Posted on 04/04/2005 3:00:56 PM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
4/4/2005 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- An accident investigation board determined that a flight control system deficiency caused an F/A-22 Raptor aircraft mishap Sept. 28 near Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The flight control system allowed the aircraft to exceed set angles of attack and G-force limits. The resulting aircraft damage is estimated at more than $3 million.
No fatalities, injuries or damage to private property resulted from the mishap, and the F/A-22 from the 411th Flight Test Squadron was able to land at Edwards.
The board found the primary cause of the mishap was a deficiency in the aircraft's flight control system, which provides aircraft stability, control and maneuvering agility.
The aircraft was flying a high-risk test mission with an F-16 Fighting Falcon. After encountering the F-16's jet wash, the Raptor experienced an unexpected and rapid pitch oscillation. The mission was to test air-to-air tracking scenarios to evaluate handling qualities with a configuration of two external fuel tanks.
The aircraft's load factor or G-force limits in this configuration were 7.33 and minus 0.5. During the test, the load factors ranged between 10.1 to minus 11.7.
The aircraft, one of the Air Force's first F/A-22s, is primarily a testing aircraft. (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service)
I hope so. I have colleagues in the aerospace engineering community who ask me, "What is up with the Raptor that it's been in testing for 15 years and isn't qualified?" I can't answer the question and that fact doesn't give me a warm fuzzy.
Agreed, that's got to be a wild ride!
It exceeded its design capabilities by more than 20 times. Designed for .5 neg. G, hit 11.7, and it managed to get the pilot back on the ground in one piece. Impressive.
Besides that, it is quite an irrelevant matter anyway. All enemies of the US assume that we will get it right eventually with our aircraft. Other countries pay much more attention to what we get right, than what we get wrong.
Wrong.
There is a deterrence component to our forces that will not be ignored. There is a benefit to our adversaries understanding that they will almost certainly lose any conflict against our forces, so they had best adhere to our desires before the shooting starts.
Wars are won before they are ever fought.
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