Reminds me of the Jag T-bird incident at Lossie some time ago (around 76), working up to the first display of the season - the T-bird ws being used, as the regular a/c was unserviceable.
The display was just coming to an end with the a/c half way through a roll - inverted - running up the runway centreline..., when it attempted two or three times to complete the roll...., but ended up in a sudden steep climb and the pilot ejecting - he sufered only minor injuries thankfully.
The display normally ended with a very fast run along the centreline, and a steep climb..., the ending we experienced was something else...!!! both the a/c and pilot landed inside the airfield boundary - by the time we got there the crash vehicle and ambulance had just arrived to whisk him off to sick quarters.
The BOI found that the likely cause of the incident was that the string used to secure the rear seat harness had come loose, and the rear harness had snagged the rear stick.
Appears that there were far fewer rear seat shrouds than there were T-birds.... , so standard eng practice was to use string!!!!!
Gengis
