Investigation into the F-22A mishap at NAS Fallon in April this year has found that the pilots are taking off using an incorrect technique.
Staff Sgt. Mercedes Crossland [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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On Apr. 20, an F-22A assigned to the 90th Fighter Squadron had failed to take off and the jet slid about 6,514 feet down the runway before coming to a stop. Investigators determined that the pilot had incorrect Takeoff and Landing Data (TOLD) for the take off and he failed to apply any corrections to the incorrect TOLD. He had prematurely retracted the landing gear while the jet had insufficient speed to maintain level flight.
The board also found that other F-22 pilots are rotating their aircraft during take off at a lower speed than that calculated by the TOLD. And there is an organizational acceptance to this incorrect technique.
Investigators also found that the F-22 community is overconfident in the aircraft’s ability to take off due to the high thrust generated by the engines. This lead to a decreased emphasis on the take off data.