Updated 9:36am Wednesday 14th June 2017
The US Air Force has released a statement regarding the temporary grounding of all US and international F-35A aircraft stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
The grounding, instigated after a series of five incidents in which pilots experienced hypoxia-like symptoms, affects the two Australian aircraft currently stationed at Luke, and will enable a review of the facts and circumstances surrounding the physiological episodes reported.
According to base officials, since May 2, five F-35A pilots assigned to Luke Air Force Base have reported physiological incidents while flying. In each case, the aircraft’s backup oxygen system operated as designed and the pilot followed the correct procedures, landing the aircraft safely.
A Defence spokesperson told ADM that Australian pilots currently stationed at Luke were not among those affected and that the Australian Senior National Representative had concurred with the USAF decision and “had exercised his authority to suspend RAAF pilots from flying pending the outcomes from the review”.
“Physiological episodes are experienced occasionally in other fighter aircraft,” the spokesperson added. “Aircrew receive appropriate training and employ procedures if they are affected by such episodes.”
“In order to synchronise operations and maintenance efforts toward safe flying operations we have cancelled local F-35A flying,” USAF Brigadier General Brook Leonard, 56th Fighter Wing commander, said.
“The Air Force takes these physiological incidents seriously, and our focus is on the safety and well-being of our pilots; we are taking the necessary steps to find the root cause of these incidents.”
The statement continued:
Wing officials will educate US and international pilots today on the situation and increase their awareness of hypoxia symptoms. Pilots will also be briefed on all the incidents that have occurred and the successful actions taken by the pilots to safely recover their aircraft. Flight medicine will brief physiological event symptoms and also the extensive measures that are being taken to analyse data collected from the incidents. Finally, the 56th Operations Group will hold an open forum to discuss any concerns pilots may have given these recent occurrences.
US F-35s based elsewhere in the US and internationally are continuing normal flight operations. The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) has stood up a formal action team of engineers, maintainers and aeromedical specialists to examine the incidents to better understand the issue.
“These subject matter experts will share the data across the F-35 enterprise and with partner nations,” a JPO spokesperson said.