An accident investigation board has found that pilot error led to the crash Aug. 3, 2006, of a Predator MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle during a training sortie out of Creech AFB, Nev. The civilian contractor piloting the UAV “inadvertently depressed an incorrect switch,” states an Air Combat Command release. There were no injuries or property damage—other than loss of a $1.5 million aircraft.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.