The Defense Department inspector general (DoD IG) criticized the Air Force’s Accident Investigation Board (AIB) report into the cause of the 2010 F-22 crash in Alaska, claiming the AIB Statement of Opinion was not supported by facts with a “clear and convincing” standard of proof and that the AIB president did not exhaust all investigative leads as required.

In its Feb. 6 report, Assessment of the USAF Aircraft AIB Report on the F-22 Mishap of Nov. 16, 2010, DoD IG found numerous deficiencies in the AIB report: Lack of detailed analysis of the non-causal or non-contributory factors, insufficient details regarding conclusions made over emergency oxygen activation and blood oxygen levels and inaccurate references in the AIB report.

Air Force Capt. Jeff Haney died in a November 2010 F-22 accident in Alaska. The Air Force blamed pilot error for his death, but other F-22 pilots have claimed problems with the oxygen delivery system resulted in them suffering hypoxia-like symptoms. Hypoxia is a lack of oxygen in the blood. The Air Force in May 2011 grounded its F-22s for four months after 14 pilots experienced disorientating symptoms (Defense Daily, May 10).

DoD IG found five specific deficiencies in the AIB report:

* Three causal factors (channelized attention, breakdown of visual scan and unrecognized spatial disorientation) were cited in the AIB report as the cause of the F-22 mishap. DoD IG said these three factors are “separate, distinct and conflicting.” DoD IG said the AIB report did not clearly explain their interrelationship and how it is possible that all three factors concurrently caused the mishap. DoD IG said the failure to adequately explain this interrelationship calls into question the AIB Statement of Opinion regarding the cause of the F-22 mishap.

* The determination that the mishap pilot’s mask was in the “full-up position” throughout the mishap sequence was not adequately supported by the AIB report’s summary of facts nor the by the analysis cited in the report’s tabs. DoD IG said this determination directly affected several conclusions of the AIB and precluded the analysis of other potential causes of the mishap. DoD IG reiterated the failure to provide adequate facts or analysis to support this determination calls into question the AIB finding.

* The AIB report’s non-contributory portion of the human factors section inadequately analyzed the human factors listed, such as hypoxia, gravity-induced loss of consciousness and sudden incapacitation, and did not contain any references and/or supporting documentation. DoD IG said without these detailed analysis and proper documentation, it is unclear how the AIB determined that these factors did not contribute to the mishap.

* There was a lack of detailed analysis of several areas, such as the emergency oxygen system activation, in the AIB report as well as the physiological reactions to the lack of oxygen.

* Of the 109 references in the AIB report’s summary of facts, 60 of those references were either incorrect or did not direct the reader of the AIB report to the information cited in the paragraph.

Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col. Max Despain said in a statement yesterday Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Hawk Carlisle chartered an expert review of DoD IG’s findings, which she said validated the AIB’s conclusions. Despain said Carlisle also reconvened the AIB to review the language in the report to better explain items DoD IG identified as unclear. Despain said the Air Force will brief DoD IG about the changes made to the report, but she said the service does not have a set date for when it will do that.

DoD IG requested in its report that the Air Force provide by Feb. 28 a detailed description of remedial action to be taken. The F-22 is developed by Lockheed Martin [LMT].