Release Number: 030915
9/9/2015 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. -- A
total electrical failure caused by a short circuit led to the crash of
an MQ-1B Predator in the Central Command Area of Responsibility March 1,
2015, according to an Air Combat Command abbreviated accident
investigation board report released today.
The aircraft was assigned to the 432nd Wing, Creech Air Force Base,
Nev., and was under the control of aircrew assigned to the 196th
Reconnaissance Squadron, 163rd Reconnaissance Wing, based at March Air
Force Base, Calif. At the time of the mishap, the aircraft was
conducting a combat support mission. The aircraft was destroyed on
impact with losses valued at approximately $3.9 million. There were no
injuries or reported damage to private property as a result of the
crash.
The board president determined, by a preponderance of evidence, that the
cause of the mishap was a short circuit in the aircraft's onboard
printed wiring board. The short circuit caused electrical generation to
exceed the capacity of both alternators and drained both batteries,
leading to total electrical failure. Without electrical power, the
aircraft was unable to sustain flight and crashed.
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