Protection , crashed in a sparsely-populated area near Nogales , Arizona . There were no injuries , but the aircraft , which has a 66-foot wingspan , was `` substantially damaged , '' the NTSB said . The probable cause of the accident was the failure of the pilot -- who was operating the aircraft remotely -- to follow checklist procedures when switching operational control from a console that had locked up , the agency said . That resulted in the fuel valve 's being inadvertently shut off and a total loss of engine power to the aircraft . Another cause , the NTSB said , was the lack of a flight instructor in the ground control station . But in a meeting Tuesday , the board highlighted areas of interest including the design and certification of unmanned aircraft ; pilot qualification and training ; and audio records of all UAV operations-related communications , among others . The Federal Aviation Administration does n't require a pilot 's certificate to operate a drone . `` This investigation has raised questions about the different standards for manned and unmanned aircraft and the safety implications of this discrepancy , '' Rosenker said in
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pilot error was to blame in the April 2006 crash of an unmanned aircraft , despite the fact no pilot was on board , the National Transportation Safety Board said in its accident report issued Tuesday -- the NTSB 's first-ever investigation into an incident involving a drone . A drone similar to this one crashed near Nogales , Arizona , on April 25 , 2006 . The agency also issued 22 safety recommendations for unmanned aircraft . It `` is an indication of the scope of the safety issues these unmanned aircraft are bringing into the National Airspace System , '' NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said in a statement . The unmanned aerial vehicles have been touted as a possible solution to several issues facing the United States , from drug trafficking to illegal border crossings . But , as the NTSB report shows , integrating them into the nation 's airspace raises questions regarding their safety status -- and whether they should be held to a different standard than manned aircraft . On April 25 , 2006 , a turboprop-powered Predator B , operated on a surveillance mission by U.S. Customs and Border