Miltary Says Runaway Drone Violated Capital Airspace

DENVER (Aug. 26) -- A military drone that was supposed to be remotely controlled broke off contact with its operators and wandered into restricted airspace around the nation's capital, the military has revealed.

More than an hour into what was otherwise a normal flight, pilots remotely operating the MQ-8 Fire Scout lost contact with the unmanned helicopter on Aug. 2. The drone then traveled 23 miles away from Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland and toward Washington. Though it never reached the District of Columbia, it did cross into the National Capital Region airspace, which is restricted.

An undated handout image shows an MQ-8B Fire Scout drone flying over the Atlantic Ocean.

Daniel J. McLain, US Navy / AP

An unmanned MQ-8 Fire Scout aircraft similar to the one shown went off course during testing on Aug. 2 and entered restricted airspace near the nation's capital, the Navy said Wednesday.

"The operator team shifted to [the] other Ground Control Station, restoring link and successfully commanding vehicle to recover at Webster Field," Capt. Tim Dunigan, the Fire Scout program manager, said in a statement released to AOL News. "The aircraft returned to Webster Field safely without injuries, and without damage to the aircraft or vessel."

The lost communication link was attributed to a software anomaly that has since been identified and fixed, Dunigan said.

News of the runaway drone was released amid a popular industry conference dedicated to unmanned aircraft and robots being held in Denver. It also comes at a time when supporters of drones are trying to convince the Federal Aviation Administration to loosen restrictions on operating unmanned aircraft in civil airspace.

Speaking Wednesday at the conference in Denver, Air Force official Gerald Sayer briefed attendees on the Defense Department's plans to have the military fly drones more freely in civilian airspace. "We want to have full access to the National Airspace," he said.

He warned, however, that a major accident involving an unmanned aircraft would have major repercussions on the Pentagon's efforts. "That would set us back at least a decade," he said.

Asked about the Fire Scout incident, Sayer said he was unsure of the specific details, but pointed out that it had "corrected itself" and avoided any accident.

"These things happen," he said.

The Navy office in charge of the unmanned helicopters has suspended flights until its investigation into the incident is completed.

"We are in the final stages of the investigation and plan on briefing leadership next week," said Dunigan, the program manager. "We anticipate resuming flight operations in early September."