Air Force contractor who walked into moving propeller had 'inadequate training' when killed

Inadequate training, poor lighting and more factors are to blame for the death of a California contractor killed after she walked into a plane's moving propeller in California last fall, United States Air Force officials have found.

StephanieCosme, 32, of Palmdale, was struck and critically injured the evening of Sept. 7, 2023, when she "inadvertently walked into the parked remotely piloted aircraft’s rotating propeller" at Gray Butte Field Airfield, according to an Air Force accident investigation report.

Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles. The airfield where Cosme was killed is owned and operated by General Atomics and located near Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County.

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Noisy and poor conditions also factor in engineer's death

Cosme, a test engineer for Sumaria Systems, was performing test support functions for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, before she walked into the MQ-9A's propeller during ground tests and was killed, according to the report released Friday.

Other factors including noisy conditions, poor conditions, and a rush to finish testing, all contributed to Cosme's loss of situational awareness during the incident, the report continues.

Cosme lost situational awareness, test were rushed

Accident Investigation Board President Brig. Gen. Lance R. French determined that Cosme "was incorrectly instructed or trained on how to take telemetry readings when approaching the MQ-9A while the engine was running" and that she lost situational awareness walking around the aircraft taking telemetry readings with a hand-held measurement device.

According to the report, French also found "a clear lack of communication among the contractor test team and ground support personnel.

He also wrote that due to previous delays and cancellations, the tests conducted on Sept. 7 "were rushed."

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.