US Air Guard Passenger Accidentally Triggers F-15 Ejection on Ground
A passenger of an F-15D Eagle of the US Air National Guard accidentally triggered the spin seat while the plane was still rolling on the ground. The incident occurred on the Barnes Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts during a “reward flight”.
Easher seat triggers on the ground
An unusual incident recently occurred on the Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Massachusetts: A passenger of an F-15D Eagle of the 104th Fighter Wing The US Air National Guard accidentally triggered the spin seat, while the plane was still on the track. A video on social media shows how a cloud of smoke rises from the rear cockpit, followed by the hood, which is blown out and lands on the left wing.
The passenger can be seen on the ground next to a unfolded parachute while the F-15 rolls up. However, the spin-up incident itself cannot be seen in the video. According to an unified Facebook post, the passenger was a member of the 104th Fighter Wing, who took part in a so-called “incentive flight”. These reward flights are offered non -pilots as recognition or to increase moral. As The Warzone reports, it may have been a recruitment officer of the 104th Fighter Wing. The Air National Guard has not confirmed the identity of the passenger or his condition.
Dangerous “Zero-Zero” triggering
Triggers at zero height and almost zero speed, so-called “zero-zero” conditions, have additional risks. Modern spin seats such as the McDonnell Douglas Aces II, which is installed in the F-15, are designed for such conditions, but accidental soil dissolutions rarely occur (but also not completely unusual). The Aces II sling seat was developed in the 1970s and has been in use since 1978. The system uses a rocket with a fixed fuel that catapults the seat with an acceleration of up to 20g from the cockpit.
The incident is reminiscent of a similar case from France in 2019 when a civil passenger in a French Rafale B accidentally activated the ejection seat during the start. The French investigation authority found a combination of a lack of passenger preparation, procedural errors and technical problems. The 64-year-old passenger had instinctively held up during the high G-forces at the start and operated the release concept. In 2021, three crew members of a Russian TU-22M3 bombers died when their spin seats were activated during the advance control.
The 104th Fighter Wing
The 104th Fighter Wing is a unit of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, stationed at the Westfield-Barnes regional airport in Massachusetts. The unit flies F-15 Eagle fight jets and carries out air defense missions around the clock to protect the northeastern US territory. The F-15D Eagle is the two-seater training version of the fighter jet, which has been on duty since 1974.
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