Documents obtained through the portal Air Force Times reveal that the main causes for the crash of an F-22A Raptor stealth fighter in May 2020 was a series of maintenance errors after cleaning the aircraft. Such errors caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft, ejecting.
The accident occurred on May 15, 2020 during air combat training with three F-22As, six F-35A Lightning IIs and four F-16C Fighting Falcons at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The Raptors belonged to the 43rd Fighter Squadron, the only unit that provides initial and requalification training for Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve F-22 pilots.
The pilot, whose name was not revealed, was flying under the code 'Hornet 1'. Shortly after takeoff, around 8:30 am, the pilot identified an alert on the . As he did not identify any other problems, he continued with the mission, but just 50 feet from the ground, the aircraft made a non-commanding turn to the left.
The pilot told investigators that he believed there was a problem with the left-hand engine. He reduced power and the aircraft leveled off. The pilot of another Raptor, 'Hornet 2', evaluated the engines and said that both appeared to be in good condition and nothing else looked amiss.
The Raptor's nose pointed about 45 degrees toward the sky, and another warning message popped up to flag degraded air data. At the same time, the jet again began to rotate to the left, with the nose pointing down. The wingman stated that the aircraft was almost inverted.
“I thought I was out of control at that point and I was worried I might have to eject right then and there,” the pilot told investigators. Again the pilot regained control and decided to continue with the exercise. Even so, another alert appeared on the , this time warning that the fighter was suffering excessive G-Force. Thus, the pilot decided to abort and return to Eglin base, burning fuel on the way.
“As I ed 10.000 feet, the jet started having uncontrollable tendencies again… a barrel roll sensation,” said the pilot. “It took most of the pressure I had on my right arm to keep the plane in level flight, and at that point, I couldn't turn left anymore.”
As he struggled with the controls, the pilot glanced at the cockpit display, which appeared to be showing incorrect values for altitude and airspeed, compared to what his wingman was reporting. At that point, he decided to eject and the Raptor spiraled to the ground, ending up in a ball of fire at Eglin's training ground.
"Looking down, I thought, 'Oh, there's a forest fire down there,'" said the pilot. “Then I realized, no, this is where my plane landed. … I started trying to drive towards the clearing and avoid the fireball.”
F-35s flew to the scene to relay coordinates to search and rescue forces, but none were available at Duke Field, Hurlburt Field or the local area, according to another pilot, an instructor with the 43rd Fighter Squadron who served as the supervisor during the accident. The pilot was rescued by a ing government vehicle and taken to a local hospital, where he received treatment for minor injuries. Her calves were sore and her hands scratched.
In the midst of the confusion, the other F-22s almost collided with the F-35s that were flying in the chaotic airspace. A few U-28 Draco special operations reconnaissance planes from Hurlburt Field took control of the site when the F-35s had to turn back due to lack of fuel.
"There were several [air traffic control] agencies that I believe were trying to help using their best judgment, but the airspace over the crash site really became saturated and it became... quite dangerous," said the supervisor.
In total, the accident cost more than $202 million in damages, including the $201,6 million aircraft, two CATM-9 training missiles valued at $32.000 each, and an additional $850.000 in environmental cleanup costs. .
The pilot was not tired, stressed or intoxicated at the time of the accident. Investigators also spoke with Lockheed Martin, the fighter's maker, and other companies working on the jet, although their information was not made public.
After more than a year of silence about the crash, the Air Force said in August that the jet crashed because of a “Maintenance error committed after washing the aircraft” that “affected the pilot commands transmitted to the aircraft”. The USAF did not elaborate on the maintenance error and the investigation documents do not include interviews with mechanics or other clear evidence of a cause.
Also this year, a USAF F-22 was damaged when it suffered a breakdown in flight and landed without the front landing gear. The Raptor is the first 5th Generation fighter aircraft, making great use of stealth technology to gain the upper hand in aerial combat. However, it is an expensive aircraft to maintain and its manufacture was discontinued in 2011. The US has about 185 fighters in the fleet, 125 of which are in combat status.
