When an F-22 Raptor misfunction in mid - flight , moderate to a smash that killed its buffer , the Air Force went into damage - control fashion . Gen. Norton Schwartz , the chief of staff , insisted there was no room that the O generator on his prized stealth super C – a organization wide suspected of being hazardously flawed – caused the crash . And even now that an internal question seems to contradict Schwartz , the Air Force is still pick Capt . Jeffrey Haney for the clangour that be Haney his life history .
The most authoritative discovery in the Air Force’sofficial reporton the Nov. 10 , 2010 accident in Alaska : The oxygen system in Haney ’s F-22 failed in mid flight . Haney was run out of zephyr . And yet the report concludes the crash was Haney ’s fault , not the plane ’s .
That downplayed discovery could be the later evidence of a potentially fatal designing flaw in the Raptor – and a sign that the world ’s most fearsome jet champion probably has n’t moved past its late safety - related groundings . In any event , the Alaska crash was a major plethora in a long chain of them for the radiolocation - evading F-22 , which costs$377 million per plane .
The then-170 - strong Raptor force was grounded for four monthsstarting in May , trace more than a dozen theme of blackouts and disorientation by pilot , perchance consequences of atomic number 8 shortages . When investigators conk out to identify the root cause of the problem , the Air Force ordered the F-22s back into the melody – only tobriefly sideline them againin October following yet another charge by an out - of - breath pilot .
In Haney ’s case , the so - called On - Board Oxygen Generating System , or OBOGS , was at the very least a critical tie in a chain of errors that sent his F-22 hurtling to the dry land . And while the OBOGS failure on Haley ’s jet could , in possibility , have no connection to all those tune - deprive pilot , it seems more likely to us that the clangoring and the oxygen deprivation are somehow related . It seems farfetched that a crash involving a failing oxygen generator would have nothing to do with widespread reports of air famine by other pilot program .
Haney ’s problem started when a system that channels atmosphere from the F-22′s engines begin leaking , initiating an automatic safeguard that forced air - strung-out systems , including the OBOGS , to shut down . According to the report , which is found on an examination of the Raptor ’s black box and wreckage , Haney stress to turn on his emergency oxygen , contained in a bottle wedge beside the ejection seat .
Apparently while fumbling with a tiny green ring that a pilot light pulls to start the oxygen flow , Haney did n’t notice that his aircraft had rolled over and pointed towards the primer . “ It was most probable the [ mission pilot program ] channelized his attention on doctor airflow to his atomic number 8 mask , ” the report states .
Three second before striking the ground , Haney plain take in his mistake and tried to take out up . But it was too late . The F-22 plough into the snowy solid ground , digging a deep crater , fuddle dust a quarter - mile and killing Haney instantly .
surprisingly , the Air Force fault the accident on pilot error . But the same account also praises Haney as “ one of the top pilots in the squadron , ” weaken the ending that the crash must have been his fault . The write up refer that investigators see the theory that Haney briefly blacked out , just like some of the pilots who reported oxygen shortages . But the fact that Haney tried to tear up in the last seconds of his sprightliness predominate out a black - out , the report claims .
Which means in this caseful , the OBOGS ’s failure only create the consideration leading to Haney ’s loss of control . In the cases that prompted the Raptor groundings , the OBOGS apparently directly make pilot freak out . That distinction was apparently enough for Schwartz to empty the O - source entirely in Haney ’s death . But if one of the top fender in the 525th Fighter Squadron did n’t have enough oxygen to fly his plane , that distinction offers cold comfort to every other fighter jock who ’ll have to climb up into the cockpit .
Schwartz ’s exoneration of Haney ’s F-22 does n’t mean the fly offset is any closer to picture out the other Raptor - related melody shortages . The Air Force has pay F-22 - Almighty Lockheed Martin$24 millionto , among other thing , compute out the bird of prey ’s oxygen problem and doctor it . So far , no fortune .
In the interim , Lockheed has finished the 196th and last F-22 after 14 class of production . Each of those planing machine “ is a reflexion of the commitment , strong work and professionalism of our hands , ” company vice president Jeff Babione said , commemorating the last fountain ’s roll - out . But if you ca n’t breathe while flying them , well , apparently that ’s your fault .
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