Latest news with #ejectionseat
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Air Force releases report on fatal accident at Sheppard
The Air Force on Sunday released its report on an aircraft accident at Sheppard Air Force Base that resulted in the death of an instructor pilot. Capt. John Robertson died from injuries suffered on May 13, 2024 when an ejection seat on his T-6A Texas II aircraft activated as the plane taxied to park following a training mission. The report said Robertson failed to fully install the ejection seat safety pin following the flight and also partially disconnected from the rear cockpit ejection seat system, which included the parachute. "The instructor pilot's harness chest strap V-ring unknowlingly got caught on and inadvertently actuated the ejection seat control handle, initiating the ejection sequence," the report said. The Air Force said the student Robertson was instructing was not injured. Fellow instructor pilots remembered Robertson as a "fantastic officer" following his death. Robertson and his student pilot were both assigned to the 80th Operations Support Squadron and flew with the 89th Flying Training Squadron which are both subordinate units to the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard, the release said. More: 'A fantastic officer': Fellow officers remember Sheppard instructor pilot More: City to consider $1 million loan to local company This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Air Force releases report on fatal accident at Sheppard
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Air Force releases report on fatal accident at Sheppard
The Air Force on Sunday released its report on an aircraft accident at Sheppard Air Force Base that resulted in the death of an instructor pilot. Capt. John Robertson died from injuries suffered on May 13, 2024 when an ejection seat on his T-6A Texas II aircraft activated as the plane taxied to park following a training mission. The report said Robertson failed to fully install the ejection seat safety pin following the flight and also partially disconnected from the rear cockpit ejection seat system, which included the parachute. "The instructor pilot's harness chest strap V-ring unknowlingly got caught on and inadvertently actuated the ejection seat control handle, initiating the ejection sequence," the report said. The Air Force said the student Robertson was instructing was not injured. Fellow instructor pilots remembered Robertson as a "fantastic officer" following his death. Robertson and his student pilot were both assigned to the 80th Operations Support Squadron and flew with the 89th Flying Training Squadron which are both subordinate units to the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard, the release said. More: 'A fantastic officer': Fellow officers remember Sheppard instructor pilot More: City to consider $1 million loan to local company This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Air Force releases report on fatal accident at Sheppard
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tangled straps likely caused Air Force instructor pilot's death, report finds
An instructor pilot killed in a training mishap last year died after accidentally pulling the handle on his ejection seat, while not fully strapped in, Air Force investigators found. That's one of the findings that the Air Force Accident Investigation Board reached after several months investigating the death of Capt. John Robertson at Sheppard Air Force Base last May. Robertson, a respected instructor pilot with the 80th Flying Training Wing, was inside a T-6A Texan II plane taxiing on the ground when the aircraft's ejection seat suddenly activated, launching him 100 feet into the air. He was severely injured in the unplanned ejection and died in the early morning from his wounds after being taken to the hospital. The new report, released this past week but completed in May, found that Robertson likely did not fully insert the safety pin into his ejection seat upon landing. Air & Space Forces Magazine first reported on the findings. On May 13, 2024, Robertson had already completed one flight for the day, and was originally only scheduled for one. He and a pilot trainee flew their second flight and landed on the runway at the air base. While taxiing back, he and the trainee ran through their safety checklist. Shortly thereafter Robertson began unbuckling from his seat. He was partially 'The [Mishap Instructor Pilot] remained partially connected to, and seated in, the ejection seat until automatic seat/pilot separation,' the report said. 'The MIP separated from the seat 100 ft above the ground, fell headfirst through an aircraft sunshade, and landed on the ground 261 ft from the [Mishap Aircraft.' Emergency services were quickly called to respond to the incident and an ambulance reached Robertson just under 30 minutes after the mishap. He was rushed to a hospital where he later died. Investigators, after studying the scene of the mishap and running multiple simulations of the events, concluded that Robertson likely accidentally triggered the ejection seat while in the process of unbuckling himself. A strap, they found, likely caught onto the handle that would activate the ejection seat and when the instructor leaned a certain way, the strap pulled on the handle. The other pilot onboard the T-6A Texan did not eject when Robertson did and was unharmed. The T-6A aircraft itself was also heavily damaged from the mishap. Sheppard Air Force Base, in Wichita, Texas, is home to the 80th Flight Training Wing. It also serves as the hub for training pilots from NATO countries under the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program. The other person onboard the T-6A Texan II when Robertson died was at Sheppard as part of that program. The Air Force Accident Investigation Board noted Robertson's many credentials and experience, describing him as 'very organized and meticulous.' He had been named Instructor Pilot of the Year for the previous year and had logged 719.7 total hours in T-6A, more than two thirds of those as an instructor. Investigators found that unbuckling while the plane is taxiing after a flight is not uncommon, and that there is no clear guideline for how long the instructor pilots should wait until they start unbuckling themselves from the cockpit's straps and seat. The U.S. Air Force uses several hundred T-6A Texan IIs for training lessons under the Air Education and Training Command. The planes have had mechanical issues in recent years. In 2022 several dozen T-6As were grounded after ejection seats were found to have faulty explosive cartridges. An Army base will now honor a Buffalo Soldier 2 aircraft carriers, 9 destroyers, and multiple fighter wings gather in the Middle East Marines and sailors are building trenches for the drone age The Army is deactivating police units in deep cuts to number of military cops Military intelligence battalion sergeant major arrested for DUI and suspended
Reuters
07-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Fighter jet crashes in Finland, pilot ejects
HELSINKI, May 7 (Reuters) - A Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet crashed in northern Finland on Wednesday, the country's Air Force said in a statement. The pilot used an ejection seat and has been located, it added. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here.
