The F-22 Raptor Facts: 30 Things to Know

An Array of Incidents and Issues Plague the F-22

Senior Airman Ryan Ott and Staff Sgt. Tim Sullivan, 36th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron F-22 Egress and Systems specialists, guide an F-22 canopy onto a Raptor at Andersen Air Force Base Feb. 18. 2008. Members of the Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and the 36th Expeditionary Maintenance are deployed out of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, with more than 250 Airmen in support of the Pacifics Theater Security Package.

The development of the F-22 has its fair share of incidents. Beginning in 2008, pilots of the F-22 reported experiencing hypoxia-like symptoms while flying the aircraft. Hypoxia occurs when there is a lack of oxygen to the brain and symptoms include confusion and shortness of breath. It’s especially concerning for pilots as it can lead to poor judgement, causing them to make tactical decisions they normally wouldn’t. One fatal crash in Alaska occurred during a training mission when a malfunction caused the oxygen supply to the cockpit to be cut off. It is believed that due to the lack of oxygen. The F-22 fleet was entirely grounded for five months in 2011 to investigate the oxygen issues. The F-22 fleet lost two more planes in one day in 2012. One was due to pilot error, and the other a malfunction in the plane. Luckily, both pilots safely ejected without harm.