http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40716199/ns/us_newsEL PASO, Texas — Federal authorities are investigating why a Mexican drone was in Texas airspace and what caused the unmanned surveillance aircraft to crash into a backyard in El Paso.
The crash occurred after sunset Tuesday behind a house in a former agricultural area, the El Paso Times reported Friday. Police Detective Mike Baranyay said no one was injured.
U.S. officials did not release the exact location of the crash. The neighborhood is separated from Mexico by the Rio Grande, floodlights, the 15- to 18-foot tall border fence, a chain-link fence, a line of poles with surveillance cameras and a highway, according to the newspaper.
"We responded to a concerned citizen's call and recovered a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which belonged to the Government of Mexico (GOM)," said Jenny L. Burke, a spokeswoman for Homeland Security, in a statement.
Keith Holloway, spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, described the drone as a mini orbiter unmanned aerial vehicle.
"We are collecting data about the crash. We don't have the aircraft because it was returned to its owner," Holloway said.
The lightweight drone is designed for use in military and homeland security missions, as well as low intensity conflicts and urban warfare operations, according to the manufacturer's website.

