Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Crashes Into Field During Test Flight In UP's Etawah

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) prototype of LAT Aerospace crashed into a field near a village after it lost control during a test flight from the Safai airstrip here, officials said on Saturday.

The incident occurred on Friday evening after the company, with prior permission from the Civil Aviation Department, was conducting a test of its UAV prototype at the Saifai airstrip.

During the test, the aerial vehicle developed a mechanical snag and went out of control before crashing into a field near the Nandpur village, they said.

युद्ध के वातावरण में अचानक किसी खेत में एक बड़े ड्रोन के, गेहूँ के खेत में गिरने से इटावा ज़िले के सैफई इलाके के नंदपुर गाँव में दहशत और अफ़रातफ़री मच गयी। लोगों ने सोचा कहीं कोई मिसाइल तो नहीं, जो युद्ध क्षेत्र से भटक कर यहाँ आ गिरी है।

अगर ये किसी सरकारी परीक्षण-टेस्ट या… pic.twitter.com/2tlICy92BK

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) April 4, 2026

The crash triggered curiosity among locals, who rushed to the spot after spotting the aircraft lying in the field and alerted the police. A police team reached the site promptly and secured the wreckage with assistance from a fire brigade.

Confirming the incident, Additional District Magistrate Abhinav Ranjan Srivastava said LAT Aerospace was granted prior approval to use the Saifai airstrip for testing its UAV prototype.

Yesterday, a small prototype aircraft of a brand new design from LAT Aerospace crashed into a wheat field near Saifai during a ground roll test. Strong winds caused loss of control, and immediate crash.

We've reached out to the farmer whose crop was damaged and have already…

— LAT Aerospace (@lataerospace) April 4, 2026

He added that the crash occurred due to a technical fault during the test.

"No loss of life or damage to standing crops has been reported. There is no threat to public safety or law and order," the official said.

In a post on X, LAT Aerospace said the crash took place during a ground roll test and was caused by strong winds leading to loss of control.

The company said it has contacted the farmer whose crop was affected and ensured full compensation.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)