F-22 missing...

[Reaper]

11/17/2010 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON -- An Air Force F-22 assigned to the 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, lost contact with air traffic control at 7:40 p.m. Alaska time today while on a routine training mission.

A search is underway.

More information will be released as it becomes available.

[Stratofreighter]

The officials said the advanced stealth fighter jet was about 90 miles northeast of Elmendorf Air Force Base when it "dropped off the radar."

There was no mayday or any other communication from the pilot that would have indicated the plane was in trouble, the officials told NBC News.
There have been no distress calls from the pilot since the plane went missing.

U.S. military helicopters and at least one C-130 have so far failed to turn up any sign of the missing fighter jet, according to NBC News.

[K-9]

Let's hope for the best...

[Mark B.]

According the official Air Force site the wreckage is found, pilot still missing.

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123231186

Airmen in HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters and an HC-130 King combed an area northeast of Cantwell, Alaska, the last known location of the aircraft.

To continue searching for the missing pilot, a rescue team is being dispatched to the area, approximately 100 miles north of Anchorage, by the Alaska Air National Guard Rescue Coordination Center, the 3rd Wing and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

[Mark B.]

Raptor was part of a 2 ship, Rocky 1 and Rocky 3. After Rocky 3 lost communications Rocky 1 went to a tanker and continued to search for the mishap pilot. No word yet on the pilot. source af.mil

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/11/19/alaska.plane.crash/

Washington (CNN) -- The pilot of an F-22 aircraft that crashed in Alaska while on a routine training mission has been identified as Capt. Jeffrey Haney.

Search and rescue crews have found the wreckage of the plane, but the pilot was still missing early Friday morning.

The wreckage was discovered Wednesday, a day after the aircraft lost contact with air traffic control, officials from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson at Anchorage, Alaska, said.

The plane was found near a creek bed in between two mountains in an area about 100 miles north of Anchorage.

Searchers combed through the area looking for Haney, who is assigned to the 525th Fighter Squadron.

The wreckage was in such a condition that they were unable to find any sign of the pilot, authorities said.

He was on a nighttime training mission when his plane went down.

By Thursday afternoon, the Air Force still hadn't established if the pilot was killed in the crash or ejected safely and is in the wilds of Alaska facing sub-zero nighttime temperatures.

[Melchior Timmers]

Same link:

Search-and-rescue teams have found "conclusive evidence" that the pilot of an F-22 aircraft that crashed while on a routine training mission in Alaska did not survive, the military said Friday.
Air Force Capt. Jeffrey Haney, who was assigned to the 525th Fighter Squadron, 3rd Wing, has been missing since the crash Tuesday night. Crews have found the wreckage of the plane.
Haney "did not eject from the aircraft prior to impact," said Air Force Col. Jack McMullen, 3rd Wing commander. McMullen made the remarks Friday in written and video statements.
A recovery team found part of the ejection seat and several life support items that Haney wore during the flight.
"If a pilot was able to eject, the seat would go with him and it would not be anywhere at or near the site," McMullen said.

Cheers,

[Stratofreighter]

The serial: 06-4125 ...

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.pacaf.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123239443

News > Alaska F-22 AIB on recess

Alaska F-22 AIB on recess

Posted 1/21/2011

by Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs

1/21/2011 - JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM, Hawaii -- The Accident Investigation Board for the Alaska-based F-22 Raptor crash recessed, Jan. 14, per the direction of Gen. Gary North, Pacific Air Forces commander.

The board will resume when weather conditions allow further recovery operations of the crash site located near Cantwell, Alaska.

Capt. Jeff Haney, pilot of the F-22 Raptor, was on a routine, night training mission and lost his life due to the crash, Nov. 16.

The Accident Investigation Board has been unable to determine the cause of the accident with the information and evidence currently available.

The board seeks to ensure all the evidence available at the crash site is recovered to help determine the cause or causes of the accident and the contributing factors to the mishap.

The Air Force and AIB team is committed to conducting a thorough investigation of the crash site to determine the cause and situation surrounding the crash.

The joint Air Force and Army recovery team suspended recovery and restoration efforts Dec. 2010.

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i= ... =POL&s=TOP

Aircraft Oxygen-Generating Systems Under Investigation

By DAVE MAJUMDAR
Published: 24 Mar 2011 20:00

The U.S. Air Force is investigating whether the On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS) found on several U.S. Air Force warplanes, including the F-22 Raptor, might be defective.

"Air Force operational commanders have temporarily restricted F-22 flight operations to an altitude at or below 25,000 feet for routine training missions," said Col. William Nichols, a spokesman for the command, which is responsible for training and equipping the service's combat air forces.

"Air Combat Command is conducting an investigation to assess on-board oxygen generating systems on several platforms, including the F-22," Nichols said.

"The investigation is designed for mishap prevention and is a prudent measure to ensure the OBOGS are operating safely.

"When the investigation is completed, the results will be reviewed and appropriate actions, if warranted, will be taken," he said.

A Lockheed Martin spokesman confirmed that the restriction has been in place ever since an F-22 based at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, crashed in November. Lockheed is the prime contractor for the F-22, a next-generation stealth fighter jet.

One Air Force source said that an OBOGS malfunction might have been responsible for the incident, which resulted in the death of Capt. Jeffery Haney, an F-22 pilot assigned to the 525th Fighter Squadron.

Despite the restrictions, the Raptor remains fully operational and could carry out combat tasks if needed, he said.

"A standard safety practice with all aircraft is, if there is a known or suspected problem, you take measures to fix it," said Mark Gunzinger, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, Washington, and a former Air Force pilot.

"It's not something you want to do, but these things happen with complex aircraft."

While the stealth fighter might be restricted in training operations, that does not mean the Raptor would be restricted during wartime missions, Gunzinger said.

"If it's a war, if it's truly a safety-of-flight issue and it's going to hurt pilots and it's going to prevent the mission from being accomplished, then obviously the restriction will stand," he said.

"But if it's something of a temporary nature or there is a work-around in time of war, it may not impact combat operations."

An OBOGS malfunction can be potentially life-threatening, said Hans Weber, who sat on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's Research, Engineering and Development Advisory Committee, and is the current president of Tecop International, a San Diego consulting firm.

"It's a big deal if you're at high altitude and you run out of oxygen," Weber said.

At 50,000 feet, a human being has less than 10 seconds of useful consciousness, he said.

The 25,000-foot altitude restriction would allow the pilot to quickly dive below 18,000 feet, where the atmosphere has enough oxygen to ensure prolonged survival in case of an emergency.

"It would take you so long when you're way up high, you may black out before you make it to a safe altitude," Weber said.

Given the nature of the restriction, the problem with the OBOGS is likely to be a reliability issue, Weber said.

While the probability of malfunction is fairly low, it is not something aviators take lightly, he said.

Weber also said that equipment such as the OBOGS is fairly standardized across multiple aircraft types, which means aircraft other than the F-22 likely are also affected, which Air Combat Command acknowledges.