- Date
- May 15, 2020, 10:26 local (15:26 UTC)
- Place
- San Angelo, TX
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- CBP213General Atomics MQ-9B
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration; Lubbock FSDO
- Case key
- 101277
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate landing flare that resulted in a porpoise and impact with terrain.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) attempted a touch-and-go landing but then performed a go-around due to an unstable approach. The pilot re-entered the UAS into the traffic pattern for a second touch-and-go landing attempt, during which it initially touched down nose first and induced a porpoise. During the third porpoise, the UAS contacted the runway in a nose-down attitude resulting in a hard landing and post-crash fire. The UAS was destroyed by the post-crash fire. There was no mechanical malfunction/failure of the UAS at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- CBP213
- Reported as
- General Atomics MQ-9B
- Category
- Airplane, unmanned
- Serial number
- Unknown
- Built
- 2011
- Engine
- Honeywell TPE331-10YGD, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Public use
- Operator
- Customs and Border Protection
- Registered owner
- Customs and Border Protection
- Airworthiness certificate
- Certificate of authorization or waiver (COA)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · February 24, 2020
- Departed
- SJT` · San Angelo, TX
- Destination
- SJT` · San Angelo, TX
- Airport
- SJT` · San Angelo Regional/Mathis Fie, runway 18, 8,049 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 16, 2020
- Flight hours
- 4,629 total
- Role
- Other flight crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- None
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- SJT
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 10, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 MB in all.