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| An MQ-1 Predator similar to this one crashed in September when a power converter in the aircraft's control module failed, according to an abbreviated mishap report released Wednesday. (Photo: (1st Lt. Shannon Collins / Air Force) |
An MQ-1B Predator flying a 20-hour mission in Africa crashed
into the Mediterranean Sea on Sept. 17, the Air Force announced today.
A failed power converter led to
the crash, which destroyed the unarmed drone and its communication pod valued
at $5.3 million, according to an Air Combat Command abbreviated accident
investigation board report released Wednesday.
The aircraft was deployed from
the 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nev.
The Air Force did not release
the base from which the drone was flying. The Air Force has flown unmanned
reconnaissance missions from countries such as Niger, Ethiopia, Djibouti and
the Seychelles. The service also did not specify where in the Mediterranean the
mishap occurred.
According to the report, the
Predator's crew members noticed a loss in communication with the aircraft just
before they handed control over to the Launch and Recovery Element, which is
tasked with landing the aircraft. The crew went through their checklists and
told the ground control station that they could not establish contact with the
aircraft, according to an Air Combat Command release.
The ground control station
logged electrical, flight control and engine warning indications, which the
investigation board president found were a direct result of a power converter
malfunction in the aircraft's control module.
The loss of control caused the
aircraft to spiral and crash into the sea, the report states.
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