A golden eagle attacked and stole a drone in midair never to be found again.

Adam Culbertson was flying his DJI Avata near Torrey, Utah, USA, on October 6 capturing stunning shots of the rock formations below him.

Suddenly the drone flashed up ‘impact detected’ as it was battered by a bird who gripped the drone’s blades in its talons.

Turning the Avata upside down, the camera filmed the underside of the eagle as it flew away with Adam’s $800 piece of equipment.

Adam said: “I have flown here for years, never seeing an eagle. The airspace was clear two minutes before the eagle grabbed it.

“I went through multiple stages of shock as I watched fly further and further away. This was an FPV drone so I was piloting it using VR goggles.

“It was surreal to witness this from the drones perspective. I kept thinking it would drop the drone but it appears as though it intended to bring it back to its nest.

“The drone was completely lost, about $800.”