MQ-9 Crash Caused by Faulty Engine Design

An MQ-9 Reaper’s engine design led the drone to crash about 20 minutes after takeoff while deployed overseas in September 2018, a recently released Air Force accident investigation concluded. “Engineering analysis of the data logs, engine components, and propeller governor, as well as reports from Honeywell Aerospace, Woodward, Inc., and [General Atomics] in this mishap prove, by the preponderance of the evidence, this mishap was caused by the design of the engine installed in the MQ-9A aircraft due to the possibility of failure at higher altitudes and low power settings,” Lt. Col. Ryan Kennedy, who ran the investigation board, wrote in the report. Thirty-four MQ-9s were destroyed from fiscal 2009-2019, according to Air Force Safety Center data. The Reaper involved in this accident was one of two destroyed in fiscal 2018. Read more ►