Thursday, December 23, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Pilot in Nellis crash not named
Commander wants individual to be focused on helping investigation
By KEITH ROGERS
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Backed by the Las Vegas skyline, the tail section of an F/A-22 Raptor sits Wednesday near a runway at Nellis Air Force Base where it crashed Monday.
Photo by John Gurzinski.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Goldfein, commander of the Air Warfare Center, briefs reporters Wednesday.
Photo by John Gurzinski.
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The commander of the Air Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base declined Wednesday to release the name of the pilot of an F/A-22 Raptor fighter jet that crashed Monday.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Goldfein said the pilot who ejected safely seconds before the $133 million jet slammed into the runway during takeoff is "a highly experienced, decorated combat pilot" with 60 hours flying time on the air-superiority warplane.
Goldfein said he will not release the name of the pilot for the time being, as Air Force investigators are about to converge on the base to determine what caused the jet to crash.
"I have thought long and hard about the obvious question, which is who is that pilot," he said, offering several reasons why he decided not to identify the pilot.
"No fighter pilot wants to leave his airplane the way that this pilot did. That's a bit of a traumatic moment and I want to make sure he has some time with his family for the holidays to sort all of that out," Goldfein said.
"I want him to focus his attention on helping this investigation process," he said.
Goldfein said he wouldn't speculate on what appears to have caused the crash. "Shortly after liftoff, the incidents occurred that resulted in his decision to eject," he said.
He added that the pilot is one of 14 who, until the crash, were putting the eight Raptors at Nellis through operational testing.
"I don't think there is any advantage right now to including his name in the process," Goldfein said. "Just like all of our Raptor pilots, he's a highly experienced, decorated combat pilot."
He said the pilot graduated from the Nellis Weapons School and is an experienced test pilot who has been at Nellis for about four years and who has flown with the Raptor test and evaluation unit for six or seven months.
The pilot, who suffered a few minor scrapes in the near-ground-level ejection, has 60 hours flying time on the Raptor and 2,000 hours at the controls of various warplanes. Debris from the plane was strewn about one-half mile from where it impacted the base's north runway.
Raptors have been flying at Nellis for two years. The one that crashed was delivered to the base 1 1/2 years ago. It had been flown for about 150 hours, Goldfein said.
He said the plane itself was priced at $133 million, not factoring in the cost of research, development, engineering and maintenance. The Government Accountability Office estimates the cost of the Raptor program at $72 billion.
The Air Force has taken delivery on 29 Raptors from the manufacturing team led by Lockheed Martin. In all, the Air Force intends to purchase 277.
Since the crash, the flying of all aircraft at the Nellis base has been put on hold and will remain that way until Monday while evidence is documented and gathered. Raptor flights at Nellis and other bases where the jets are flown -- Tyndall in Florida and Edwards in California -- have been temporarily suspended.
"We will continue flying when we know the remainder of the aircraft are safe to fly," Goldfein said about the Raptors.
He said a safety evaluation team led by Brig. Gen. Kurt Cichowski, commander of the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., is expected to complete its classified probe in late January.
Later next year, the Accident Investigation Board's president, Col. Ted Kresge, deputy director of requirements at Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va., will produce a public report on his panel's findings.
On Tuesday, Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., released a statement saying if the crash delays or increases the cost of the Raptor program his government reform subcommittee might follow up with more scrutiny of the program.
Goldfein reacted to questions about Shays' concern, saying, "That's one of the great things about the way our government is set up is that the Congress has oversight of appropriations and a responsibility to keep a close eye on all the programs.
"That's their job. So I would expect him to go forward and investigate what he and his committee and other committees think are appropriate," Goldfein said.
