Student pilot error caused the crash of an Air National Guard MQ-1B Predator remotely piloted aircraft during a training mission April 20 in southern California, Air Combat Command investigators have determined. The pilot’s failure to recognize that the Predator’s speed was too low during final approach caused a stall and subsequent hard landing of the aircraft at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, according to the findings of ACC’s accident investigation board. Upon impact, the Predator left the prepared runway and subsequently broke apart, resulting in its total loss and the loss of the inert Hellfire training missile on its wing. Total damages are estimated at about $3.7 million. The Predator belonged to the ANG’s 163rd Reconnaissance Wing at March Air Reserve Base. The student operator was from Cannon AFB, N.M., and was training under the Air Guardsmen’s supervision. (ACC release) (AIB executive summary)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.