Thread: More F-22 problems

Its not a good sign when pilots, even a small number, refuse to fly due to safety concerns.

Especially with such a prestige plane

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fighte...1#.T6m_rutYuuY

Fighter Pilots Claim Intimidation Over F-22 Raptor Jets
By LEE FERRAN and MEGAN CHUCHMACH
May 7, 2012 —
go.com
Two F-22 Raptor pilots have said publicly that not only are they afraid to fly the most expensive fighter jets in American history, but the military has attempted to silence them and other F-22 pilots by threatening their careers.

"There have been squadrons that have stood down over concerns. And there's been threat of reprisals," F-22 pilot Josh Wilson told CBS News' "60 Minutes" Sunday. "There's been threat of flying evaluation boards clipping our wings and doing ground jobs. And... in my case, potentially getting booted out of the Air Force.

"So right now there's an example being set of, 'Hey, if you speak up about safety, you're going to be out of the organization,'" Wilson said.

Despite the Air Force's glowing descriptions of the next-generation jet as America's future of air dominance, as an ABC News "Nightline" investigation broadcast last week found, unknown problems with the plane's oxygen system have already contributed to the death of one pilot, the near-death of another and mid-air scares for dozens more.

READ Exclusive: Family Demands Truth in Air Force F-22 Pilot's Death

Wilson and fellow F-22 pilot Jeremy Gordon, both veteran fighter pilots for the Virginia Air National Guard who came forward under whistleblower protection from Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R.-Ill.), have asked not to fly the F-22 anymore, according to CBS News, citing their concerns with the oxygen problem.

Gordon said that two weeks after he requested not to fly the jet, he was called before a board of officers.

"I was asked to make a decision that day whether I wanted to fly or find another line of work," he said.

Several current and former F-22 pilots contacted by ABC News for its investigation either did not respond or quickly declined to comment on the plane and two relatives of flyers told ABC News that the pilots had been instructed not to speak to the media on penalty of potentially losing their post with the F-22 -- a coveted position despite the safety concerns. One pilot, when initially contacted by ABC News for comment, agreed to speak on the record but only after he checked with the Air Force public affairs office. Since then, the pilot has not responded to any of ABC News' attempts to communicate.

Air Force spokesperson John Dorrian told ABC News he has no information about any pilots being explicitly told not to speak to the media about the Raptor and noted that several F-22 pilots have been made available to the press at Air Force events. Dorrian did say that if a member of the Air Force wishes to speak with the media as a representative of the Air Force, that engagement is conducted through the Air Force public affairs office, but whistleblowers are still protected.

"Corporately, the Air Force position is the Air Force is not going to tolerate any reprisal actions against whistleblowers," Dorrian said.

Since Wilson and Gordon are assigned to the Virginia Air National Guard, Dorrian said he did not have specific information on their case.

Col. Thomas Wark, commander of the Virginia Air National Guard's 192nd Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, told ABC News that while it would be inappropriate to discuss personnel actions, the Guard "is fully aware and supports the rights of military members under the Military Whistleblowers Act and would not consider using disciplinary actions as a means of reprisal."

Top officials at the Air Force and Lockheed Martin refused to take part in one-on-one interviews with ABC News for its broadcast report, but the Air Force provided a statement last week in which it says the service is committed to "unparalleled dedication to flight safety."

"Flying America's premier fighter aircraft always entails risk but the Air Force has, and always will, take every measure to ensure the safety of our aircrews while delivering air superiority for the nation," the statement said. The Air Force has also stressed that reports of "hypoxia-like symptoms" are exceedingly rare -- more than two dozen compared to the thousands of flights flown without incident.

READ: Air Force's Full Statement in Response to ABC News Investigation

Last week the Air Force officially received the last F-22 Raptor from defense contracting giant Lockheed Martin, completing an order of 187 planes that cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $79 billion -- meaning that including research, development and production among other costs, each plane has a price tag of more than $420 million. Despite being the most advanced fighters on the planet, none of the planes have been used on a combat mission since they went combat-ready in late 2005. Critics told ABC News that's because the jet was designed to fight rival, sophisticated fighters – an enemy that doesn't exist right now.

READ: Final F-22 Delivered, McCain Says $79B Jets Still Have No Mission

F-22 Pilot Blamed in Fatal Crash After Plane Malfunction

Capt. Jeff Haney was flying the Air Force's next-generation stealth F-22 Raptor on a routine training mission in Alaska in November 2010 when a sudden malfunction cut off his oxygen completely. Capt. Haney never made a distress call but took his plane into a dive and, a little over a minute later, crashed into the winter wilderness at faster than the speed of sound.

After a lengthy investigation, an Air Force Accident Investigation Board could not find the cause of the malfunction but determined "by clear and convincing evidence" that in addition to other factors, Haney was to blame for the crash because he was too distracted by his inability to breathe to fly the plane properly.

READ: Air Force's Accident Investigation Board Report (PDF)

But Haney's sister, Jennifer, told ABC News in an exclusive interview she believes her brother blacked out trying to save himself and said that by blaming him, the Air Force was attempting to deflect attention from the ongoing, mysterious oxygen problem with the costly planes.

