# Accident 20080924857049A: Raythn COBRA, Whetstone, AZ, September 24, 2008

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 24, 2008, 08:41 local time
- Place: Whetstone, AZ
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 31.7033° N, 110.2481° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.7033&lon=-110.2481&mi=10
- Aircraft: N602RN, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N602RN-2009-08-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Raytheon COBRA (registry code 061001A, https://openairdocs.org/model/raytheon-cobra) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Desert ACF DA-150 (registry code 20500, https://openairdocs.org/engine/desert-acf-da-150) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: RAYTHN COBRA
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,953 total, 39 in this make and model, 5 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN08IA160](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN08IA160) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080924857049A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23)  ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2008, AT 0841 MST, AN EXPERIMENTAL RAYTHEON COBRA, UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM (UAS), N602N, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT LOST ENGINE POWER AND SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED IN DESERT TERRAIN.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY RAYTHEON MISSILE SYSTEMS ADVANCED PROGRAMS OF TUCSON, ARIZONA. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO PERSONS ON THE GROUND.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PART 91 FLIGHT, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.  THE AIRCRAFT HAD DEPARTED FROM A PAVED AIRSTRIP AT THE UNMANNED VEHICLES INTERNATIONAL (UVI), INCORPORATED FACILITY NEAR WHETSTONE, ARIZONA, AT APPROXIMATELY 0809 MST, AND WAS RETURNING TO THAT LOCATION WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.  BLOCK 20, NO PERSONS WERE ON BOARD THE UAS.  NO PERSONS ON THE GROUND RECEIVED INJURIES.  BLOCK 36, TIME OF FAA INITIAL NOTIFICATION IS ESTIMATED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DEN08IA160](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN08IA160), Sep 24, 2008: Raytheon Cobra (N602RN), Whetstone, AZ, incident, destroyed. Probable cause: A total off of engine power resulting from an overheated piston, and the pilot's subsequent failure to send a proper command to the UAS. Contributing to the accident was the operation of the engine…

## Other reports on N602RN (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20070206003469I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070206003469I), Feb 6, 2007: Raythn COBRA (N602RN), Huachuca City, AZ, Minor damage. (-23) On February 06, 2007, at 1353 mountain standard time, N602RN, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) made a hard landing at the Whetstone Airport south of…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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