Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Patuxent River), known throughout the Navy as “Pax River,” is located on a peninsula in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay. Established in 1943, Pax River serves as the Navy’s primary flight test and evaluation center — home to the Naval Air Test Center (NATC), the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIRSYSCOM), and the Naval Test Pilot School. The installation’s aircraft maintenance hangars, test support facilities, technical laboratories, and administrative buildings were built and expanded with asbestos-containing construction materials standard to the era. Veterans, civilian DoD employees, and contractors who worked at NAS Patuxent River during the asbestos era faced documented asbestos exposure at the installation.

Who Was Exposed at NAS Patuxent River

Active duty Navy test pilots, flight test engineers, and associated squadron personnel assigned to NATC and its successor commands worked in:

  • Aircraft maintenance hangars — test and evaluation hangars with asbestos-containing fireproofing on structural steel, asbestos insulation board on interior walls, and asbestos floor tile in maintenance and support areas
  • Technical laboratories — engineering and instrumentation labs with asbestos-containing construction materials standard to mid-20th century laboratory construction
  • Test aircraft support facilities — avionics shops, powerplant test cells, and aircraft systems test facilities where heat-resistant asbestos materials were used in high-temperature test environments

Civilian Engineers and Technical Staff

NAVAIRSYSCOM Patuxent River employed a large civilian engineering and technical workforce that worked in the installation’s laboratory and office facilities throughout the asbestos era. These employees worked in buildings with asbestos-containing floor tile, ceiling tile, insulation board, and pipe insulation in the heating and mechanical systems.

Civilian Navy employees may pursue:

  • Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) claims through the Department of Labor
  • Civil litigation against manufacturers of asbestos-containing building materials and aircraft components used at NAS Patuxent River

Contractors

Construction, renovation, and maintenance contractors at Pax River — including insulation contractors, pipefitters, HVAC contractors, and general construction trades — worked with asbestos-containing materials in the installation’s facilities throughout the relevant period.

Active Duty Veterans

Navy veterans with documented active duty assignment to NAS Patuxent River and a diagnosis of mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease may qualify for VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d). There is no statute of limitations to file a VA claim.

Key documents:

  • DD-214 — confirming duty station assignment to NAS Patuxent River, NATC, or NAVAIRSYSCOM Patuxent River
  • Shore assignment orders — if the DD-214 does not list NAS Patuxent River specifically
  • Medical diagnosis linking condition to asbestos exposure

Civilian Employees and Contractors

Civilian workers and contractors who developed mesothelioma or asbestos-related disease after working at NAS Patuxent River may have claims against manufacturers of asbestos-containing building materials and aircraft components documented at the installation.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

Documented asbestos exposure information derived from publicly filed asbestos litigation records. This does not constitute legal or medical advice.