The U.S. Air Force sent out a worldwide alert bulletin to operators of its MQ-9 Reaper after a software error in navigation equipment caused one to crash in Lake Ontario northwest of Syracuse, the chief accident investigator said in an interview.
Category Archives: Accident Reporting
Near-Miss Between UAS and Helicopter in Miami
Helicopter pilot Paul Barth and his camera operator saw a brightly colored object in the South Florida sky with them just before sunrise. “I didn’t know what it was when I first saw it,” Barth said. They saw the object while they were airborne to document the Wings for Life World Run charity race in May. Barth told NBC 6 he was worried the flying object would hit them. Continue reading
Electrical Malfunction Caused Global Hawk Crash
In addition to providing new details about the doomed flight, the records show that Navy investigators concluded that a mechanical failure caused the aircraft to spiral out of control. Continue reading
Near Miss with NYPD Helicopter
Two UAS nearly took out an NYPD chopper over the George Washington Bridge on Monday, and cops arrested the wayward crafts’ operators, law-enforcement sources told The Post. The Aviation Unit helicopter was on patrol at around 12:15 a.m. when it had to swerve to avoid the small unmanned aircrafts, the sources said.
Human Error Contributed to Drone Crash Into US Navy Ship
A drone crash that damaged USS Chancellorsville and injured two sailors was caused by a malfunctioning control system and human error, according to a U.S. Navy report unclassified this week.
Multiple System Failures Caused Reaper Lake Ontario Crash
A series of system malfunctions led to the crash of an MQ-9 Reaper into Lake Ontario, New York, Nov. 12, 2013. The crash occurred approximately 35 miles southwest of Fort Drum, New York according to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report just released. Continue reading
Holloman MQ-1B Predator Accident Report Released
Loss of telemetry downlink signal and an unprogrammed pitch over caused the crash of an MQ-1B Predator 7.5 nautical miles North of Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., Oct. 30, 2013, according to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report released on Thursday. Continue reading
US Military UAS Crashes Worldwide
More than 400 large U.S. military drones crashed in major accidents worldwide between Sept. 11, 2001, and December 2013. By reviewing military investigative reports and other records, The Washington Post was able to identify 194 drone crashes that fell into the most severe category: Class A accidents that destroyed the aircraft or caused (under current standards) at least $2 million in damage. Continue reading