A test pilot killed in an F-22 fighter jet crash in the high desert of Southern California is being remembered in his hometown of Belleville.
Forty-nine-year-old David Cooley was a test pilot for the jet's prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, when he was killed Wednesday in a remote area of the Mohave Desert.
The Air Force is trying to pinpoint what caused the crash. Cooley was a 21-year Air Force veteran who joined Lockheed Martin in 2003.
He graduated from Belleville East High School, where he was a standout soccer player and was the team captain. His father, Bill Cooley, is a retired Air Force master sergeant. He says his son flew a wide inventory of aircraft and had been testing the Raptor jet for several years.
The Air Force is trying to pinpoint what caused the crash. Cooley was a 21-year Air Force veteran who joined Lockheed Martin in 2003.
He graduated from Belleville East High School, where he was a standout soccer player and was the team captain. His father, Bill Cooley, is a retired Air Force master sergeant. He says his son flew a wide inventory of aircraft and had been testing the Raptor jet for several years.
