Social networking giant Facebook have been working on a solar-powered drone as part of the company's effort to bring Internet connection to hard-to-reach areas. In June, the drone crashed during a flight test. The National Transportation Safety Board investigation revealed on Friday that strong winds caused the drone's autopilot to malfunction and crashed.
According to federal regulators investigating the crash, the Facebook Aquila's autopilot system was confused by the sudden and powerful wind gusts while the drone was attempting to land in the Arizona desert, according to Recode.
Facebook initially reported that the drone's test flight was a success without ever mentioning the crash. In was not until November that the crash issue was brought up following a report from Bloomberg revealing what transpired during the test flight.
Bloomberg picked up an investigation launched by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is responsible for investigating all accidents involving drones that weight more than 300 pounds. No deaths or injuries related to the Facebook drone crash was reported.
According to Fortune, the National Transportation Safety Board investigation concluded that the drone experienced turbulence and high wind speeds during its descent. These factors prompted the drone's autopilot system to lower its nose which caused the drone to pick up speed. Moreover, the drone's right wing broke due to excessive wind gusts and increased airspeed.
Following the incident and as a reaction to the federal investigation, Facebook said that it is working on a new and updated version of its Aquila drones. Facebook said that it would integrate spoilers or air brakes to help the drone's autopilot system handle its landings much better. Facebook added that it is also making changes to the drone's autopilot so that it will not fly too fast while preparing to land.