Failed Ejections
 

Hi All !

I lived through a failed ejection on a Mig19 in a spin.One of the two canopy thrusters failed to fire,so the canopy was de-railed and off-centered, but still attached,so the seat could not fire!
I wonder if there is any record of similar occurances. Though my incident was about 36 years ago, would love to hear from anyone with such good luck!

Cheers,
:)

Was it one of those rubber MiGs that bounces? Clever chaps, the Ruskies. Invented the pencil.

Didn't one of the Synchro pair have a lucky escape from a Hawk when he cocked-up the opposition 'heart' whilst practicing in Cyprus. Forget his name, but I think Phil Tolman was Synchro lead. Believe the seat was 'ejected' by the impact but the chute opened and he survived. (Was it Hirst/Hurst, or was that another accident?)

Philleas,

The following website might be of interest to you?

http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/

H,

The details are on this page

http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/A...RED_ARROWS.htm

Umm
RAF F-4 in Germany, 70's I think where the back seater ejected first and the pilot then was unable to eject because "sucK' prevented the canopy thrusters from shoving the canopy clear, hence the front seaters seat was inhibited by the canopy interlock. As far As as I recall it he got the seat to fire eventually...no doubt someone will fill in the gaps or correct the story. Seem to remember this resulted in improved canopy "thrusters":E and also the recommendation for the front seater to eject first ( are you there Nick?...Nick?... Nick..:uhoh:)

Wasn't there also a Lightning incident around the same time, where a mid-air collision resulted in a failed ejection due jammed canopy? The pilot managed to land the thing.

All from memory, all probably wrong!!! Must rush - off to argue about heroic things such as locked flight deck doors elsewhere:ugh::ugh::ugh:

And where are you mailing from, Phileas? ;)
Phinish your story, please!

I remember picking up the pieces of that one (1983/4?). It was the first practice of the detatchment. Rumour was the seat was set off when it hit the ground, though the cockpit area survived in one big lump so maybe he would have been okay had he remained in situe.

Hi Wiggy,

I haven't seen Nick in a while, but when I last saw him he was workirg at a secret location in Hampshire, not a million miles from Farnborough, dealing with top secret rockets and such.

Good luck with the locked doors!!

I seem to recall a Vulcan accident in which the pilot(s) stayed put to get the rear crew out and were very close to the lower limits of the ejection seat envelope when they ejected. One pilot was saved by landing with his parachute tangled in some high tension power lines? Anglesey in the 60s possibly?

A2QFI

I think XM604 Cottesmore '68

Vulcan 604. Cottesmore. From Board of Enquiry.

Utilisation of Escape Facilities. Captain. 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.
-------
The cables were the utility supply to a farm house, the only overheads for miles!

I witnessed the Red Arrows crash at Akrotiri in March 1984. Though we lost sight of the aircraft behind the tower momentarily, it impacted the ground causing damage to the seat, amongst other things. As the aircraft came back into our view we saw the parachute deploy just prior to the second impact and fireball. Believe the rocket pack didn't fire and the pilot was dragged backwards out of the aircraft by the parachute deploying into the airstream. Looking at the wreckage afterwards I dont believe the pilot would have survived had he stayed with the aircraft.

http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/A...RED_ARROWS.htm

Morning maxburner, please give my rgds to Nick if you see him.

As to ejections on the limit - ? A Jag ejection right on or perhaps beyond the seat limits where the drogue deployment was speeded up because the drogue bullet went through the ejected cockpit canopy, which then proceeded to drag drogue chute and then main much faster than spec.

Must get into the online database's when I'm away and see if I can find any confirmation - right, off to lock my door :{

A well known incident, but worth another mention:

http://www.gallagher.com/ejection_seat/index.htm

Philleas,

Just curious, but were you one of the Albanian pilots who defected to Italy during the 90s? I believe the pilots flew a MiG-15 trainer to Italy?

There was also an incident at Marham, some years back, involving a 100 Sqn Canberra. During an overshoot, (asymmetric, IIRC), the aircraft crashed into the runway threshold, cartwheeling along the ground and during this process, flinging out the crewmembers. I believe at least one of the crew may have attempted to eject during the crash, but at any rate, all 3 crew survived, with 1 of the navs simply walking away from the wreckage.

Wiggy, if the Jaguar incident you refer to was in Germany, yes the drogue chute went through the frame of the canopy (the perspex shattered as the canopy flexed). However, this didn't speed up the chute deployment, the ejection was in parameters--just. I do know this for a fact as I was on the board.

The Arrows prang at Akrotiri was Curly Hirst

The Lightning involved in the collision was on an exchange in France and the mid-air was with a Mirage. As stated, the damaged seat wouldn't fire so he formated on a Mirage to get VMC below.

