David P . Cooley David Paul Cooley ( February 15 , 1960 – March 25 , 2009 ) was a Lockheed test pilot and retired United States Air Force ( USAF ) officer , responsible for developmental flight testing of the F - 117 Nighthawk . He was killed while flying a test mission in an F - 22 Raptor jet fighter over the high desert of Southern California . Biography . Early years . The son of a USAF airman , David Cooley was born February 15 , 1960 at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk , England . He grew up in Fairview Heights , Illinois and graduated from Belleville East High School . Cooley was an exceptional soccer player and captain of his high school team . His enjoyment of soccer continued throughout his life , and he was a dedicated bicyclist . He attended the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs , Colorado and graduated in 1982 with a degree in aeronautical engineering . George H . W . Bush , then Vice President of the United States , was the graduation speaker and presented Cooley with his diploma , a moment of special pride for the young officer . While at the academy , he met his future wife , Sheyla , who was also a cadet . Career . After completing flight training , Cooley was assigned to fly the F - 111 Aardvark and later became an instructor in that aircraft . He began his career in flight test in 1989 conducting operational testing of new weapons and systems for the F - 111 . Cooley was selected to attend the Empire Test Pilots ' School in Wiltshire , England as the Air Force exchange officer . He graduated in 1992 and returned to the United States assigned to the 445th Flight Test Squadron where he conducted tests on avionics and missile evaluation for the F - 15 Eagle . Cooley was also the chief pilot for the United States Coast Guard RU - 38 Twin Condor aircraft flight test program . In 1998 , he was selected as the operations officer for the 410th Flight Test Squadron and performed developmental flight testing of the F - 117 Nighthawk . From 2000 to 2003 , he served as the vice commandant for the U . S . Air Force Test Pilot School . He was responsible for the day - to - day operations of all aspects of the school and also mentored students as a full - time flight instructor . After retiring from the Air Force in 2003 , he was hired by Lockheed Martin as the F - 117 chief test pilot . In September 2007 , he transitioned to the F - 22 Combined Test Force ( CTF ) at Edwards Air Force Base . During this time , Cooley and his family lived in Lancaster , California . Accident . At approximately 10 a . m . on the morning of March 25 , 2009 , an F - 22A piloted by Cooley crashed at Harper Dry Lake , near Lockhart , California about 35 miles northeast of Edwards Air Force Base . Paramedics transported Cooley from the crash scene to Victor Valley Community Hospital in Victorville , California , where he was pronounced dead . The wreckage of Cooley ’ s F - 22A crash extended ten miles east from the site of the accident in Hoffman Road from the Fremont Peak Road , in San Bernardino County and the debris field covered a wide area including three washes . A security team was deployed to cordon off the area due to aircraft materials that may pose health risks . The Air Force convened an investigation board to determine the cause of the accident . On July 31 , 2009 , the Air Force released the board ' s accident report that identified human factors associated with high gravitational forces as the cause of the crash . Due to the high g - forces required by the flight profile , Cooley was likely incapacitated by " almost g - induced loss of consciousness " ( A - LOC ) . Reaction and legacy . Lockheed Martin Chairman , President and CEO Bob Stevens recognized Cooley ' s contributions in an all - employee memo the day after the crash . A funeral service held on March 30 , 2009 at Palmdale United Methodist church was attended by hundreds of colleagues , family members and friends . Two days later , the USAF held a memorial in Hangar 1600 at Edwards Air Force Base . Speakers included 411th Flight Test Squadron commander Lt . Col . Dan Daetz , Lockheed Martin representative James Brown , and Air Force Flight Test Center commander Major General David Eichhorn . In addition to his wife , Cooley is survived by their three sons , Paul , Mark and Aaron ; his father and stepmother , William and Peggy Cooley ; one brother , Bill Cooley ; and two sisters , Susan Pfalzer and Cathy Baker .