David Cooley F22 Air Forced: Pilot Killed

RIP David Cooley

F-22 crashes in California desert; pilot killed
Mar 25, 2009 (9:41p CDT)

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - One of the Air Force's top-of-the-line F-22 fighter jets crashed Wednesday in the high desert of Southern California, killing a test pilot for prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.

The F-22A Raptor crashed at 10 a.m. about 35 miles northeast of Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. The pilot was David Cooley, 49, a 21-year Air Force veteran who joined Lockheed Martin in 2003, the company said in a statement. A statement issued by Edwards said first responders transported Cooley from the crash scene to Victor Valley Community Hospital in Victorville, where David Cooley was pronounced dead.

Cooley, of Palmdale, Calif., was part of a team of company and Air Force pilots who conduct F-22 testing.

A board of officers is investigating the crash, the Edwards statement said. The Air Force urged people to stay away from the site because hazardous materials may have been released.

The jet, assigned to the 411th Flight Test Squadron of Edwards' 412th Test Wing, was on a test mission, said Air Force Maj. David Small at the Pentagon. The warplanes can carry air-to-air missiles but are capable of ground attack as well.

The pilot - David Cooley in that crash successfully ejected.

The fighter, powered by two Pratt & Whitney engines, is 62 feet long, has a wingspan of 44 1/2 feet and is flown by a single pilot.

Hmm... David Cooley