PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Curious accidental ejection Rafale
View Single Post
Old 11th Apr 2020, 14:31
  #51 (permalink)  
Airbubba
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Rockytop, Tennessee, USA
Posts: 5,898
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
There was a USAF F-4 ejection over the Gulf of Mexico in the mid-1970's where the student in the front seat initiated the ejection sequence. The canopy jettisoned and the back seat had some sort of malfunction and did not fire. The front seat went out leaving the instructor sitting in back with a loud but flyable NORDO aircraft which he successfully took into Navy Corpus Christi after making a pass to clear the training pattern of TS-2A's.

He dropped the hook and took the arresting gear and then gingerly climbed out of the plane with minor flash burns from the front seat activation. The plane was left on the runway for a couple of days until Air Force 'Egress Systems Specialists' could arrive and safe the half-cocked seat.

Here's an earlier F-4 with battle damage that sent the WSO out. The pilot decided to stay onboard and land the aircraft.




https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/57805

Last edited by Airbubba; 11th Apr 2020 at 15:04.
Airbubba is offline