"I don't agree with [the Air Force]. I think there was a lot more going on inside that cockpit," Jennifer Haney said. "A cover-up? I don't know. But there's something."

In at least 25 cases since 2008, F-22 pilots have reported experiencing "hypoxia-like symptoms" in mid-air, according to the Air Force. Last year the Air Force grounded the full fleet of F-22s for nearly five months to investigate, but still no one knows what is going wrong, even as the planes are back in the air. Hypoxia is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain and is characterized by dizziness, confusion, lack of judgment and, eventually, unconsciousness.

In one case before the grounding, a pilot became so disoriented that his plane dropped down and skimmed treetops before he managed to save himself and return to base, an Air Force spokesperson told ABC News. Presumably speaking of the same incident, Gordon told "60 Minutes" the pilot had to be told he had hit the trees -- he didn't remember doing it himself.

Wilson described experiencing apparent hypoxia while in the cockpit as a "surreal experience" and Gordon said the onset is "insidious."

"Some pilots will go the entire mission, land and not know anything went wrong," Gordon said.

To Jennifer Haney, every time an F-22 goes up, it's risking the life of its pilot. She spoke to ABC News because she said she couldn't stand to see another family go through what hers had.

"I know that the Air Force has said that they were very proud to have Jeff and are very sorry for our loss -- well then, in Jeff's name, fix this," she said. "We want to make sure Jeff did not die in vain -- that his death will mean something and that if it saves lives of pilots now, future pilots, then he died for the greater good or something."

The Air Force has already begun to enact changes to the jet in hopes of mitigating the oxygen problem, including adding pilot-monitoring equipment and improving the emergency oxygen system.

But for all their effort, the Air Force still doesn't have what Jennifer Haney said is most important both to her family and to the families of pilots that risk their lives every day at the controls of the F-22: answers.

"I believe Jeff deserves that. That was my baby brother and I believe he deserves that. He deserves the truth to be told as to what happened. Not anybody's guesses," she said. "He deserves the truth. He deserves honor and so do his little girls."

F-22 Fighter Whistleblowers ‘Fully Protected’: Air Force - ABC News

By Lee Ferran
May 8, 2012 5:41pm
F-22 Fighter Whistleblowers ‘Fully Protected’: Air Force


The two F-22 pilots who decided to speak out publicly about a mysterious, potentially deadly problem with America’s most expensive fighter jet, the F-22 Raptor, are “fully protected” and others will not be reprimanded for asking not to fly the planes, a top Air Force official said today.

The Raptor, the U.S.’s only operational next-generation stealth fighter, has suffered at least 25 incidents since 2008 in which its pilots experienced “hypoxia-like symptoms” including dizziness, disorientation and nausea in mid-air. One pilot became so disoriented that his plane dropped down and skimmed treetops before he managed to pull up and save himself. Another pilot’s plane suffered a catastrophic malfunction that shut off his oxygen system, leaving him to experience what the Air Force called a “sense similar to suffocation” in the minute before his fatal crash into the Alaskan wilderness during a November 2010 training mission, as reported in a recent ABC News “Nightline” investigation.

Over the weekend, two F-22 pilots spoke out to CBS News’ “60 Minutes” about their concerns with flying the F-22 and claimed that the Air Force had sent a message to pilots that “if you speak up about safety, you’re going to be out of the organization,” as one of the pilots put it. Before the CBS report, a top Air Force official said that a “very small” number of F-22 airmen had asked not to fly the $420 million-a-pop planes, citing safety concerns.

Testifying before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing, Air Force Lt. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger said that the two pilots who spoke out, along with any pilots who express reservations about flying the planes, will not be reprimanded.
“There is clearly whistleblower protection,” Wolfenbarger said. “They are fully protected.”
The Military Whistleblower Protection Act allows for members of the armed forces to contact members of Congress, Inspectors General, law enforcement organizations and other regulating bodies concerning any number of potential legal or regulatory violations including threats to public safety. The two pilots who spoke to “60 Minutes” did so in the presence of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R.-Ill.) in order to be afforded protection under the act.

Col. Thomas Wark, commander of the Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Fighter Wing under which the two pilots fly, told ABC News Monday the Guard would “not consider using disciplinary action as a means of reprisal.”


Air Force Commander to Hop in F-22 Cockpit
The Air Force has launched multiple investigations into finding the root cause of the mystery oxygen problem – including a nearly five-month fleet-wide grounding last year – but has so far come up blank. Wolfenbarger said today the Air Force believes there are two possibilities: either the pilots are breathing in toxins along with their oxygen, or they’re simply not getting enough oxygen. The incidents are exceedingly rare, the Air Force said, 25 cases compared to thousands of missions flown without incident.

After a half decade since the first reported incidents, Wolfenbarger said the Air Force is “starting to believe we’re coming close to closure” on the cause but did not provide any more details.

Still, the Air Force maintains that the planes are safe enough to fly and, following the “Nightline” and “60 Minutes” reports, the Air Force’s Air Combat Command head Gen. Mike Hostage said he’ll soon be jumping in the cockpit himself.

“I’m asking these guys to assume some risk that’s over and above what everybody else is assuming, and I don’t feel like it’s right that I ask them to do it and then I’m not willing to do it myself – that’s not fair,” he said.