---

The aircraft having settled in the water close alongside the carrier, and with the helicopter on the spot, the pilot's chances of a successful escape by climbing out into the water seemed excellent. All he had to do, in theory, was to get rid of the canopy, either explosively or manually, undo the quick-release box on his combined parachute/seat harness to detach himself from seat and parachute, remove his helmet and his dinghy-pack attachments and unfasten the leg-restraint quick-release buckles.

In the event, it has been established that he was unable to pull the canopy-jettison handle because it became fouled. (The handle has already been redesigned). The alternative in such cases is to use the ejection seat, but this Cdr. Russell certainly did not attempt at any stage. It may be that he felt he had precluded this by undoing his harness, possibly in order to get closer to the lever, or that he still considered that ejection was unnecessary. He may also have thought that the helicopter was too close overhead to permit ejection. In fact, he continued to try to open the canopy by sliding it back manually; but this would have been difficult, because the weight of the canopy tends to close it when the nose of the aircraft is down. He was seen to slide it some way back, but it slid closed again.

By this time water must have been entering the cockpit through the inward-relief system which is specifically intended to admit water to balance internal and external pressures and make underwater canopy opening easier. All Cdr. Russell's breathing air was reaching his mask through the supply tube; therefore, when the water level reached the regulator, water would flow to his mask and force him to spend time in removing his headgear. This he was seen to do. A regulator setting for breathing 100 per cent oxygen would have excluded water from the system and increased his endurance, but it seems likely that his energies had been very considerably taxed by the struggle with canopy and headgear by the time the aircraft finally sank. He very probably did manage to open the canopy manually underwater (though it might have slid back after a change of aircraft attitude) but he did not release his leg-restraint straps. He remained held in the cockpit, though not necessarily by the leg-restraint gear.

On the Martin-Baker Mk 4 ejection seat fitted in the Scimitar the leg-restraint straps pass from the shear rivets on the floor, through snubber boxes, through D-rings on the pilot's garters and to attachments on the seat-pan which are unlocked either by the automatic sequence of ejection or by the manual operation of the override lever. This also unfastens the harness from the seat.

After landing normally or ditching, the pilot leaves the seat by undoing the combined parachute/seat harness and detaching the D-rings on his garters by spring-loaded quick-releases. These were found to be in full working order after salvage, and it seems certain that Cdr. Russell did not reach the stage of undoing them. He had almost certainly spent much time and energy in overcoming earlier difficulties.

---