Perhaps the unluckiest was another Lightning. Both engines were lost and an ejection attempt was made. The canopy would not leave he aircraft as a bolt in the system malfunctioned, leaving the by now twisted canopy attached at one side. He managed to dead stick it into a field but hit a tree. The collision with the tree made the canopy come off, the seat now fired with diastrous consequences, being a 90kt S&L seat--just how unlucky can you get.

A very lucky one was the two Patrouille de France Alpha Jets that had a mid-air doing an opposition loop. The wingtip of one hit the other's front seat, impacting the scissor shackle thingys on the top and firing the drogue, pulling the guy out, he survived.

IIRC there were infact 4 persons on board, they had been on a landaway for a wedding! The accident occured at the end of a rather tight VRIAB. Got a little low/slow on finals and then asymmetric thrust (slow and uneven rpm rise from the RR Avons) caused some roll/yaw. This was corrected, but then made worse by a bigger roll/yaw in the other direction. The ac hit the ORP abeam the 24 threshold with about 80deg right bank. The nose section broke off as the ac slid to a halt. Some of the crew were flung from the wreckage, but the injuries were not too serious. A spotter took a series of pictures that showed the final moments, I'll try to find them.

:)

Come on then, Plilleas. If the ejection failed, how did you survive??

H Peacock,

Many thanks for the update to the Marham Canberra incident. With 4 on board, one had to have been on the Rhumbold seat, so even more remarkable that he survived. IIRC, the pilot broke both legs. One of the navs was badly burned/scarred as well from being dragged along with the wreckage, but eventually recovered enough to become an excellent F4 WSO on 92 Sqn.

100 Sqn Canberra
 

I seem to remember that an intact set of Noritaki chinaware was also recovered from the aircraft. There was a remarkable photo, in Airclues, of the aircraft, in mid-cartwheel, near to the ORP.

3P:ok:

100 Sqn Canberra
 

As I recall one of the Navs who walked away from the wreckage started to pull the handle thought better of it and stopped which probably saved his life - so this could go down as a failed ejection!

This is a sort of failed ejection story, in that at least one participant wasnt a volunteer!.....I wasn't there but remember the fuss, sometime mid 80's in the dim and distant, an ejection from a Tornado, in Germany on exercise (I think). The Nav, thinking they had hit something, punched them both out but actually it was just a traffic avoidance pull up.....oops!

Regards
Xraf:ok:

THat would have been Mr "Woosh-Bang"

3P:ok:

Forget - thanks for that input. There was a Vulcan loss in Anglesey but it was obviously not the one described, with the miraculous intervention of the power lines. One lucky pilot, I wonder if he is still around?

My father was ADO one day when an F-86 lost control and the pilot ejected when the aircraft was banked 90 degrees about a 100 feet above the runway. The pilot still in the seat flew into some trees that were along side the runway. Everyone that saw the ejection figured that the guy was dead, including my father, therefore all of the attention of everyone was to extinguish the fire that resulted from the F-86 crashing.

After the fire was under control my father and the ambulance crew hiked off into the trees to recover the 'body'. After getting through the trees they spotted the ejection seat sitting more or less upright in a small clearing. As they approached the seat the head of the pilot moved and they could see his hands moving.

Apparently the tree tops slowed the seat down and he landed in the cleaning alive. If I remember correctly he had a broken arm and both ankles were broken and he suffered a concussion. In a year he was back flying.

So, I guess that could count as a failed ejection. Sorry, I cannot recall where my father told me this took place or the date.

Failed ejections
 

My attempted ejection was out of a MiG-19 (F-6), Pakistan Air Force,in 1971. In a training Air Combat, 1 vs 1, i entered an inadvertent spin at about 23,000 ft. Recovery attempts were unsuccessful, so i tried to eject. I felt the wind blast and then nothing! I frantically pulled on the handle again with no joy. Got hold of the controls again and recovered!! The typical recovery in a steep dive had the plane clearing terra firma with less than a few hundred feet to spare! Made a smooth landing at home base that would make a corporate pilot's eyes water!The Mig-19 had soviet design,chinese built seat,that had pneumatic thrusters on both sides of the canopy sill, that would lift the canopy into the air stream and thus blow off,pulling the wire attached to a firing mechanism that would trigger the rocket motor under the seat! One thruster failed to fire, and the canopy got derailed and sat offset, with the right side open!
P.A.F modified all Migs with Martin Baker seats after that,which i put to test with much happier results !!

Philleas,

Forgive what might be a daft question, I know nothing about aerodynamics.

If the aeroplane was pitched up (perhaps at stall speed) and the canopy area out of the airstream (or whatever its called), would the canopy under those circumstances still be sufficiently acted upon to be blown clear, allowing the seat to be deployed?

