No fatalities

General Atomics MQ-9 B accident at Sierra Vista, AZ, 13 Nov 2020

Sierra Vista, AZ, United States

On November 13, 2020, a General Atomics MQ-9 B operated by Customs and Border Patrol was involved in an aviation accident near Sierra Vista, AZ. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s incorrect automated landing profile selection, which resulted in an impact with a runway trench. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1785761257Data APIEditorial standards

Probable cause

The pilot’s incorrect automated landing profile selection, which resulted in an impact with a runway trench. Contributing to the accident was the pilot receiving instruction's and instructor's failure to spot the incorrect landing profile selection during prelanding checks.

— NTSB Determination

Contributing factors

PilotInstructor/check pilot