Two sailors were hurt when an aerial target malfunctioned and crashed into a guided missile cruiser off the coast of Southern California. The sailors were treated for minor burns in the Saturday afternoon incident, said Lt. Lenaya Rotklein of the U.S. Third Fleet.
The ship, the USS Chancellorsville, was testing combat weapons system off the coast of Point Mugu.
The sailors aboard the USS Chancellorsville were using the drone to test the ship’s radar-tracking system, something done on a regular basis. The drone, a 13-foot-long aircraft with a wingspan of nearly 6 feet, was being controlled from Point Mugu.
Around 1:25 p.m., the drone slammed into the port side of the ship, a guided missile cruiser with a crew of about 300. The ship sustained some damage and is returning to its home port of San Diego, the Navy said.
The Navy is investigating the cause of the malfunction.
Photo: USS Chancellorsville