Crash landing brings US military testing to a halt in Belize
Love FM | Aerial testing being conducted by the United States Military is at a stand still following a crash landing yesterday at the Central Farm Airfield in Cayo. No one was injured and according to spokesperson for the operation Major Armando Hernandez the cause of the crash is under investigation.
Major Armando Hernandez; Spokesperson for the Operation
“Saturday morning at approximately ten hundred hours the YMQ18 Alpha/Forester accidentally impacted the ground on the runway. We are currently investigating what happened. There were no injuries, no fatalities. An investigation is undergoing to find out what happened. All test flights have been postponed pending the results of this investigation.”
The 45 day testing of the unmanned helicopter, the YMQ18A and the Forester Radar, began on August first with the assistance of the Belize Defense Force. The purpose of the test is to determine the helicopter and radar’s ability to function in a densely forested environment. Major Hernandez says that the YMQ8A/FORESTER testing team on the ground conducts daily coordination with the Belize Civil Aviation Authority to ensure safety during the evaluation of the system and ensures that no test flights occur over populated areas. He also said that if the tests resume after the investigation is complete the team will leave Belize on the date they had originally set September 15.
