Dronehavari

Full Sized Jet Fighter Drone, QF-4, Crashes Along Florida Highway 

A full sized jet fighter, modified into an unmanned target drone, spun out of control Wednesday morning and crashed along U.S. Route 98, a highway near Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. No injuries have been reported.

This is the second time in a week, according to WJHG's report (via Gizmodo), that a drone has gone down at Tyndall Air Force Base, located near Panama City, Florida. According to Tyndall Air Force Base's statement, the drone was a QF-4 - a modified F-4 Phantom, a full-sized jet fighter-bomber which was primarily used by the Air Force during the Vietnam War era. The drones are used as a realistic full-scale target for air-to-air weapons system tests.

Eyewitnesses said that the large drone came in "hard and fast," according to WJHG's report, and then exploded, sending up a huge black cloud of smoke. Last Wednesday morning, Tyndall Air Force Base destroyed a QF-4 drone over the Gulf of Mexico for "safety considerations during its return to base following a routine operation," according to the Air Force's statement.
The drone can be flown remotely, and according to the Air Force's fact sheet, an explosive device is placed in the QF-4 to destroy the aircraft remotely if it should become uncontrollable and pose a danger to those on the ground. As of yet, it's unclear whether this fail-safe worked, though a picture from the highway nearby, US 98, shows smoke billowing up from the ground.

The drone was assigned to the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group and crashed during take-off at 8:25 Wednesday morning. Authorities have closed the highway near the crash site. The road may be closed for up to 24 hours, and Panama City drivers headed to Mexico Beach are encouraged to use Highway 22 east to Highway 71 south as a detour.

A statement has been released by Tyndall Air Force Base on the incident:
"An unmanned Air Force QF-4 drone, assigned here to the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group, crashed on the drone runway during take-off at 8:25 a.m. today. No personnel were injured during the incident.
Base and local police and safety officials have closed Highway 98 and are anticipating that it will remain closed for up to 24 hours. This closure is being done strictly as a precautionary measure due to fires resulting from the crash and a small self-destruct charge carried on board the drone. The status of this device is unknown however, it is powered by a short-life battery which will be fully depleted in 24 hours.
The charge is used to destroy the drone if it leaves its pre-approved flight plan. Motorist traveling from Panama City to Mexico Beach, should use Hwy. 22 east to Hwy. 71 south, and from Mexico Beach to Panama City Hwy. 71 north to Hwy. 22 west.