JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. -- Today Air Combat Command released an Accident Investigation Board report for an MQ-9A Reaper that crashed on Feb. 11, 2024, impacting the ground beyond the departure end of the runway during takeoff in an undisclosed location within the U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility. The impact resulted in a complete loss of the aircraft. The mishap resulted in no fatalities, nor injuries or reported damage to civilian property. The loss of government property was valued at $25.8 million.
At the time of the mishap, a Launch and Recovery Element, comprised of a pilot and sensor operator, from the 12th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron was remotely flying the aircraft in the USAFRICOM AOR.
The AIB president determined the cause of the mishap was the pilot’s failure to comply with the takeoff checklist guidance to move the throttle control to 100% after initiating an Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability takeoff, causing thrust to decrease at the transition from ATLC to manual control. The board president also determined the pilot failed to accurately analyze the resulting situation in time and increased the throttle control too late to recover from a low-altitude thrust-deficient decent.
The AIB president determined there were two factors that substantially contributed to the crash: ineffective crew resource management, and the pilot disengaging the Automatic Takeoff and Landing Capability at a lower altitude than intended.
The AIB report can be viewed at here.