Hard landing Accident General Atomics MQ-9 Predator B CBP-113,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 285482
 
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Date:Thursday 6 November 2008
Time:22:36 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic Q9 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
General Atomics MQ-9 Predator B
Owner/operator:U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
Registration: CBP-113
MSN: FC113
Total airframe hrs:636 hours
Engine model:Honeywell TPE331
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Sierra Vista, Arizona -   United States of America
Phase: Unknown
Nature:Unknown
Departure airport:Fort Huachuca/Sierra Vista Municipal Airport, AZ (FHU/KFHU)
Destination airport:Fort Huachuca/Sierra Vista Municipal Airport, AZ (FHU/KFHU)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
At the time of the accident, the flight was operating as a training evaluation mission for a Launch-Recovery Element (LRE) checkride, performing a sequence of touch and go landings on runway 26. The accident landing was the first during this session using the Multi-Spectral Targeting Ball (MTS-B) payload camera vice the fixed nose camera. The payload camera, located about 3 feet lower than the fixed nose camera, produces a different angle and field of view. Additionally, the payload camera is gyro stabilized for mission requirements and gives a different visual perception during landing. The flare during the accident landing was initiated closer to the runway and to less of a nose up attitude than normal. The aircraft bounced and contacted the runway four times, the magnitude of the bounces and pitch excursions dynamically increasing until the nosewheel fractured and the aircraft began to slide. During the bounces, the pilot began to initiate a go-around and at the same time, the evaluator pilot took hold of the control stick in an attempt to correct the bounces; however, the corrective action was too late to prevent the accident. There was no evidence of any pre-existing damage to the nose gear components and no anomalies in the flight controls.

Probable Cause: the failure of the pilot to timely flare the aircraft to the appropriate attitude, likely associated with the different sight picture after switching cameras, resulting in a bounced landing; and the evaluator pilot's lack of timely recognition and intervention. Contributing to the accident was the lack of standards and criteria in the Customs and Border Protection initial and recurrent training program for use of the MTS-B camera.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: DCA09FA009
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 5 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB DCA09FA009

History of this aircraft

Other occurrences involving this aircraft
10 May 2013 CBP-113 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 0 Cocoa Beach, Florida sub
Runway excursion

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
02-Oct-2022 10:22 ASN Update Bot Added

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