RQ-1B ACCIDENT REPORT RELEASED Published May 17, 2002 LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. -- Air Force investigators have determined that strong wind gusts caused an Air Force RQ-1B Predator aircraft to crash while the operator was attempting to land it Jan. 25. The aircraft was flying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom when the crash occurred.The Predator, which is an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, was destroyed upon impact about 100 yards east of the runway. No one was injured in the accident. The aircraft was assigned to the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and deployed as part of the 15th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron.According to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Report released today, the primary cause of the accident was the pilot’s inability to maintain positive control of the aircraft’s pitch due to the adverse effects of strong wind gusts. The resulting structural damage from a nose gear-first landing further inhibited control of the aircraft, which then impacted the ground.For more information, contact the ACC Public Affairs office at (757) 764-5007 or e-mail acc.pam@langley.af.mil.