Was it a case of him selecting a little too much.. flap?

What happened afterwards?

(Yes, I know.. he floated gently to earth).

Many years ago a Victor Mk1 tanker was savaged by a Buccaneer which took the tail off. Victor bunted violently and exploded but captain's (Neddy Handscombe) top latch broke under negative G. The seat then came out through the debris and subsequently worked as advertised. Landed in cold north sea unconscious but seen descending by oil rig support vessel. Immersion suit torn and useless but crew of vessel did their best. Chopper picked him up at limit of its range and got Ned to hospital after several resuscitations en-route. Was flying again within year. He was only Victor crew member to survive. Buc landed virtually undamaged. I don't know if this counts as it wasn't really an ejection and it was successful!

Mildly off thread, but in a similar vein...

Some years back, I read an autobiography of a wartime Blenheim gunner (Blenheim Boy by Richard Passmore - well worth a read. There can't have been many other Blenheim aircrew who lived to write their memoirs!). The book ends with him being shot down during a raid over Germany.

With the aircraft, which had had both engines disabled by flak, in a descending spiral, the pilot gave the "Prepare to abandon" order, and so Passmore disconnected his intercom while wriggling out of the turret and clipping on his parachute. By the time he plugged back in, the pilot had given the order to abandon, heard nothing from Passmore, and baled out followed by the observer. Passmore waited for the order, then after a delay crawled up the fuselage to seek clarification, and found the cockpit empty! By now, the aircraft was close to the ground and way below the minimum published height for abandonment, but - faced with certain death if he did nothing - decided to give it a go. In the event, his parachute canopy only opened fully because the aircraft hit the ground immediately beneath him, and the resulting explosion helped the canopy inflate, as well as deflecting his course away from the blazing wreckage. On the ground, he picked himself up and brushed himself off - in time to watch the other two crew-members land in their parachutes! The pilot came over and asked how he'd got down so quickly, and he replied "I came down in the lift!". Just after that some German soldiers arrived and they were captured.

Some guys have all the luck...

The Hawk at Akro hit the ground, the top latch broke, the seat rode up the rail, fired the drogue gun bolt which then extracted the chute and the pilot. Curley ended up sitting on the ground wondering what had happened relatively unharmed.

A privately owned JP5 flying from North Weald in the late 90s had a deactivated seat - or so the owner thought! Because the seats weren't live, he never checked them and didn't notice the top latch on the RHS was dislodged. He took his brother flying and flew a slow roll. When inverted, the RHS (unlatched) rode up the rail and tripped the drouge bolt cartridge which was still installed even though the seat was allegedly 'safe'. The subsequent extraction of the pilot's brother through the hole in the canopy left the chap hanging in the harness with the QRB lodged under his chin as he hadn't connected the crotch loops when strapping in! he landed on a car in the local Tesos breaking his leg in the process.

I'm surprised mention hasn't been made yet of Paul Burns who, like Chris Hirst survived a freak ejection incident in Cyprus -although somewhat earlier.
Paul was the nav who went out of the 60Sqn Javelin on finals and was still strapped in the seat when it hit the ground .............

Tatty Ton Canberra
 

One of the 'wedding guest' navigators was a flt cdr on 43(F) Sqn in the mid-90s - went by the initials of KC. I once spent 2 weeks stuck with him and 2 others in Crete on rates waiting for a replacement part - hell;)! He subsequently got in a bit of bother in a hotel in Vegas(?) when, whilst 'tired and emotional', he barged his way into the right room but on the wrong floor of the hotel, causing some distress to the female occupant!:=

He went on to run the Flight Safety Course at Cranwell!!

3P:E

IIRC this was a 29 Sqn aircraft & was Paul's second Martin Baker exit. The first (10 Feb 64) was from a 60 Sqn Javelin and was entirely successful, although his pilot, Gordon Sykes, suffered a broken back.

Wiggy, partly correct. I visited the sqn shortly afterwards and

This was SOP but the pilot had to eject almost immediately afterwards because aerodynamic suck would build up and lock the front canopy on thus

would be I do not recall a canopy interlock but then I was not on the FGR2 for long.

immediately after the navigator ejected. The pilot's canopy then hit the navigator. The pilot survived.

"IIRC this was a 29 Sqn aircraft & was Paul's second Martin Baker exit."
It was 29Sqn on that occasion. I stand corrected.

Not sure about 'Failed ejections' - but after too much beer one night and in the compnay of a very tasty little WRAF-lette, I do admit to a 'Failed e*ection'.....

There was a tale of VC10 flight testing with Trubby Trubshaw who thought the thing was about to spin "Bale out, bale out" he called. The recovered.... "COME BACK, COME BACK", he called.... Fortunately, they did!