The Air Force has paused the investigation into the fatal crash of an F-22 fighter on Nov. 16 in southcentral Alaska until weather conditions allow further recovery operations at the crash site. Gen. Gary North, Pacific Air Forces commander, directed the recess, according to officials at JB Elmendorf, Alaska, home station of the lost F-22 and killed pilot, Capt. Jeff Haney. The accident investigation board has been unable to determine the accident’s cause with the information and evidence currently available, they said. Recovery operations were halted in December at the crash site in a remote area near Cantwell, about midway between Anchorage and Fairbanks, due to weather. Although Air Force and Army personnel had removed most visible pieces of the wreckage by then, the AIB wants “to ensure that all the evidence available at the crash site is recovered,” said the Elmendorf officials. (Elmendorf release)
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
