Ejection seats, some salutary anecdotes
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: All Bar One
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have witnessed (ish) two ejection mishaps - others might remember more details more clearly.
The first one involved a Harrier at an airshow in the mid-70s (?). The pilot had finished his display, taxiied in and shut down and was climbing out of the jet when he and his seat were fired up in to the air. Sadly not a good outcome.
The second involved a Canberra front seat firing during maintenance in the hangar at Marham in the early 80s. I was in the crewroom and heard 3 loud bangs: the seat firing; the seat hitting the hangar roof and the seat crashing down on the aircraft (it hit the crew door I believe). Amazingly no one was seriously hurt IIRC. It was during that tour that 2 different pilots on 2 different occasions fired the Canberra canopy jettison circuits during pre-take off checks.
The first one involved a Harrier at an airshow in the mid-70s (?). The pilot had finished his display, taxiied in and shut down and was climbing out of the jet when he and his seat were fired up in to the air. Sadly not a good outcome.
The second involved a Canberra front seat firing during maintenance in the hangar at Marham in the early 80s. I was in the crewroom and heard 3 loud bangs: the seat firing; the seat hitting the hangar roof and the seat crashing down on the aircraft (it hit the crew door I believe). Amazingly no one was seriously hurt IIRC. It was during that tour that 2 different pilots on 2 different occasions fired the Canberra canopy jettison circuits during pre-take off checks.
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: crewe
Age: 77
Posts: 438
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Saw two buccaneer ejections straight off the Cats. Sure they wouldn't have had time to jettison the Canopy, but went Through Canopy. All O/K but often wonder (this is before rocket assisted, and underwater ejection) they were very lucky, as the height was minimum. Drouge would have fired but parachute was not at sufficient height to fully deploy etc etc. Must have hit the oggin at a great rate of knots
Further to my post #14 above about Martin Baker's and "Doddy" Hayes successful demo of a live ejection from the back of a lorry at the 1961 Paris Air Show.
This particular show was marred by an accident where the ejection seats / ejection module didn't work, when the USAF B-58 Hustler that a few days earlier had set a trans-Atlantic speed record - under 3½ hours USA to Paris. On take-off for the return to the USA the aircraft climbed and appeared to try to roll, but during the manoeuvre entered cloud and disappeared. Only later did we learn that it crashed a couple of miles from Le Bourget killing all three aboard.
A sad end to what on their arrival been a magnificent triumph.
This particular show was marred by an accident where the ejection seats / ejection module didn't work, when the USAF B-58 Hustler that a few days earlier had set a trans-Atlantic speed record - under 3½ hours USA to Paris. On take-off for the return to the USA the aircraft climbed and appeared to try to roll, but during the manoeuvre entered cloud and disappeared. Only later did we learn that it crashed a couple of miles from Le Bourget killing all three aboard.
A sad end to what on their arrival been a magnificent triumph.
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: South of Old Warden
Age: 87
Posts: 1,375
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Reading here it appears there were quite a few accidental firings of ejection seats, in the air and on the ground. Probably more than realised.
Whilst working on my Sqdn dispersal one day I heard an almighty bang and looking up I saw a seat coming down to earth on the 13 Sqdn dispersal next door. It transpired that a Sgt armourer was doing pull off checks on the front seat, having been reliably informed (so the story went) by the previous shift's armourer that it was dis-armed. Fortunately for him as he knelt on the seat it threw him off and all he sustained was a broken ankle. Miraculously the seat missed all the A/C. I can't recall what happened to the armourers concerned!
Sounds ridiculous I know but as an aside, is it compulsory for aircrew to fly with the pins in the stowage position? I did know of one Nav who flew with them still in the seat.
Whilst working on my Sqdn dispersal one day I heard an almighty bang and looking up I saw a seat coming down to earth on the 13 Sqdn dispersal next door. It transpired that a Sgt armourer was doing pull off checks on the front seat, having been reliably informed (so the story went) by the previous shift's armourer that it was dis-armed. Fortunately for him as he knelt on the seat it threw him off and all he sustained was a broken ankle. Miraculously the seat missed all the A/C. I can't recall what happened to the armourers concerned!
Sounds ridiculous I know but as an aside, is it compulsory for aircrew to fly with the pins in the stowage position? I did know of one Nav who flew with them still in the seat.
Half-asleep in an issue maggot in the back of a Land Rover, parked between two fuel tankers and next to four Gazelles is not the place to be when an unoccupied F16 is approaching. Especially when the zip on your maggot jams.
Originally Posted by Wander00
Diggin - hope the "maggot" was brown..................
Last edited by diginagain; 24th Nov 2014 at 17:06.
Half-asleep in an issue maggot in the back of a Land Rover, parked between two fuel tankers and next to four Gazelles is not the place to be when an unoccupied F16 is approaching. Especially when the zip on your maggot jams
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Lincolnshire
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The first one involved a Harrier at an airshow in the mid-70s (?). The pilot had finished his display, taxiied in and shut down and was climbing out of the jet when he and his seat were fired up in to the air. Sadly not a good outcome.
It wasn't the best of times for the Heron air days as a F104 crashed on finals within a year or two (one side or the other - memory fades) of that sad day.
While doing a major service on a hunter in No 1 hangar ( 66 sqdn) 1959, a loud bang was heard for miles around as the ejector seat of another kite in the hangar flew skywards into the roof.Now this is true, the bod in the ****pit was a guy of very small stature, Tich or Tosh Murphy i think his name was, and he'd been sitting in the seat when the Barrastat counted down, and when we rushed to see what had happened the said bod had wrapped himself around the column, his feet and legs thrust deep into the rudder appatures, the back of his jacket slightly scorched from the exploding ejector tube.
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 737
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
spectre150
Wyton, for sure. T17. Armourer took a glancing blow to the jaw. I was working on the aileron centre hinge bracket and dropped all my tools on my head. I have a bit of the canopy in a box in the shed.
The second involved a Canberra front seat firing during maintenance in the hangar at Marham in the early 80s. I was in the crewroom and heard 3 loud bangs: the seat firing; the seat hitting the hangar roof and the seat crashing down on the aircraft (it hit the crew door I believe). Amazingly no one was seriously hurt IIRC. It was during that tour that 2 different pilots on 2 different occasions fired the Canberra canopy jettison circuits during pre-take off checks.
F-16 #78-0225
Originally Posted by MightyGem
More info, Andy?
Dutch F16, Soltau Luneberg Training Area, ingested a bird, 21-Mar-83. Gaz Flt 669 Sqn were on pre-Medicine Man training. A/c missed everything on the ground, but it was a bit un-nerving as we couldn't see it through the trees until it came to rest about 50m from the CP.
Hi Dave, how's retirement?
Dutch F16, Soltau Luneberg Training Area, ingested a bird, 21-Mar-83. Gaz Flt 669 Sqn were on pre-Medicine Man training. A/c missed everything on the ground, but it was a bit un-nerving as we couldn't see it through the trees until it came to rest about 50m from the CP.
