Jeremy Childs – Ventura County Star
An unmanned helicopter crashed during a flight at Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu on Friday afternoon, base officials said.
The copter, an MQ-8B Fire Scout, was in flight around 12:21 p.m. when one of its main rotors clipped a building at the air station. The crash caused superficial damage to the building and no injuries were reported, according to a news release from Naval Base Ventura County.
Firefighters with the naval base’s Federal Fire Department responded to the crash and applied firefighting foam to the scene as a precaution, though no fire or explosion were reported as a result of the crash.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The MQ-8B Fire Scout is part of the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23, based out of Naval Air Station North Island. The copter is used to provide reconnaissance, situational awareness and precision targeting for ground, air and sea forces, according to naval officials. It was at the air station at Point Mugu as part of a training detachment.
The Fire Scout is not the only unmanned aircraft program to be brought to the naval base. Plans are also underway to bring over MQ-25A Stingrays, which are used for refueling combat fighters.
