Wing Was Stood Down Following November 15 Accident

The 325th Fighter Wing resumed normal flight operations at Tyndall AFB in Florida Monday, as Wing Commander Col. David Graff flew one of the first F-22 Raptor missions at approximately 0745 EDT. A total of eight F-22 aircraft completed training missions in the morning and six others flew in the afternoon. Graff stood the Wing's flying operations down following an F-22 accident on the base Nov. 15.

"I have complete confidence in the F-22 and its reliability. We will continue to accomplish our mission while the Safety Investigation Board searches for the cause of last week's accident," said Graff.

Immediately following the accident, an interim safety investigation board was established with local members, tasked with securing the scene and preserving all evidence. The official SIB composed of specially trained members from different military installations arrived this weekend and has taken charge of the investigation. Safety Investigation Board results are never released to the public, but are conducted to prevent future mishaps. Safety investigations of weapons systems such as aircraft, missiles and space platforms also assess possible force-wide implications on the combat readiness of these systems.

An Accident Investigation Board will convene following the SIB. The purpose of this board is to provide a publicly-releasable report of the facts and circumstances surrounding the accident to include a statement of opinion on the cause or causes of the accident. No timetable for the completion of either the SIB or AIB is known at this time.

The F-22 performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions allowing for full realization of operational concepts vital to the defense of the nation. The $143-million jet is designed to project air dominance rapidly and to defeat threats to national security and safety.

(Image courtesy U.S. Air Force)

FMI: www.af.mil