Military: Fla. jet crash cause not lack of oxygen
Nov 16, 2012, 9:07 PM
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AP) – The military says it doesn’t appear a failure of an F-22 fighter’s oxygen system caused the $190 million jet to crash in Florida.
Air Force Col. David Graff said in a statement Friday that an initial review of Thursday afternoon’s crash found the life system did not play a role.
The pilot ejected safely before the stealth fighter jet went down in a wooded area of Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle near Panama City. No one on the ground was injured.
In 2008, F-22 pilots began reporting high altitude-like problems, forcing the Air Force to acknowledge concerns about the jet’s oxygen supply system.
Two years later, the oxygen system contributed to a fatal crash. Though pilot error ultimately was deemed to be the cause, the fleet was grounded for four months in 2011.
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