The Russian Postal Service's first drone delivery crashes almost immediately

It went up and then it went down. That’s the short version of what happened to the Russian Postal Service’s first drone delivery, which crashed shortly after taking off in Ulan-Ude on Monday, April 2. Carrying a small package, the aircraft launched, flew into the sky, and then barreled straight into a nearby house, smashing into pieces. It was supposed to journey more than nine miles to the village of Nizhny Sayantui. It didn’t make it.

The postal service’s director, Nikolai Podguzov, and the head of the Republic of Buryatia, Alexey Tsydenov, were both on hand for the launch. Before the crash, Tsydenov said his region plans to start manufacturing its own drones. After the delivery failed, he blamed the accident on Wi-Fi interference.

No bystanders were injured when the drone came down, and the package is apparently still intact. The drone, which was damaged beyond repair, reportedly cost the Postal Service 1.2 million rubles ($20,900).

Photo on front page: Flash Siberia / Twitter