Modification Makes It Easier For Pilots To Reach The Emergency O2 Handle

The U.S. Air Force has modified the emergency oxygen activation system in the F-22 after some pilots have reported to have felt light-headed during flight, and one airplane went down during a training exercise in Alaska, fatally injuring the pilot.

The new system was designed by at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Approximately 200 handles, which cost $47 apiece to manufacture, have been delivered, including spares. The handles have already been fielded at the 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska.

"The fact that this detachment was able to do this quickly, cheaply and effectively, and get it into the hands of our aircrews shows them the Air Force is involved and working to get the F-22 recommendations in place as quickly as possible," said Maj. Gen. Charles Lyon, Air Combat command director of operations. "I wanted to come by today and thank the folks who came up with the idea, designed it, programmed it, machined it, mailed it, paid for it, and got it out there in a very rapid manner. I'm very proud of the unit for what they've done."

The handle was one of the F-22 components identified by a Scientific Advisory Board, which studied safety issues on the jet, as one of the critical items to be fixed. The SAB, an independent board working under the direction of the Air Force, investigated the oxygen systems in the jet after months of problems with the main and backup systems.

"The handle provides the pilot much easier access to the handle, provides an easier grip, especially when wearing cold weather gear, and allows the pilot to apply more leverage to the activation ring," said Lt. Col. Beachel Curtis, Det 1 commander.

The Associated Press reports that the widow of the pilot who was fatally injured in the Alaska accident has filed a wrongful death suit against Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor on the F-22, for a faulty design of the backup oxygen system. The suit states that the airplane's design "did not safely or properly provide breathable oxygen to the pilot operating the aircraft." The pilot, Capt. Jeffery Haney, was reportedly working to restore oxygen flow from the primary system when his airplane went down. The Air Force official report says that the pilot's death was not related to hypoxia, as he was apparently conscious and did not activate the emergency oxygen system before the accident.

There are 170 F-22 Raptors deployed at air bases around the country. (Photo: Maj. Gen. Charles Lyon, Air Combat Command director of operations, is shown the F-22 Raptor Hypoxia Familiarization Trainer at Detachment 1, a tenant unit at Luke. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Tristan Hinderliter)

FMI: www.af.mil