Spokeswoman Says There Were 'No Events Of Interest'

The U.S. Air Force says that there have been two "physiological incidents" associated with the F-22 Raptor recorded since November 21st. After the F-22 was returned to service in September, a special reporting category was established to record hypoxia-like symptoms that may be related to the ongoing problems with the jets oxygen generating systems. The category is separate from "events of interest" ... which is now used to designate "an aircraft indication, system malfunction or a data point that has not caused symptoms of hypoxia nor caused any danger to the pilot or aircraft, but is noteworthy for data collection and further analysis."

Defense News reports that Air Combat Command spokeswoman Kelly Sanders said in a statement that the recent incidents did not cause any damage to the airplanes. The paper said it had received tips from anonymous USAF sources indicating ground personnel had reported becoming ill while performing maintenance on the aircraft while the engines were running, but that the most recent cases involved aircraft that were flying.

Sanders said a "rigorous process" is applied to collect and analyze "operational, maintenance, and physiological data relevant to any incidents, which typically takes several weeks to complete and may or may not produce actionable information."

FMI: www.acc.af.mil