Officials release Global Hawk accident report Published Dec. 6, 2002 LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- Air Force investigators have determined mechanical failure caused an Air Force RQ-4A Global Hawk aircraft to crash July 10 during a surveillance mission supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.The Global Hawk, an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, was destroyed upon impact in an unpopulated area in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. No one was injured in the accident. The aircraft was assigned to the 12th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, but its parent unit is the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif.According to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Report released Dec. 6, the primary cause of the accident was the failure of a single fuel nozzle in the high-flow position that eventually caused internal failure of the engine. The aircraft crashed during an attempted emergency landing. (Courtesy of ACC News Service)