The Air Force says it has temporarily stopped flying F-35 fighter jets at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona in response to a series of incidents in which pilots reported symptoms of hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation.
An Air Force spokesman, Capt. Mark Graff, said the temporary halt to flying at Luke followed five separate in-flight incidents since May 2. In each case the airplane's backup oxygen system worked as designed and the pilot was able to land the plane safely, Graff said.
The cancellation of flying is limited to F-35s at Luke.
Graff said the Air Force has established an "action team" of engineers, maintenance specialists and aeromedical specialists to study the five incidents.
