U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan T. Beard. Flights of the T-45C "Goshawk" at the Naval Air Station in Meridian are resuming this week. 

After a week-long pause, flights at the Naval Air Station in Meridian are resuming this week with modified masks to counter oxygen contamination concerns. 

Pilots at three stations in Mississippi and Florida, including Meridian, voiced their concerns about oxygen contamination and physiological episodes while flying the T-45C “Goshawk,” used as a training plane by instructors. 

In response, Vice Admiral Mike Shoemaker, commander in the U.S. Naval Air Forces, and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker visited NAS-Meridian on April 8 and announced the decision to ground flights. 

According to a press release, the Naval Air Forces expects flights to resume using a modified mask that circumvents the aircraft’s On Board Oxygen Generator System (OBOGS). The release said the mask has already been tested by Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). 

Instructor pilots will conduct warm-up flights and instruct students in their squadrons on the use of the masks, the release said. Shoemaker said flights will be limited to below 10,000 feet to operate without using OBOGS.

“We will be able to complete 75 percent of the syllabus flights with the modified masks while we continue important engineering testing and analysis at PAX River (Naval Air Station, Maryland) to identify the root cause of the problem,” he said in the statement. 

During his NAS-Meridian visit, Shoemaker said addressing the problem would be the number one priority of Navy leaders.

“Manpower and money will not be issues in solving this,” Shoemaker said on April 8.

In the recent statement, Shoemaker again emphasized the Navy’s commitment to pilot safety.

“This will remain our top safety priority until we fully understand all causal factors and have identified a solution that will further reduce the risks to our aircrew.”