On Thursday, the same day that the Air Force released the details on the cause of an F-22 mishap at Tyndall AFB, Fla., back in May (see entry below), another Raptor crashed at the northwest Florida base, announced officials there. The fighter went down about one quarter mile east of the base’s “drone” runway at 3:30 p.m. East Coast time, they said in a Nov. 15 statement. The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft and was under medical supervision on base, they said. Panama City’s News Herald reported that the fallen F-22 burned inside the base perimeter. Col. David Graff, commander of Tyndall’s 325th Fighter Wing, said the crash occurred while the F-22 was returning to base, according to the newspaper. While Tyndall is home to the Air Force’s F-22 schoolhouse, Graff said the pilot was not in training. The accident caused local officials to close a nearby highway as a safety precaution. The Air Force said it would release additional details as they become available.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.