A civilian contract employee who was killed when she walked into the moving propeller of an unmanned aircraft at a Southern California airfield in September lost "situational awareness" before the fatal incident.
Cosme, of Palmdale, California, was working as a test engineer on the evening of Sept. 7, 2023, when she accidentally walked into the rotating propeller of a parked MQ-9A Reaper drone while performing a ground test on the aircraft, according to a final accident investigation report. The 40-page report concluded there were two underlying reasons for the accident — first, that Cosme was incorrectly trained on how to take telemetry readings when approaching the aircraft and, second, "she lost situational awareness while walking around" the drone as she took readings with a hand-held device.
Brig. Gen. Lance R. French said two other factors also "substantially contributed to the mishap," including a lack of communication between the contractor test team and ground support workers and, because of previous delays, "the tests conducted on Sept. 7 were rushed."
Tragic Incident at Sumaria Systems, LLC
During a test support services session at Sumaria Systems, LLC, a devastating incident occurred when Cosme, an employee, was fatally struck.
Reports indicate that Cosme was struck in the head and the left arm, rendering her unresponsive. Despite the resuscitative efforts of her team members, she was tragically pronounced dead at 9:06p.m.
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The MQ-9A Reaper, a U.S. Marine Corps drone utilized for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions over land or sea, is described by the Air Force as a $56.5 million aircraft measuring 36 feet in length with a 66-foot wingspan. Capable of reaching altitudes of up to 50,000 feet, the Reaper drone can carry up to eight laser-guided Hellfire missiles, as per the Air Force.
Reaper drones have been deployed in various U.S. military operations, including the 2020 strike that targeted Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, as well as operations against the Taliban in 2021 during their resurgence in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
