Luckiest Pilot alive?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 32,868
Received 2,818 Likes
on
1,200 Posts
Wasn't there a Vulcan pilot who ejected way below the seat parameters. As his parachute started deploying it got caught in some powers lines that fused the cords and the wires together and then the HT wires brought him to a halt.
He then swung down to the vertical and stepped out of his harness.
He then swung down to the vertical and stepped out of his harness.
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wasn't there a Vulcan pilot who ejected way below the seat parameters. As his parachute started deploying it got caught in some powers lines that fused the cords and the wires together and then the HT wires brought him to a halt.
He then swung down to the vertical and stepped out of his harness.
He then swung down to the vertical and stepped out of his harness.
"The aircraft had rolled to port through at least 90 degrees but not more than 120 degrees, with a nose down angle of between 15 and 20 degrees when the Captain ejected from an approximate height of 300 feet by pulling the face blind. The blind partially covered the right side of his face because he only used his right hand to pull the face screen firing handle. Due to the attitude of the aircraft and the low height at the time of ejection the parachute had only streamed when the pilot passed through high tension cables close to the scene of the accident. The canopy caught one cable, pulled that cable onto the next one and caused an electrical short. This fused the nylon panels together which acted as a brake, and the pilot was lowered to the ground. As his feet touched he undid the quick release box and walked away."
Wasn't there a Vulcan pilot who ejected way below the seat parameters. As his parachute started deploying it got caught in some powers lines that fused the cords and the wires together and then the HT wires brought him to a halt.
He then swung down to the vertical and stepped out of his harness.
He then swung down to the vertical and stepped out of his harness.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
I am reminded of a story from a book of lucky escapes relating the case of a P-51 pilot.
During a high speed dive one of the ailerons detached and the aircraft went into a high-G spiral where he blacked out. At some stage at low level the aircraft disintegrated and he was thrown clear sideways from the wreckage with part catching and pulling out the contents of his parachute pack which began to stream.
At this stage he passed through the top branches of some trees where the parachute turned his path just about fully horizontal before he then entered a corn field where he cut a gently descending groove across the field before coming to a halt with the remnants of the parachute stretched out behind him.
He reportedly awoke with no injuries.
During a high speed dive one of the ailerons detached and the aircraft went into a high-G spiral where he blacked out. At some stage at low level the aircraft disintegrated and he was thrown clear sideways from the wreckage with part catching and pulling out the contents of his parachute pack which began to stream.
At this stage he passed through the top branches of some trees where the parachute turned his path just about fully horizontal before he then entered a corn field where he cut a gently descending groove across the field before coming to a halt with the remnants of the parachute stretched out behind him.
He reportedly awoke with no injuries.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 32,868
Received 2,818 Likes
on
1,200 Posts
Did he share it out?
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: California
Posts: 132
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The summary here about the U-2 incident is great -
LOC-I after pilot loss on conciousness at 14000ft.
Aircraft landed upright after clipping power cable.
Pilot regained conciousness and suffered an inadvertent ejection will climbing out of the cockpit and survived.
LOC-I after pilot loss on conciousness at 14000ft.
Aircraft landed upright after clipping power cable.
Pilot regained conciousness and suffered an inadvertent ejection will climbing out of the cockpit and survived.
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Rockytop, Tennessee, USA
Posts: 5,898
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Earlier PPRuNe discussion of the catatonic U-2 pilot here: U2 down in Northern California - Page 2 - PPRuNe Forums
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: England
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I only recently heard about the lucky 1946 Northolt Dakota - almost looks faked (but isn’t)
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail...photo/79044077
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail...photo/79044077
I cannot quote the details but there was a Red Arrows crash at Akrotiri a few years ago where each event in the damage sequence cancelled out the effect of the one before and the pilot survived against all the odds. Worth a read if anyone knows how to lay their hands on it.
I vaguely remember a story I read about an Italian (?) Military jet aerobatic team doing a show in very poor vis. One of the solo's saw a flash and the next millisecond second he is being blasted upwards in his ejection seat. His helmet had a slight groove which was later determined to be from the bottom of the tail skid of the other aircraft involved in the head on mid-air. The skid went through the canopy, creased his helmet and then pulled out the ejection handles at the top of the seat. The pilot reported he never saw the other aircraft and had the hit been a half inch lower it would have ended very badly for the him.
Not a pilot but right up there in the lucky stakes is Jack Worsford.
"The Tail of his Lancaster was severed from the main Fuselage in mid-air. With his Parachute still in the main Fuselage, his rear Turret fell from 5,000ft. Fortunately for him, the twin Lancaster Tail assembly saved his life, spinning to earth like a sycamore seed and after hitting overhead cables and trees he survived to spend the rest of the War in captivity."
From https://tailendcharlietedchurch.word...-of-the-skies/
"The Tail of his Lancaster was severed from the main Fuselage in mid-air. With his Parachute still in the main Fuselage, his rear Turret fell from 5,000ft. Fortunately for him, the twin Lancaster Tail assembly saved his life, spinning to earth like a sycamore seed and after hitting overhead cables and trees he survived to spend the rest of the War in captivity."
From https://tailendcharlietedchurch.word...-of-the-skies/
Gnome de PPRuNe
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Too close to Croydon for comfort
Age: 60
Posts: 12,617
Received 291 Likes
on
159 Posts
I vaguely remember a story I read about an Italian (?) Military jet aerobatic team doing a show in very poor vis. One of the solo's saw a flash and the next millisecond second he is being blasted upwards in his ejection seat. His helmet had a slight groove which was later determined to be from the bottom of the tail skid of the other aircraft involved in the head on mid-air. The skid went through the canopy, creased his helmet and then pulled out the ejection handles at the top of the seat. The pilot reported he never saw the other aircraft and had the hit been a half inch lower it would have ended very badly for the him.
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: South
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In 1982 a Hawk at Bedford was undertaking wake turbulence research when it experienced an uncommanded and very low roll;- 20ft. The pilot went out just fractional within the seat survival envelope, while the observer decided to stay in. The aircraft landed upside down and slid 1200ft down the runway. As the structure deformed and was worn away, the observer head was progressively held against the runway. The wreck came to a holt just as the Asphalt was wearing through the fabric next to the chaps scalp.
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/55500
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/55500
Last edited by Bagheera S; 8th Dec 2020 at 21:22.
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne
Age: 54
Posts: 1,511
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes
on
3 Posts
In 1982 a Hawk at Bedford was undertaking wake turbulence research when it experienced an uncommanded and very low roll;- 20ft. The pilot went out just fractional within the seat survival envelope, while the observer decided to stay in. The aircraft landed upside down and slid 1200ft down the runway. As the structure deformed and was worn away, the observer head was progressively held against the runway. The wreck came to a holt just as the Asphalt was wearing through the fabric next to the chaps scalp.
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/55500
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/55500
In 1982 a Hawk at Bedford was undertaking wake turbulence research when it experienced an uncommanded and very low roll;- 20ft. The pilot went out just fractional within the seat survival envelope, while the observer decided to stay in. The aircraft landed upside down and slid 1200ft down the runway. As the structure deformed and was worn away, the observer head was progressively held against the runway. The wreck came to a holt just as the Asphalt was wearing through the fabric next to the chaps scalp.
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/55500
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/55500