Engine failure caused Predator crash in Afghanistan

Engine failure caused an MQ-1B Predator drone to crash July 14 in Afghanistan, the Air Force announced this week.

The Predator was flying a reconnaissance mission near Kandahar Air Base when it crashed after experiencing engine failure. The Air Force, however, did not recover the wreckage of the drone, and investigators were not able to determine the specific root cause of the problem, Air Combat Command said in a news release.

The Predator was assigned to the 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, and was flown by a crew from the 178th Reconnaissance Squadron of the North Dakota Air National Guard in Fargo. The aircraft was destroyed at a loss of about $4.6 million. There were no injuries or damage to private property.