From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_P._Cooley
See also http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-david-cooley30-2009mar30-story.html
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.
Our thoughts and prayers are with David's family and
friends during this difficult time. We will remember David with great admiration
for his courage, his dedication, and his many contributions to our company and
our nation.
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.
We are here to honor a life, a life well lived. A
week ago, the morning of March 25, a calm day with clear skies, it was a perfect
day for a test pilot to take man and machine to their limits. The flight
briefing was professional. The test pilot, Dave Cooley, was well prepared and
well rehearsed. Nothing was out of the ordinary, until tragically and suddenly,
the plane went down. But we all know that it is tragedy that brings out the best
in people. While everyone dies, not everyone really lives. David Cooley really
lived. Husband, father, Air Force officer, test pilot, he was all of these and
more.
— MGen 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.
The Antelope Valley College Foundation sponsors a
scholarship in Cooley's name to enable the recipient to pursue a four-year
degree and subsequent career in engineering, math, science and/or aeronautical
technology.