F-22 pilots speak out to ’60 Minutes’

The Air Force says that no pilots have died because of
oxygen deprivation. But the family of Capt. Jeff Haney, who died in a 2010
crash in Alaska, has
sued the plane’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, for wrongful death, claiming
that oxygen deprivation led to the crash. The Air Force says Haney was to
blame.

In excerpts
of the “60 Minutes” segment released Thursday evening, Capt. Josh Wilson describes his bout with hypoxia
in the F-22, saying it took “immense concentration” to perform simple tasks.

He attempted to pull the plane’s oxygen ring, but says, “I
couldn’t find it. I couldn’t remember what part of the aircraft it was in.”

When Maj. Jeremy Gordon is asked whether the plane is safe to fly, he says, “I’m
not comfortable answering that question.”

Gen. Michael Hostage, commander of Air Combat Command, which
runs the F-22 program, defends the fighter jet on “60 Minutes.”

“I don’t see a reason to stand the plane down,” he
said. “Ideally, I want the risk as low as possible. I’m not able to drive it as
low in this airplane as I am with others because of this unknown circumstance,
but I have driven it down to a level where we believe we can safely operate the
airplane.”