| David P. Cooley | |
| Birth Date: | 15 February 1960 |
| Birth Place: | RAF Mildenhall, England, United Kingdom |
| Death Place: | Harper Dry Lake 35 miles NE of Edwards Air Force Base |
| Nickname: | Cools |
| Branch: | United States Air Force |
| Serviceyears: | 1982 - 2003 (21 years) |
| Rank: | Lieutenant colonel |
| Commands: | Vice Commandant, USAF TPS F-117 chief test pilot |
| Awards: | Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross Meritorious Service Medal--> |
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.
The son of a USAF airman, David Cooley was born February 15, 1960, at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England.[1] He grew up in Fairview Heights, Illinois, and graduated from Belleville East High School.[2] Cooley was an exceptional soccer player and captain of his high school team.[3] 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.[4] 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.[3] While at the academy, he met his future wife, Sheyla, who was also a cadet.[1]
After completing flight training, Cooley was assigned to fly the F-111 Aardvark[5] and later became an instructor in that aircraft.[4] He began his career in flight test in 1989 conducting operational testing of new weapons and systems for the F-111.[1] Cooley was selected to attend the Empire Test Pilots' School in Wiltshire, England as the Air Force exchange officer.[1] 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.[1] Cooley was also the chief pilot for the United States Coast Guard RU-38 Twin Condor aircraft flight test program.[1]
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.[6] From 2000 to 2003, he served as the vice commandant for the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School.[6] 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.[1] After retiring from the Air Force in 2003, he was hired by Lockheed Martin as the F-117 chief test pilot.[6] In September 2007, he transitioned to the F-22 Combined Test Force (CTF) at Edwards Air Force Base.[6] During this time, Cooley and his family lived in Lancaster, California.[3]
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.[7] Paramedics transported Cooley from the crash scene to Victor Valley Community Hospital in Victorville, California, where he was pronounced dead.[8] 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[9] 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.[9]
The Air Force convened an investigation board to determine the cause of the accident.[8] 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.[10] Due to the high g-forces required by the flight profile, Cooley was likely incapacitated by "almost g-induced loss of consciousness" (G-LOC).[11]
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.[1] Two days later, the USAF held a memorial in Hangar 1600 at Edwards Air Force Base.[6] 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.[6]
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.[1]
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.[12]