The blame for most crashes involving the General Atomics Predator unmanned aircraft system has shifted from hardware failures to pilot error, according to a new study by the US Air Force.
Twelve of the 15 Predator crashes from 2004 to 2006 that caused damage above $1 million were the result of human factors such as pilot skill and breakdowns in crew teamwork, says the report, with this contrasting sharply with 1997 to 2003, when 12 of 15 total mishaps were blamed on mechanical error including engine failure.
"The primary cause of these mishaps appears to be shifting," say the report's authors - Robert Nullmeyer and Lt Col Robert Herz of the Air Force Research Laboratory and Robert Leonik of CAE USA.
The report also shows that annual Predator mishap rates have declined from a peak of more than 40 per 100,000 flight hours to 32 for the same period, matching the safety record for Lockheed Martin's F-16 at the same point in that aircraft's lifetime, the authors say.
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The study recommends that the air force insert Predator crews into more realistic operational training with its Air Operations Center. "The Predator community is not yet a routine participant in this training, but should be," it says.
Tom Cassidy, president of the General Atomics aircraft systems group, says the report is "of interest," adding: "USAF Predators have often flown in combat for up to 50,000h without a mishap due to materiel failure."
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Source: Flight International
