'Pilot Error' Not Limited To Manned Aircraft Accidents | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Sun, Jan 28, 2007

'Pilot Error' Not Limited To Manned Aircraft Accidents

Cause Cited In August Predator UAV Crash

Air Force investigators ruled this week that pilot error caused an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle to crash during a training mission at Nevada's Creech AFB last August.

According to the aircraft accident investigation report released Friday, the Predator's civilian contractor pilot inadvertently pressed the wrong switch while attempting to retract the aircraft's landing gear. Instead, the pilot shut off the aircraft's engine... while the aircraft was approximately 500 feet above ground level.

The pilot attempted to glide the aircraft (file photo of type, above) back to the runway, but the aircraft crashed just off the runway. There were no injuries or fatalities from the accident... though the repair bill for the aircraft totaled $1,436,765.

The MQ-1 Predator is a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV system. Its primary mission is interdiction and armed reconnaissance. The accident aircraft was assigned to the 11th Reconnaisance Squadron at Creech AFB.

(ANN thanks Air Combat Command News Service for this report)

FMI: www.af.mil

Advertisement

More News

Classic Aero-TV: Up Close And Personal - The Aeroshell Aerobatic Team at Oshkosh

From 2014 (YouTube Version): One Of The Airshow World's Pre-Eminent Formation Teams Chats About The State Of The Industry At EAA AirVenture 2014, ANN News Editor Tom Patton gets th>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.13.25): Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN)

Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) An ultra-high frequency electronic rho-theta air navigation aid which provides suitably equipped aircraft a continuous indication of bearing and dis>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.13.25)

Aero Linx: Doobert Hi, we're Chris & Rachael Roy, founders and owners of Doobert. Chris is a technology guy in his “day” job and used his experience to create Doobe>[...]

NTSB Prelim: Pitts S2

The Airplane Was Spinning In A Nose-Down Attitude Before It Impacted Terrain On June 20, 2025, at 0900 eastern daylight time, a Pitts Aerobatics S-2B, N79AV, was destroyed when it >[...]

Airborne 07.09.25: B-17 Sentimental Journey, Airport Scandal, NORAD Intercepts

Also: United Elite Sues, Newark ATC Transitions, Discovery Moves?, Textron @ KOSH The Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona is taking its “Flying Legends of Victory Tour&rd>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC