Investigation finds $13 million US military Reaper drone crashed into the sea after an unexplained failure saw its propeller fall off
A US Air Force investigation report released last month determined that the costly mishap, which occurred in December 2024, was caused by a failure in a mechanical part connecting the MQ-9A Reaper drone's engine with its propeller. The specific reason for that failure, however, was unclear as the drone wasn't retrieved.
The Reaper drone, a combat and reconnaissance platform, belonged to the 432nd Wing of Nevada's Creech Air Force Base and was scheduled to carry out an operational mission on December 16 over or around the Mediterranean Sea. The remotely piloted aircraft took off at 1 pm Zulu time from an undisclosed location within the European Command area of responsibility.
About four hours later, while the drone was flying at cruising air speed and altitude, its engine torque display dropped from normal levels to a complete loss of torque within a second.
The MQ-9 "experienced a loss of air speed and began an uncommanded descent," the report said.
As the drone descended, operators — members of the 20th Attack Squadron from Missouri's Whiteman Air Force Base — spent 16 minutes trying to maintain control and restore thrust to the MQ-9 falling out of the sky.
The recently released Air Force investigation, first reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine, said that the operator eventually realized that the drone's engine had internal damage, and they shut it down. The crew then decided to make a forced landing in the Mediterranean — the last data received suggested came in just as the MQ-9 was about to impact the water.
There were no injuries or damage to civilian property, the report said, sharing that the drone — valued at exactly $13,154,585 — was not recovered.
Air Force investigators said that "the cause of the mishap was a failure within the Splined Coupling Assembly." This "led to a sudden and permanent mechanical decoupling of the propeller from the engine resulting in an unrecoverable loss of thrust."
General Atomics, the US defense company that makes the MQ-9 Reaper, said that the Spiral Retaining Ring was the most likely cause of the failure, although it was impossible to determine with certainty because the wreckage — and, with it, evidence — could not be collected.
The Reaper, the US military's drone of choice for combat and reconnaissance missions, has suffered a string of mishaps in recent years, including several "Class A" incidents, meaning that the incident resulted in damage greater than or equal to $2.5 million or a destroyed aircraft. Air Force safety data shows 5 in 2021 and just as many the year prior. More recent safety data wasn't immediately available.
American Reaper drones have also been targeted by US foes. In 2023, for instance, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet clipped the propeller of an MQ-9 operating above the Black Sea, forcing the uncrewed aircraft to crash land in the water.
That year, Russian aircraft also repeatedly harassed US Reaper drones operating over Syria, engaging in behaviors like flying in close proximity to the MQ-9s. In one incident, a Su-35 fighter jet released flares on a drone and damaged its propeller.
The Iran-backed Houthis have also shot down several Reaper drones that the US had been using to support its military operations against the Yemeni rebels.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
12 hours ago
- New York Post
Recently ID'd 9/11 victim remembered by sisters as 'larger than life' figure
It took 24 years for this 9/11 family to finally get a little solace. But Ryan Fitzgerald's sisters are grateful to the city workers who, using only a tiny bone fragment, were recently able to identify their brother — a 'larger than life' figure who inspired one of them to become an FDNY firefighter. 'He was one of the very few who always told me … you'll be able to do it and you can do it,' Elizabeth Parks, a Queens firefighter since 2016, told The Post this week about her older brother encouraging her to pursue her dream. Advertisement 7 Ryan Fitzgerald worked in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Voices Center for Resilience 'He would tell me all the time that I can do it and I'll get it someday. And I knew when I had the opportunity I had to give it my all, and I'm so thankful I did,' she said. 'I just hope that he's proud, proud of me.' Fitzgerald's remains were officially identified on Aug. 7, bringing a wave of emotions to his parents who never stopped talking about their 26-year-old boy, and to the pair of younger sisters who idolized him. Advertisement 'For my parents finding anything was, in a way, bringing him home or like bringing him back with the family and where he belongs,' Caroline Parks, who was around 10 when terrorists attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. A small fragment of bone found on West Street and Liberty Avenue was matched to Fitzgerald thanks to advanced DNA technology used by the city's Office of Chief Medical Examiner, which is still working to identify remains of 9/11 victims found in the Ground Zero wreckage. Elizabeth, of Bayside, and Caroline, of New Jersey, provided their DNA a couple months ago, but didn't think much of it at the time. 7 Fitzgerald was identified from a small fragment of bone thanks to advanced DNA technology. Voices Center for Resilience Advertisement Weeks later, a medical examiner staffer called their mother, Diane Parks, to deliver the news she'd waited more than two decades to receive. When she got off the phone, she looked like a 'ghost,' recalled Caroline, a 33-year-old project manager in advertising. 'It felt like the 11th was just yesterday,' added Elizabeth, who was around 16 years old at the time of the attacks. 'It was like the last 24 years has just been … our lives have been on pause.' 7 Fitzgerald's death inspired his sister, Liz Parks, to join the FDNY. FDNY Advertisement The family's ordeal began that clear morning when Fitzgerald arrived early for work as a foreign currency trader at Fiduciary Trust International on the 97th floor of the south tower. He'd just gotten a promotion and wanted to make a good impression, Elizabeth said. When the first plane spiraled into the north tower, Ryan called his mother to let her know he was alright and the plan was to leave the building. Based on where his remains were found, Elizabeth believes he was on his way down the stairs when the skyscraper came down. 'I always thought he probably never made it down and now I wonder how far down he made it,' she said. 7 Parks thinks that her brother was on his way down the stairs when the tower went down based on where his remains were found. Ryan grew up in Queens before his family moved to the village of Floral Park when he started high school. He played baseball, basketball and golf, and often went to Yankees games to watch his favorite player, star shortstop Derek Jeter. Caroline remembered climbing on her 'larger than life' brother, who was about 6-foot-3, and having him carry her everywhere. 'He really was the most laid back, chill, just kind of fun-loving guy,' she said. Advertisement About eight months before he was killed, Ryan moved to Manhattan, where he enjoyed taking his girlfriend, Darci, out to dinner at a variety of his familiar spots where they knew who he was and 'treated him like a king,' Elizabeth said. 7 Fitzgerald grew up in Queens before moving out to Floral Park on Long Island. Voices Center for Resilience 'But he was very kind, very kind hearted as well. He never put himself above anybody,' she said. Even into his mid-20s, Ryan had remained close with a group of friends from elementary school, and they and other loyal buddies still keep in touch with his family and go out about once a year to commemorate the loss. Advertisement Elizabeth said she leaned on the memory of her brother — who was always her biggest cheerleader — when pursuing her dream of becoming an FDNY firefighter. 'Ryan was without a doubt my entire heart throughout the whole process … even up until today just knowing in the back of my mind I think he would be so proud of,' said Elizabeth, who started as an FDNY EMT in 2010 before she began fighting fires in 2016. 'He was so proud of all of us, but he was absolutely the reason why I strive for what I did and was able to complete because of him.' 7 Fitzgerald moved to Manhattan about eight months he was killed. Obtained by the NY Post Advertisement Along with being assigned to a Jamaica station house, she is also on the ceremonial unit that participates in various events, including funerals and memorial services for firefighters that have died from 9/11 related illnesses. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, both sisters held out hope that their brother was in a hospital bed, waiting to be reunited with his family, while his then-girlfriend, Darci, put up heartwrenching 'Missing' posters with his picture and her phone number. 'You know it's never gonna happen, but it could be like, 'oh, what if he comes around the corner one day,'' Caroline said. 'You kind of tap into that little childhood mindset of thinking sometimes so this just really brings that to like a closure for me.' Advertisement 7 Shortly after the attacks, both sisters hoped that their brother was still alive. Voices Center for Resilience But the sisters said that their brother finally being identified, and his remains being returned to them, also raises more questions about his final moments. 'It's just another piece of the puzzle that we now have, that we now continue to live with,' Caroline said. 'We have such a strong system of support because Ryan was so well known but everyone's like, 'oh now you have some closure' but we don't,' added Elizabeth. 'I just have new questions and thoughts, but at least it's a different feeling to have a little piece of him that we can honor.' She hopes the 24-year revelation will serve as a message to other 9/11 families longing for their loved ones to be identified to never give up. Ryan and two women — Palm Springs, California grandmother Barbara Keating and another victim whose family did not want her to be publicly identified — were the 1,651st, 1,652nd and 1,653rd victims tied to remains last week. That leaves another 1,100 victims that still need to be identified. 'There hasn't ever been one day that my mom and dad haven't spoken about Ryan, whether it was a happy memory or just wondering if they'll ever find him or just wondering what ever happened,' Elizabeth said. 'You can't lose hope even though you may have given up years ago.'
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business Insider
Investigation finds $13 million US military Reaper drone crashed into the sea after an unexplained failure saw its propeller fall off
The US military lost one of its Reaper drones after a part failed, causing the propeller to fall off on a mission last year and forcing the $13 million combat aircraft to make a crash landing in the Mediterranean Sea, a recently released investigation revealed. A US Air Force investigation report released last month determined that the costly mishap, which occurred in December 2024, was caused by a failure in a mechanical part connecting the MQ-9A Reaper drone's engine with its propeller. The specific reason for that failure, however, was unclear as the drone wasn't retrieved. The Reaper drone, a combat and reconnaissance platform, belonged to the 432nd Wing of Nevada's Creech Air Force Base and was scheduled to carry out an operational mission on December 16 over or around the Mediterranean Sea. The remotely piloted aircraft took off at 1 pm Zulu time from an undisclosed location within the European Command area of responsibility. About four hours later, while the drone was flying at cruising air speed and altitude, its engine torque display dropped from normal levels to a complete loss of torque within a second. The MQ-9 "experienced a loss of air speed and began an uncommanded descent," the report said. As the drone descended, operators — members of the 20th Attack Squadron from Missouri's Whiteman Air Force Base — spent 16 minutes trying to maintain control and restore thrust to the MQ-9 falling out of the sky. The recently released Air Force investigation, first reported by Air & Space Forces Magazine, said that the operator eventually realized that the drone's engine had internal damage, and they shut it down. The crew then decided to make a forced landing in the Mediterranean — the last data received suggested came in just as the MQ-9 was about to impact the water. There were no injuries or damage to civilian property, the report said, sharing that the drone — valued at exactly $13,154,585 — was not recovered. Air Force investigators said that "the cause of the mishap was a failure within the Splined Coupling Assembly." This "led to a sudden and permanent mechanical decoupling of the propeller from the engine resulting in an unrecoverable loss of thrust." General Atomics, the US defense company that makes the MQ-9 Reaper, said that the Spiral Retaining Ring was the most likely cause of the failure, although it was impossible to determine with certainty because the wreckage — and, with it, evidence — could not be collected. The Reaper, the US military's drone of choice for combat and reconnaissance missions, has suffered a string of mishaps in recent years, including several "Class A" incidents, meaning that the incident resulted in damage greater than or equal to $2.5 million or a destroyed aircraft. Air Force safety data shows 5 in 2021 and just as many the year prior. More recent safety data wasn't immediately available. American Reaper drones have also been targeted by US foes. In 2023, for instance, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet clipped the propeller of an MQ-9 operating above the Black Sea, forcing the uncrewed aircraft to crash land in the water. That year, Russian aircraft also repeatedly harassed US Reaper drones operating over Syria, engaging in behaviors like flying in close proximity to the MQ-9s. In one incident, a Su-35 fighter jet released flares on a drone and damaged its propeller. The Iran-backed Houthis have also shot down several Reaper drones that the US had been using to support its military operations against the Yemeni rebels.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
I visited the only B-2 stealth bomber on display in the world. Take a closer look.
The National Museum of the US Air Force has the world's only permanent public exhibition of a B-2. B-2 planes are known for their stealth technology, long flight range, and nuclear capability. The plane exhibited at the museum features remnants of the ground-based testing it endured. I never thought I'd get to see a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber in person. The advanced warplanes, which cost around $2 billion each, can evade radar detection and drop tens of thousands of pounds of nuclear or conventional weapons. They were most recently deployed in Operation Midnight Hammer in June, dropping 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iran's nuclear facilities. All 19 of the US Air Force's operational B-2 planes are housed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, where access is strictly limited. However, there is one place in the world where a B-2 is on permanent public display: the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. I visited the museum in August to see the one-of-a-kind exhibit. Take a look. The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is one of the most fearsome warplanes in the world. The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit entered development during the Cold War, and the first plane became operational in 1993. B-2s were used in Operation Allied Force in Serbia in 1999, as well as in Afghanistan and Iraq during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom in the early 2000s. With advanced stealth technologies that make it extremely difficult to detect by radar, a capacity to deploy nuclear and conventional weapons, and an ability to refuel midair for flight times that can exceed 30 hours, the B-2 is one of the most powerful warplanes in the world, and it has a very long reach. No other country operates anything comparable to the combat power and capability of the B-2 bomber. The National Museum of the US Air Force added a B-2 to its collection in 2003. The aircraft was shipped to the National Museum of the US Air Force in pieces in seven separate shipments. Reassembling it took restoration staff three years. At the 2003 dedication ceremony, then-museum director Charles D. Metcalf called it "one of the world's largest jigsaw puzzles." With a wingspan of 172 feet, it's one of the most prominent displays in the museum's Cold War gallery. Even with the wide-angle camera setting on my iPhone, I could barely capture the entire plane in frame. The B-2 housed at the museum never flew — it was one of two that Northrop Grumman built for ground-based testing. Northrop Grumman built two test planes with the exact same specifications as the operational B-2s but without engines or instruments. A museum volunteer showed me metal patches on the aircraft, which were used to repair one of the wings after it snapped during fatigue testing. Fatigue testing uses hydraulic plates to simulate flying conditions and test an aircraft's durability. "Whatever the maximum load is, the plane has to take 150% of that to pass the test," he said. "This one actually passed, though, at 161%, but you can see where it failed." A nose landing gear panel featured artwork added by the service members who conducted temperature testing. Technicians conducted over 1,000 hours of temperature testing at McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and found that the B-2 could withstand temperatures ranging from -65 degrees to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. To commemorate their work, the technicians painted a decorative "Fire & Ice" decal on the nose landing gear panel and signed their names. Nose art was popular during World War II, when pilots and crew members would often personalize their planes with cartoons, pinups, or tallies of their missions. It's not as common on bombers in active service today. The plane's exterior featured the emblem of the Air Combat Command. Air Combat Command prepares and equips Air Force teams to provide fighter power, intelligence, cyber operations, and support for combat missions around the world. The shield-shaped emblem shows a downward-facing sword with wings spread on either side. Wording on one of the landing gear doors indicated the plane's name: "Spirit of Freedom." The "509th" and "Follow us" reference the origins of the modern 509th Bomb Wing, which operates B-2 planes. During World War II, the historic 509th Composite Group was responsible for deploying nuclear weapons. The B-29 Superfortress bombers that dropped the first atomic bombs on Japan were part of this unit. Their motto was "Follow Us, Follow Us, as we usher in the Nuclear Age," according to the US Air Force's official website. The 509th was instrumental in the formation of Strategic Air Command and continues to support US nuclear deterrence. I found the B-2 to be one of the most memorable exhibits at the museum. The National Museum of the US Air Force features around 350 planes and missiles over 19 acres of exhibit space — among which were an Air Force One used by eight US presidents, Titan and Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles, and the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki but seeing one of the world's most advanced warplanes up close was a memorable experience. Read the original article on Business Insider
