F-22 flies again five years after accident, page 1

On May 4th, 2023 Lt Col. Philip Johnson, assigned to the 514th Flight Test Squadron at Hill AFB took off in F-22 07-4146 from Joint Base Elemdorf-Richardson. On 13 April, 2018 the same aircraft was taking off from NAS Fallon in Nevada, when the pilot rotated too slowly, and pulled the gear up too soon. The aircraft settled back down onto the runway, with the main landing gear doors closed, and the nose gear door transiting closed. The aircraft slid 6514 feet down the runway, destroying most of the panels on the belly of the aircraft, and structures underneath. The AIB report found that F-22 pilots routinely would rotate early and rely on engine power to keep the aircraft airborne.

After the initial investigation, the aircraft was disassembled at Fallon. The wings and vertical fins were removed, as well as all the belly and damaged panels. The aircraft was loaded onto a C-5 and transported back to JBER. After multiple simulations, it was determined that the aircraft could feasibly be repaired. In January 2020 the aircraft was placed on jacks and stripped of its wiring harnesses, bulkheads, and struts. It took 16 months to replace the entire bottom of the aircraft, the fuselage stations, and over 40 wiring harnesses. In June 2021, active duty airmen joined the repair work. In 2022, an F-22 suffered an accident at Eglin AFB, after a landing gear collapse. Airmen from JBER travelled to Eglin to cannibalize the aircraft, and removed the seat, leading edge, and two flaps for the repair work. In December 2021, the aircraft had no struts, no wings, no stabilizers, and no hydraulics. In May of 2023, the aircraft flew with a few minor maintenance items found.

An Air Force F-22 Raptor flew once again May 4, five years after it suffered extensive damage from a botched takeoff on April 13, 2018.

With only 186 Raptors in the entire Air Force inventory, getting just one of the formidable air-to-air fighters back to operations represents a significant achievement for the 3rd Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, where the F-22 is assigned.

“There are only so many F-22s in the inventory,” Chief Master Sgt. Adam Willeford, the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron senior enlisted leader, said in a press release. “Every aircraft in the fleet is highly valuable for mission success, so returning this one to operational status is a big win for the team.”