F-14D Pilot’s Passenger Ejected by Accident
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That's a story for the grandkids. Both of theirs.

 

F-14D Pilot’s Passenger Ejected by Accident
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A couple of nice things about that story. The pilot continued following the usual pre-landing check protocol, including communicating with the backseater, even though said backseater was gone, and for the very sound reason of not wanting to do anything different, as much as possible, so as to avoid making it too easy to miss something and not realize it. This is why a carrier pilot lands on a three-mile long runway the same why they do on a carrier (as much as possible).

The other nice point that I was glad to see the story made was how the pilot freely admitted that he hadn't considered the briefing from the standpoint of how the other person would interpret it and that, going forward, that would become a specific focus of any briefing to anyone new to the situation. Before I went up, the pilot went to lengths to make sure I knew what I could, and more importantly, could not touch.

 

A couple of nice things about that story. The pilot continued following the usual pre-landing check protocol, including communicating with the backseater, even though said backseater was gone, and for the very sound reason of not wanting to do anything different, as much as possible, so as to avoid making it too easy to miss something and not realize it. This is why a carrier pilot lands on a three-mile long runway the same why they do on a carrier (as much as possible).

The other nice point that I was glad to see the story made was how the pilot freely admitted that he hadn't considered the briefing from the standpoint of how the other person would interpret it and that, going forward, that would become a specific focus of any briefing to anyone new to the situation. Before I went up, the pilot went to lengths to make sure I knew what I could, and more importantly, could not touch.

Yeah, everyone should be grateful that there were no serious injuries, or worse ... it's not the first time it's happened, though:

A 64-year-old man accidentally ejected himself from a fighter jet at 2,500 feet

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The man had been surprised by employees at his firm, who had organized a joyride in a Dassault Rafale B jet for him as a treat.

But they apparently didn’t know their colleague as well as they thought. Once the man arrived at the Saint-Dizier air base in northeastern France in March 2019 and realized what his co-workers had arranged, he began to feel extremely stressed, according to a fairly remarkable aviation accident report by a French government agency.

 

Oh, it's happened a few times -- bound to happen given how many and how long aircraft with egress systems have been around. Since they are also a system that you want to have an extremely high confidence will work, work well, and work easily under the most stressful of flight situations (the fact that a crewmember wants to take the career- and possibly life-ending path of ejecting from an aircraft almost certainly means they are making that decision in a moment's timeframe when all hell is breaking loose around them), you have to err on the that side and accept the increased potential for unintentional deployments.

 

Yeah, everyone should be grateful that there were no serious injuries, or worse ... it's not the first time it's happened, though:

A 64-year-old man accidentally ejected himself from a fighter jet at 2,500 feet​

I wonder if this is covered by workman's comp....

 

I wonder if this is covered by workman's comp....

Almost certainly not -- and, had he died, his family would likely have discovered the usual exclusion in his life insurance policy regarding participating in any kind of aviation activity except flying on a regularly-scheduled airline flight.

He probably had to sign a bunch of liability waivers before he went up and may have even signed something that said that he was responsible for any damage or injuries to anyone if they were his fault, and indemnifying the operator against any claims against them that resulted. Now, whether those waivers and indemnifications could be enforced would depend on how lopsided and unreasonable they were.

 

https://gizmodo.com/boeing-admits-employees-falsified-aircraft-records-1851459132

 

https://gizmodo.com/boeing-admits-employees-falsified-aircraft-records-1851459132

Shocking, more “gundecking” from Boeing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_deck

 

Speed ...

 

Speed ...

I don't think the DA is going to get him out of this one.

 

https://www.kptv.com/2024/05/08/trial-begins-dea-agent-accused-killing-salem-cyclist/
DEA agent seeks federal immunity after allegedly killing Salem cyclist

 

Carnival Cruise passengers airlifted by Air Force in dramatic rescue

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Two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, two HC-130J Combat King 11 aircraft and two teams of combat rescue officers and pararescuemen based at Patrick Space Force Base in Brevard County, Florida, flew 350 nautical miles off the U.S. eastern coast to reach the Carnival Venezia, the 920th Rescue Wing said Tuesday.

 

 

That thing has become an institution in its own right ...

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...nose-gear-failure-caused-767-slam-runway.html

 

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/eye-catching-notam-for-backcountry-idaho-airstrip/

In one of the more unusual Notams published recently, pilots are cautioned that an upcoming maintenance project at the Indian Creek Airstrip (S81) in Idaho includes the “potential for mules and equipment on the strip and berms” along with uneven ground and loose rocks on the 4,650-foot dirt runway.

 

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/eye-catching-notam-for-backcountry-idaho-airstrip/

In one of the more unusual Notams published recently, pilots are cautioned that an upcoming maintenance project at the Indian Creek Airstrip (S81) in Idaho includes the “potential for mules and equipment on the strip and berms” along with uneven ground and loose rocks on the 4,650-foot dirt runway.

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Idaho? ... you sure that ain't Mexico? ...

 

Idaho? ... you sure that ain't Mexico? ...

It's part of the wilderness out here.

Old Airfields were grandfathered but modern road/etc equipment was not.

https://www.rivertrips.com/idaho-wilderness-areas/

 

It's part of the wilderness out here.
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Old Airfields were grandfathered but modern road/etc equipment was not.

https://www.rivertrips.com/idaho-wilderness-areas/

Good Lord, that's stunningly beautiful. Thanks for posting

 

https://www.carscoops.com/2024/05/h...charge-for-tesla-rental-after-public-shaming/
Hertz Reverses Course On $277 Gas Charge For Tesla Rental After Public Shaming
The rental company initially dug in its heels and refused to refund the charge despite several reasons to let it go