UAV Crash Causes Concern for NTSB

[Pilotguy]

Sophisticated computer systems on a 10,000-pound unmanned drone were no match for its pilot's failure to follow a checklist when confronted with a computer glitch.

The mistake set off a chain of events that led the $6.5 million Predator-B to smash into the Arizona desert near Nogales, Ariz., the National Transportation Safety Board concluded yesterday. The NTSB also cited poor oversight by Customs and Border Protection officials as a factor in the April 2006 crash.

It was the first accident involving an unmanned vehicle that the NTSB investigated, and board members said they hoped their findings would prod government officials and the industry to regulate the growing use of drones in civil airspace.

"This is historic," said Mark V. Rosenker, NTSB chairman. "We want to get it early before we, in fact, have a critical mass of these devices flying in the nation's airspace. We are just learning how to regulate them."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/16/AR2007101602040.html

There are about 100 UAV's now flying in US airspace. Won't be too long now before once of these comes crashing through somebody's roof.

[Maq]

1. with a pilot like this NO WONDER

But wait till the US Air Force screws up with one of these loaded with bombs.