General Atomics MQ-9B accident near San Angelo, Texas, May 15, 2020
On May 15, 2020 at about 3:26 pm local time, a 2011 General Atomics MQ-9B, registered CBP213, was destroyed in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near San Angelo, Texas (San Angelo Regional/Mathis Fie airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under public-use (government) rules. The NTSB record does not give the injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate landing flare that resulted in a porpoise and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2020 · about 3:26 pm local time
- Place
- San Angelo, Texas · San Angelo Regional/Mathis Fie · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- General Atomics MQ-9B, built 2011 · all MQ-9Bs on the register
- Registration
- CBP213 · no longer on the register · serial Unknown
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,629 hours in all
- Last flight review: January 16, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
Other crew
- Seat: none
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 24, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 10,500 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Honeywell TPE331-10YGD (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SJT` San Angelo TX
- Destination: SJT` San Angelo TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 8,049 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 4:20 pm from SJT
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 10, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Wreckage Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.