A rapid oil leak that resulted in an engine seizure caused the April 26 crash of an MQ-1B Predator near Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan, according to a summary of an Air Combat Command accident report released Thursday. The Predator, which was assigned to the 214th Reconnaissance Squadron from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., was lost during an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission from Jalalabad. The accident board president found by clear and convincing evidence that the cause of the incident was a rapid loss of oil resulting in an engine seizure that made the aircraft unable to maintain altitude or return to base. The Predator was destroyed on ground impact for a loss of approximately $4.61 million. There were no injuries or damage to private property. (Click here for full report; Caution, large-sized file.)
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
