Investigators concluded that pilot error caused an Air Force MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aircraft to crash at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan in 2016, the service announced April 13.
According to Air Combat Command, the Reaper, built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., was returning from a combat support mission on Feb. 20, 2016; and went down while conducting a simulated engine flame-out training approach.
An accident investigation board found that “the pilot set the power below the recommended power setting for simulated flame-out practice approaches, and failed to maintain altitude and approach path awareness,” the command said in a statement. “This led to a steeper descent path and low energy state from which the pilot was unable to recover, and the aircraft impacted the ground short of the runway.”
The Reaper was destroyed in the crash, resulting in a government-property loss valued at $12.3 million. No one was injured in the accident.
The Air Force has not yet determined whether the pilot, who was assigned to the 62nd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, will be disciplined.
“The report cites overconfidence and excessive reliance on previous experience as substantially contributing to the mishap,” said Lt. Carrie Volpe, a command spokeswoman. “Now that the report is concluded, the appropriate commanders must determine if any actions or inactions warrant disciplinary action based on the evidence.”