustained damage when it left the runway during takeoff at Holloman Air Force Base at about 8:30 a.m. Sept. 2.
No other aircraft were involved in the incident.
Emergency response teams were on scene as of Wednesday morning.
An investigation will be conducted by a board of qualified officers to determine the cause of the incident, a news release said.
Additional details will be released as they become available, the release said.
MQ-9 Reaper aircraft are armed, medium-altitude remotely piloted aircraft that are deployed against dynamic execution targets and sometimes are used for intelligence missions, according the U.S. Air Force.
The MQ-9 Reapers have been on Holloman Air Force Base since 2009.
MQ-9 Reapers have a 66 foot wingspan, are 12-and-a-half feet tall and are 36 feet long. MQ-9 Reapers can cruise at about 230 miles per hour, or 200 knots.
