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Pilot error blamed in August Predator crash

Pushing the off button cost the Air Force $1.4 million.

The crash of a remote-controlled MQ-1 Predator on Aug. 3 at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., resulted from a civilian contract pilot pushing the wrong button, an Air Force accident investigation board concluded in a report issued Thursday. The aircraft was assigned the Predator formal training unit, the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron at Creech.

As the aircraft flew near the base at an altitude of about 500 feet, the pilot pressed the button he thought would retract the airplane’s landing gear. Instead, the button shut down the engine.

The pilot couldn’t restart the motor. He tried to steer the powerless plane to a runway, but the propeller-driven plane crashed. The total cost of the damage was pegged at $1.4 million.