Oxygen system to undergo repairs

ANCHORAGE, Alaska » The Air Force is replacing handles that engage the F-22 Raptor fighter jet’s emergency oxygen system after pilots reported feeling lightheaded and the death of a captain whose $143 million aircraft took a nosedive into a mountain range in Alaska.

The modification makes it easier for the pilot to access the handle, the military says. The Air Force has ordered 200 handles at a cost of $47 each. They have already been installed in Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s 40 F-22s.

The remainder of the nation’s 170 Raptors are stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam; Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; and Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

Capt. Jeffrey Haney, 31, was killed in November 2010 during a night mission about 100 miles north of Anchorage. An investigation found that the plane’s controls and switches contributed to the crash, particularly an emergency oxygen system activation ring on the back edge of the ejection seat.

The report found that the two-step process to manually activate the system required the pilot to pull the green ring up and out of the retaining slot and then pull it directly forward. The Air Force says the latter move may have the same force as pulling a 40- or more pound weight.

While the ring is attached to the seat by a lanyard, if it is dropped it can fall between the seats, making it difficult to retrieve, especially if the pilot is flying at night and wearing bulky winter clothing.

The problem with the system was identified by an independent scientific advisory board that studied the jet’s safety issues. It was identified as one of the critical items to be fixed, according to public affairs at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, which came up with the new, safer handles.

Haney’s widow has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lockheed Martin Corp. that claims the plane’s onboard oxygen delivery system, among other things, is defective.

Investigators found that the on-board oxygen generating system on Haney’s plane automatically stopped working after air leaks were detected in the ducts of both engines. The report says airflow would have stopped to the pilot’s mask, causing severe restricted breathing. But, it says, instead of activating the emergency oxygen system, Haney focused on restoring airflow to the mask and keeping the plane from taking a dive.

The report says Haney’s death was not hypoxia-related because he was conscious while struggling with the plane and never activated the emergency oxygen system.

Haney’s death was tragic and the company sympathizes with the family, Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Stephanie Stinn said Tuesday.

"We are aware that a complaint that makes a variety of claims associated with the accident has been filed with the court in Cook County, Ill., she said in an email. "We do not agree with those allegations and we will respond to them through the appropriate legal process."

The Air Force’s fleet was placed on temporary stand-down last summer after numerous pilots reported lightheadedness and other symptoms consistent with not receiving enough oxygen. The planes were returned to service in mid-September, but there have been more reports of hypoxia-like events.