QUITO – A Searcher drone went down in the sea off Ecuador’s Manabi province, said Capt. Fabricio Rueda, commander of the Naval Air Service’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron.

The drone crashed on Friday due to engine problems after one hour of flight time, the El Diario newspaper reported on its Web site.

The aircraft, registration number AN-251, was acquired in 2009 and had operated without any problems, the Naval Air Service’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron said.

The drone had been cleared for operation and there were no injuries associated with the crash, the squadron said.

Navy personnel are trying to recover the unmanned aircraft.

Enter your email address to subscribe to free headlines (and great cartoons so every email has a happy ending!) from the Latin American Herald Tribune: