An MQ-1B Predator that crashed Jan. 17 in Southwest Asia suffered engine failure stemming from a crack in the crankshaft, according to a summary of an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact. The crankshaft crack caused a connecting rod to fail, wedging itself in the opposing cylinder. A recent report indicates, though, that an increasing number of unmanned aerial vehicle crashes can be attributed to operator error.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach told lawmakers Apr. 30 that the service’s biggest airlifter, the C-5 Galaxy, has a 37 percent mission capable rate—one of several challenges facing the mobility fleet.