CNN just reported that an F22 has crashed north of Edwards. No word on the pilot yet.
F-22 crashes in California desert near air base
18 minutes ago
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — The Air Force says an F-22 fighter has crashed near Edwards Air Force Base in the high desert of Southern California.
Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ann Stefanek confirmed the crash Wednesday but had no other details.
Stefanek had no information on the status of the pilot.
The F-22 is the Air Force's new top-of-the-line fighter.
Fighter jet crashes near Edwards Air Force Base
11:55 AM | March 25, 2009
An F-22-A fighter jet crashed near Edwards Air Force Base this morning, and the condition of the pilot is unclear
The crash occurred at 10 a.m. 35 miles northeast of the base, said Julius Delosreyes, a base spokesman. The base is located near the Mojave Desert.
The plane was based at Edwards and at the time of the crash was on a training mission, he said. Officials are still trying to determine whether the pilot ejected, and if so, where he is.
The crash is being handled by Air Force investigators, not the Federal Aviation Administration.
And, from another source...
California Highway Patrol and Air Force officials are reporting that an F-22 Raptor military plane went down in the area Wednesday morning, but reports of the location currently conflict.
CHP officials say the crash happened in the Harper Dry Lake area, but a release from the Air Force indicates a jet crashed northeast of Edwards Air Force Base.
Officials received a distress signal from the aircraft at about 10:30 a.m. and began receiving reports of heavy black smoke in the area, according to CHP officials.
Officials are searching the area east of Highway 395 and just north of Highway 58.
Please check back later as further information is made available.
147 Million
This has been a really crappy week for aviation... Geez.
RIP
Air Force Times confirms...
Lockheed pilot killed in F-22 crash (http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/03/airforce_f22crash_032509w/)
By Michael Hoffman and Sam LaGrone - Staff writers
Posted : Wednesday Mar 25, 2009 19:24:57 EDT
The pilot flying the F-22 that crashed Wednesday morning near Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., was pronounced dead at a local hospital, officials said.
The pilot, whose name was not released, was a contractor working for Lockheed Martin, the company that manufactures the F-22. Officials didn't say if the pilot had served in the Air Force.
The Raptor crashed at around 10 a.m. Wednesday morning about 25 miles northeast of Edwards while flying a test mission, said Gary Strasburg, an Air Force spokesman. The aircraft is based at Edwards where F-22s are tested by the 412th Training Wing.
Officers with the California Highway Patrol saw smoke in the area of Cuddedry Lake, an old emergency landing field for experimental planes, near Edwards, said Officer E. Smith, a spokesman for the Highway Patrol.
"We were told to stay out of the scene and that they were sending a rescue helicopter for the pilot," Smith said.
Only one other U.S.-owned F-22 has crashed. That plane went down Dec. 20, 2004, during takeoff at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The cause was flight control software errors.
The service has 134 F-22s that cost $133 million each. It is the first fifth-generation fighter jet to be fielded by the U.S.
Quote from: Fifinella on March 26, 2009, 12:42:47 AM
Quote from: DG on March 25, 2009, 07:13:49 PM
147 Million
Seriously? What about the pilot?
In DG's defense at the time he posted that there was no word about the pilot. As of now, 0100Z, there is still no word that I can locate.
Oops looks like Stonewall found some word and it's not good.
I wonder if there was existing trouble with that particular "Raptor". I say this because it was a test pilot from the contracted manufacturer who flew and crashed, and not an Air Force pilot.
Quote from: Rob Sherlin on March 26, 2009, 01:08:26 AM
I wonder if there was existing trouble with that particular "Raptor". I say this because it was a test pilot from the contracted manufacturer who flew and crashed, and not an Air Force pilot.
Probably not, that's not really what test pilots do. And, military retirees like this pilot often work as civilian contractors because of their experience so there is really no oddity that he was flying that aircraft in that status.
Wow. Sad to hear. :'(
all F22s are flown to Edwards after manufacturing for a complete flyoff.
This is a sad day.
The costs for each aircraft is over $300 million according to the GAO. Not $180 million, this takes into account all the R&D costs for the aircraft.