Wageslave....He didn't activate the self destruct and allegedly talked far too much and far too freely once safe. He handed the Sovs the entire package. He screwed the pooch.....
Glad that others have responded to this as well. I am sure Wageslave would have done everything properly, but since I have never been shot down and been spat out of spinning wreckage, or faced months of isolation and interogation I tend to give Mr. Powers the benefit of the doubt.
He was shot down, he was in a death spiral in the remains of the cockpit, had concerns about the ejection seat (wanting to keep his legs) so he commenced steps to use the alternate bale out method and was effectively spat out before he could flip the destruct switch....
For those so inclinded to review it, his debrief is interesting as it covers the pin issuance (offered, not ordered to use), seat straps (tight) and the alternate bale out method....
Debriefing of Francis Gary Powers, February 13, 1962
".....So, I stopped and thought that I could possibly climb out. I reached up and got both the emergency and normal canopy release handles, pulled them back, the normal side released first and it flew open and fell on off very nicely, and I immediately opened my seat belt, and the G-forces raised me up in a sort of a standing position. My oxygen hose was still hooked up - I had forgotten to disconnect that but I hadn't forgotten to pull my emergency oxygen supply.
That was already on - I did that one of the first things, but I was at least half way out of the airplane leaning leaning over the top of the canopy like this and I think that the only thing that was holding me in was my oxygen hose. I tried to get back in the airplane because I had to use that destructor switch. I couldn't get back in - I couldn't get out - just hanging there with my head out in the air, and some way I knocked this rear view mirror off - 1 remember seeing it float off forward relative to me. I tried to reach down in the airplane back here to get to the destructor switches - I couldn't get to them and I knew I was below 34, 000 feet - I didn't know how high I was - had no way of knowing when I first opened the canopy my face plate fogged up completely - couldn't see. I knew I was getting close to the ground - I had no idea how close, and I knew after trying to get back in there so I could get to the destruction switches that I couldn't do it - it was impossible, so I just gave a big kick - lunge - and something gave on that oxygen hose - I don't know what broke but something gave, maybe it just pulled out of the quick disconnect there even though I had it locked - somewhere along in there it gave and I went off into the air...."