F-22 Raptor Crashes Near Edwards AFB
Michael Bruno michael_bruno@aviationweek.com
David A. Fulghum davef@aviationweek.com
The U.S. Air Force has confirmed an F-22A Raptor crashed about 10 a.m. today around 35 miles northeast of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where it was based.
The condition of the pilot is unknown at this time, USAF says. A program source tells Aviation Week that the reason the pilot's fate is unknown is because the F-22 was separated from the chase plane at the time of the accident and the chase pilot did not see what happened.
The Raptor was on an unidentified test mission. So far it appears to have been a captive carry weapons test by the 412th Test Wing.
A USAF statement said a board of officers will investigate the accident. "As soon as additional details of the crash become available, they will be provided," the service said.
This is the third crash of an F-22, and the second of a production aircraft. A YF-22 crashed during testing in 1992--the pilot survived without ejecting--and in 2004 a pilot at Nellis AFB was forced to eject shortly after takeoff. The Nellis crash grounded the F-22 fleet for two weeks.
The Air Force currently has 134 F-22s in its inventory.
Photo credit: USAF
