Mechanical problems faulted in two crashes - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Mechanical problems faulted in two crashes

Mechanical problems led to separate crashes of a TH-1H helicopter in Alabama and an MQ-1 Predator in Afghanistan, accident investigation boards concluded in reports released Tuesday.

The TH-1H, a training version of the Huey helicopter, lost power on a June 30 night mission that started at Fort Rucker, home to the 23rd Flying Training Squadron. The three pilots on board — an instructor and two students — made a safe hard landing. The helicopter, valued at $6.7 million, was a total loss.

The crash investigation determined the failure of a bearing assembly was the root cause of the accident. Misalignment in the tail rotor drive system, and flawed assembly of the bearing to the shaft, contributed to the crash.

The failure of an electrical control device led to the Sept. 4 crash of an MQ-1 as it was flown by the 3rd Special Operations Squadron out of Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. The single-engine plane was based at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.

An electrical servo controlling the angle of the Predator’s two engine blades failed, locking the blades in a position that slowed the Predator to the point the plane couldn’t keep its altitude, an investigation found.

The remote-controlled plane, valued at $4.9 million, crashed 70 miles west of Kandahar.