F-22 crashes in Calif. desert; no connection to Nellis

The Air Force said an F-22A Raptor, a new top jet fighter, crashed in the desert outside Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California on Wednesday and the pilot died in the crash.

The test pilot of the fighter jet was identified as 49-year-old David Cooley, who was a 21-year Air Force veteran and employed by Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the aircraft.

The Air Force has launched a investigation into the crash in the desert about 35 miles northeast of Edwards Air Force Base.

Capt. Amanda Ferrell, information officer for Nellis Air Force Base, said the F-22 was a test aircraft with the 411th Flight Test Squadron based at Edwards with the 412th Test Wing. The crash occurred about 10 a.m.

Nellis has a weapons school and a test squadron that both fly F-22s, Ferrell said, but the aircraft that crashed in California has no connection to Nellis.

However, based on what investigators discover in their research of the crash, new lessons will be added to pilot training at Nellis, Ferrell said.

The Air Force grounded F-22s for two weeks after one crashed at Nellis Air Force Base in December 2004. They were then cleared to fly again after a review. The pilot in the Nellis crash safely ejected.

F-22s can evade radar and each jet fighter costs $140 million.