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Sun, Mar 20, 2005

USAF Releases QF-4 Drone Accident Report

Ouch... That Was Bound To Leave A Mark

Failure of an unmanned QF-4E drone to react properly to controller inputs led to its intentional destruction during a mission Sept. 8 over White Sands Missile Range near Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., according to an Air Force report released March 18.

The remotely-piloted jet was assigned to the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron Detachment at Holloman. No one was injured, and damage to the drone is estimated at $1.5 million.

According to the Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report, the drone exceeded its flight limits and stalled. Corrective measures from the controller and the drone's autopilot failed, causing the drone to lose control.

The controller, operating from a ground station located within the range complex, used a ground-based UHF flight termination system to destroy the drone, which crashed in two pieces.

FMI: www.af.mil

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