Pentagon IG reviewing fatal Raptor crash

The Pentagon inspector general is investigating the U.S. Air Force’s conclusions on a fatal F-22 crash, an unusual step for what are typically routine probes into aircraft accident.

The IG sent a Jan. 25 letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, saying the agency would investigate the Aircraft Investigation Board (AIB) report into the November 2010 incident in Alaska, which killed Capt. Jeffrey Haney.

The Air Force’s investigation blamed Haney for the crash, saying that Haney didn’t react quickly enough to activate the jet’s emergency oxygen system or recover from a dive he entered into as he struggled to breathe. However, the report also confirms that a malfunction occurred in the Raptor’s bleed air intakes, which caused an automatic shutdown of multiple aircraft functions that included the F-22’s primary oxygen system.

In the letter to Donley, an IG official wrote that the agency will “focus on the adherence of the AIB to the procedures set forth in Air Force Instruction (AFI) 51-503, ‘Aerospace Accident Investigations.’”

“Our assessment will also verify that AIB conclusions are supported by evidence of record consistent with standards of proof established by AFI 51-503,” he wrote.

An Air Force spokesman could not immediately provide comment on the investigation, first reported by InsideDefense.com.

Source: By KATE BRANNEN, 09 February 2012 - Gannett Government Media / DefenceNews (www.defensenews.com)

Photo Story: Capt. Jeffrey Haney, who died in the November 2010 crash, joined the Air Force in 2003. (Photo by http://www.airforcetimes.com)

Aerial view of the site of November 2010's F-22 crash.

A November 2010 photo provided by the U.S. Air Force shows the crash site of Capt. Jeff Haney's F-22 Raptor about 100 miles north of Anchorage.  Master Sgt. JEREMIAH ERICKSON / U.S. Air Force via Associated Press archive   (Photo by thenewstribune.com)

(9.02.2012)