Faulty oxygen supply system could cause US F-18 fighter pilots to suffocate while flying

All US versions of the F/A-18 are affected by a defect in the oxygen supply system and cockpit depressurization, putting pilots at risk of suffocation.

Hypoxia can occur in pilots of all versions of the F/A-18 fighter, including the F/A-18A/B/C/D Hornet, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler. The number of incidents related to hypoxia and sudden cabin decompression has been increasing in the US F/A-18 force since May 1, 2010, according to Aviationist.

In a hearing before the US House Armed Services Committee, US Navy officials declared this to be the “number one safety issue”. A naval investigation team found 114 incidents due to failures in the cockpit environmental control system, 91 incidents due to pilot error and 50 incidents of failures in the aircraft’s oxygen generation system. Worryingly, the team was unable to find the cause of these incidents.

Older Hornet versions suffered from sudden cabin decompression, while the Super Hornet and Growler suffered from oxygen system failures. The US Navy had to take emergency measures to deal with this situation.

The US Navy has improved its hypoxia training program to help pilots quickly identify symptoms of hypoxia and come up with solutions. Two aircraft carriers have been equipped with decompression chambers to help pilots get used to the problem.

The F/A-18E Super Hornet often has problems with its oxygen generation system. Photo: Aviationist.

This is not the first time US aircraft have faced oxygen deprivation that led to pilots suffocating. It happened to the F-22 fighter force, so serious that the US Air Force had to ground the entire fleet in 2011, after a pilot died in Alaska.

At the time, the F-22 had a suffocation rate of 26.43 per 100,000 flight hours, compared to 2.34 for the F-15E and 2.96 for the latest version of the F-16. After the grounding was lifted, the Pentagon only allowed F-22s to fly close to airports to ensure pilots could quickly land if the oxygen generation system (OBOGS) failed.

According to VNE