The pilot of an F-22 Raptor that crashed during a test flight on March 25 at Edwards AFB, CA, almost lost consciousness during a high-g maneuver and failed to pull the aircraft out of a steep, high-speed dive in time to recover. Lockheed Martin test pilot David Cooley was killed immediately by windblast forces when he ejected from the F-22 at 765 knots equivalent airspeed, roughly 150 knots above the Aces II ejection seat’s design limits, said USAF accident report. According to the report, Cooley was conducting high-G maneuvers prior to the accident. Witness statements, voice and telemetry data and simulations show he completed two of three planned tests. During his third test maneuver, however, he appeared to have been subjected to increased physiological stressors associated with high-G maneuvers, the report stated. The accident investigation board concluded this led to an "almost" loss of consciousness and lack of situational awareness, causing the veteran test pilot to delay his aircraft recovery maneuver. The report stated: "The mission test pilot regained partial situational awareness and attempted a late recovery from the test maneuver, but determined there was inadequate altitude for a safe recovery and ejected."