Reaper Drone Crashes Into Lake Ontario (VIDEO)

by Austin Petersen

 How Safe Are These Things? 

OSWEGO – A MQ-9 reaper drone crashed into Lake Ontario today and has sparked a debate about the safety issues regarding the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. The drone costs $14.4 million and was believed to have crashed due to inclement weather. There is a full squadron of these vehicles assigned to the 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field. Pilots at this field remotely pilot the drones over Afghanistan. [contextly_sidebar id=”c5e5a2ce26c05f08b66ce5a98644b3b4″]

The drone in question launched from Fort Drum is the most accident prone in the Air Force. Per 100,000 hours of flying they have 9.31 accidents, compared to 3.03 for the full Air Force fleet.

Syracuse peace activist Ed Kinane is saying that the accident rate is a reason why drones should be banned from operating. He is joining local protestors opposed to the use of drones. “One of the notorious things about drones and Reapers is their high accident rate,” Kinane said. “A general concern is that because the military is so in love with drones and the Reaper, it appears they have rushed these things into production.” Kinane is traveling to Washington D.C. this week to join the 2013 drone summit that is occurring. 



Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.

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