An MQ-1B Predator crashed during a combat support mission last year after its pilot lost contact with the aircraft, according to an accident investigation board report released this week.

The crew of the remotely-piloted aircraft quickly regained control of the Predator during the March 8, 2016, accident but didn't realize they had done so, the Air Combat Command report said. As a result, the crew didn't reposition the Predator's flight controls to sustain flight, and the RPA descended into the ground. The report did not identify where the RPA crashed aside from saying it was in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, which covers 20 nations in the Middle East, Central and South Asia.

The report also noted that an instructor pilot was present, which was unscheduled and distracted the crew while they were trying to recover the RPA. The RPA's pilot was anxious because he believed the instructor pilot would be testing his general knowledge, the report said. And when the emergency began, the pilot wasn't sure whether he still had full command or whether the instructor pilot had taken over. The pilot thought the instructor would direct his actions, but the instructor thought he was supposed to be "hands-off" and leave everything to the pilot, which increased confusion and led to a breakdown in communication.

The Predator was operated by the 15th Attack Squadron of the 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada at the time of the crash. The loss of the aircraft and its munitions cost $4.2 million, but there were no injuries or damage to any other property. It was not recovered.

The problem started when a software bug was triggered by a specific series of operator selections on the heads-up display, the report said. This caused a "rack lock-up" and the operators lost control of the aircraft. The mission control element switched to another control setting, which re-established the command datalink.

However, the return datalink was lost about five seconds later, the report said, meaning the RPA was "commanded in the blind" — the crew could control the aircraft but wasn't getting signals back letting them know that they had control. As a result, the crew believed all communication was still lost, and the throttle remained set to idle until it crashed.

The report also said that the emergency checklists didn't provide enough guidance to tell the crew what they should do in such a situation that had multiple problems going on.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

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