US Missile Expert Died from the Bends in High-Altitude Test

A 33-year-old civilian missile specialist died of decompression sickness, also known as the bends, caused by a high-altitude test flight on a U.S. Air Force jet, a report has revealed.

The specialist, assigned to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), who had recently had COVID-19, was onboard a C-17 aircraft during a missile-testing mission near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on August 21, 2023. The report into the mishap was released by the U.S. Air Force on Friday.

The employee, who has not been named, fell ill shortly after the unpressurized
simulated airdrop portion of the mission. One crew member said the missile specialist was "having difficulty even standing up" and "looked like a guy that had been drinking all night."

Later in the flight, while lying on a mattress, he was described as "slurring his words, breathing heavy, and appearing uncomfortable, in pain, and pale."

The missile specialist was initially treated for hyperventilation, though the report stated that the failure to recognize he was suffering from the bends, likely did not impact the outcome.

Upon the aircraft's return to the base, the employee's condition deteriorated further. He was transported to the emergency room at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where he suffered a cardiac arrest and, despite resuscitative efforts, passed away the following day.

The unpressurized cabin environment at high altitude allowed nitrogen bubbles to form in his bloodstream, leading to decompression sickness, the report said. His recent recovery from COVID-19 was mentioned as a factor that may have exacerbated his susceptibility to the condition, impairing his body's ability to manage the sudden change in pressure. The Medical Examiner declared it an accidental death, caused by "decompression sickness with contributing factors of obesity, hypertension, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with an unknown role for the SARS-CoV-2 infection."

Newsweek called the U.S. Air Force for comment.

The report highlighted that despite various mitigation measures against decompression sickness, the risk of experiencing it "cannot be moderated to zero."

The report's author, Brigadier-General Derek M. Salmi, paid tribute to the deceased.

"[He] was highly respected by peers, subordinates, and superiors alike and was lauded for his intelligence, future potential, and innate kindness within the MDA community and beyond," Salmi wrote. "He will be missed by family, friends, the MDA, and those with whom he served."