Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1575934.015 - Griffon Aerospace

Inspection Information - Office: El Paso Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 1:00 p.m. on January 27, 2022, an employee was observing the launch and recovery of an MQM-130 Outlaw remote piloted aerial system when the aircraft encountered a propeller strike in which the propeller came in contact with the ground during launch. The pilot of the vehicle and the employee, another pilot who was acting as a visual observer for recovery operations, were both standing along the flight line. Wind conditions at the time were variable and gusty and contributed to the incident. As the aircraft touched down there was a slight bounce, during which the control surfaces were rendered ineffective, and a crosswind pushed the aircraft into the employee. The employee was struck by the right wing tip of the aircraft just above the right ankle which caused him to fall to the ground. This caused the aircraft to spin on the ground during which the tail of the aircraft struck the pilot in the knees. Emergency services arrived on site and elected to evacuate the employee by helicopter due to the remote location of the range. The employee was taken to a medical center, where he underwent surgery for a fractured right lower leg, had a dislocated hip replacement re-set, and also underwent surgery on his back which was injured as he fell. The pilot was driven to the same hospital by coworkers, where he was examined, treated, and released with bruising and swelling of his knees.

Keywords: Aircraft, Aircraft Propeller, Back, Concrete Surface, Contact, Contusion, Dislocated, Fracture, High Wind, Hip, Knee, Leg, Struck By, Unmanned, Wing