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USAF Instructor Pilot Passed Away This Morning Due to Ejection Seat Malfunction
Posted on 5/14/24 at 10:59 am
Posted on 5/14/24 at 10:59 am
A pilot from Sheppard Air Force Base who was hospitalized after a plane seat ejected on Monday has died.
According to a press release from Sheppard Air Force Base, the victim was an Air Force instructor pilot with the 80th Flying Training Wing.
LINK
That has to be one of the scariest ways to die. You get flinged into the air and it's too short for any type of parachute to activate.
According to a press release from Sheppard Air Force Base, the victim was an Air Force instructor pilot with the 80th Flying Training Wing.
LINK
That has to be one of the scariest ways to die. You get flinged into the air and it's too short for any type of parachute to activate.
This post was edited on 5/14/24 at 11:05 am
7
Posted on 5/14/24 at 11:01 am to USAFTiger42
RIP Goose
Posted on 5/14/24 at 11:04 am to USAFTiger42
Did I read the report right? During ground operations, meaning the T6 was on the ground and someone pulled the wrong lever while he was leaning over it or something?
That’s brutal
That’s brutal
Posted on 5/14/24 at 11:06 am to wileyjones
Sounds like it self-activated. IP's are pretty knowledgeable to not accidentally pull a lever like that
Posted on 5/14/24 at 11:06 am to wileyjones
quote:
Did I read the report right? During ground operations, meaning the T6 was on the ground and someone pulled the wrong lever while he was leaning over it or something?
Not sure why they would've said malfunction if that is the case. That's user error and not on behalf of the pilot.
Posted on 5/14/24 at 11:06 am to USAFTiger42
I’ve heard from a source who is a pilot in the army that they are getting slashed on their budget and have not been doing routine PMs and maintenance.
Not saying this is the case, but that’s what’s behind a lot of army choppers malfunctioning lately
Not saying this is the case, but that’s what’s behind a lot of army choppers malfunctioning lately
Posted on 5/14/24 at 11:07 am to USAFTiger42
Posted on 5/14/24 at 11:15 am to USAFTiger42
Assuming you are starting 5-10 feet from the ground, how far vertically do the ejection seats send you from where you are sitting in the cockpit?
Posted on 5/14/24 at 11:20 am to Ryan3232
quote:
Assuming you are starting 5-10 feet from the ground, how far vertically do the ejection seats send you from where you are sitting in the cockpit?
they are designed to make sure you clear the tail sections easily so i would think 30-40 ft is about average height you will get when ejected
Posted on 5/14/24 at 11:20 am to Ryan3232
Most modern seats are zero/zero ejection.
Maybe he was t strapped in.
Maybe he was t strapped in.
Posted on 5/14/24 at 11:28 am to keakar
quote:ouch. Yeah thats a brutal fall.
they are designed to make sure you clear the tail sections easily so i would think 30-40 ft is about average height you will get when ejected
Posted on 5/14/24 at 11:45 am to XenScott
quote:
Most modern seats are zero/zero ejection.
T-6 is definitely zero/zero.
also the ejection lever on any plane would have a pin.
Posted on 5/14/24 at 12:12 pm to SulphursFinest
quote:
I’ve heard from a source who is a pilot in the army that they are getting slashed on their budget and have not been doing routine PMs and maintenance.
Not saying this is the case, but that’s what’s behind a lot of army choppers malfunctioning lately
Nah man, I read the Army’s report. It’s not the lack of funding, being under manned, the extreme pace of flight ops, or lack of maintenance.
It’s the bad judgement of the junior NCO ranks, in particular the E-5s and 6s making bad decisions to fly.
That is literally in the Army’s report, it pissed me off like nothing else.
Posted on 5/14/24 at 12:13 pm to XenScott
quote:Interesting. So, had he been strapped in, he would have had his fall cushioned in some way by the seat, which are designed for this exact sort of instance?
A zero-zero ejection seat is a type of ejection seat designed to safely eject a pilot or crew member from an aircraft at zero altitude and zero airspeed. Traditional ejection seats require a minimum altitude and airspeed for safe ejection, as the parachute needs time to deploy and slow the individual's descent before they reach the ground. Zero-zero ejection seats are equipped with rocket motors that provide an immediate and powerful thrust to propel the seat and occupant away from the aircraft even when it is stationary on the ground. They also feature a canopy-breaking mechanism to ensure a successful ejection even if the aircraft is on the ground or at very low altitudes. These seats are particularly important for aircraft that operate at low altitudes or hover close to the ground, such as helicopters and some fighter jets. Zero-zero ejection seats increase the chances of survival for pilots in emergency situations where a rapid ejection is necessary to escape a crashing aircraft.
Posted on 5/14/24 at 12:15 pm to When in Rome
being strapped in is sort of key to surviving the ejection
Posted on 5/14/24 at 12:17 pm to SulphursFinest
quote:
I’ve heard from a source who is a pilot in the army that they are getting slashed on their budget and have not been doing routine PMs and maintenance.
Have to pay for those unpaid mortgage payments and the forgiven student loan debt.
Posted on 5/14/24 at 12:17 pm to Czechessential
Yeah that makes sense 
I guess I (a layman) never really considered that they would have designed ejection seats for zero altitude/zero airspeed.
I guess I (a layman) never really considered that they would have designed ejection seats for zero altitude/zero airspeed. Posted on 5/14/24 at 12:20 pm to Ryan3232
Worked for Bruce Willis in Diehard 2.
Posted on 5/14/24 at 12:22 pm to When in Rome
yeah, that’s been a thing for a while, T-6 came along after my time but in the T-38 the parachute is integrated into the seat
Posted on 5/14/24 at 12:25 pm to When in Rome
quote:
Yeah that makes sense I guess I (a layman) never really considered that they would have designed ejection seats for zero altitude/zero airspeed.
it's in case of a fire or something to that effect if the plane is parked on the ground. if a pilot is strapped in and the canopy is down and a fire breaks out, he doesnt want to have to gamble on whether or not the canopy will still open and mess with buckles and straps and what have you. he wants out, like right now.
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