Roosevelt Roads Drone Incident

Robert Sanders sent the following account. He served with VMFA-251 from 1964 to 1966. See Dorneker Account for background.

I was the NCO working on the autopilot system on that F4 the day the drone got that F4.

Got frustrated with the autopilot system and took my crew off the plane about 10 minutes before the drone got it.

We were on a 6x6 going to lunch about 500 feet from the F4 and saw the drone hit it.

I was in Detroit several years later at a company breakfast meeting and was sitting right next to the T28 pilot that lost control of that drone. Incredible!!