Tag Archives: eject

F-16s Collide, One Pilot Ejects over Kansas

The Air Force reported that two Oklahoma National Guard F-16s collided during training yesterday. One pilot ejected safely; the other returned to base.

Two Oklahoma Air National Guard F-16 fighter jets flying a training exercise out of Tulsa collided in midair over southern Kansas, causing one of the pilots to eject from the aircraft.

Oklahoma National Guard spokesman Col. Max Moss says neither pilot was seriously injured in the collision Monday afternoon southwest of Howard, Kan.

The pilot who ejected was taken to a hospital but not believed to have serious injuries. As with all mishaps, the Air Force will investigate and report on the incident some months from now.

Also at the Air Force Times. Read more

T-34 Crashes in Gulf, Crew Bails Out

The US Navy reported that a T-34C Turbomentor crashed in the Gulf of Mexico last Thursday:

A U.S. Navy T-34C Turbo Mentor aircraft assigned to Training Squadron 28 (VT-28) with two pilots aboard crashed today while conducting a routine training mission over the Gulf of Mexico…

The T-34 does not have ejection seats; instead, Read more

F/A-18C Crashes Supporting Top Gun

Update: The Navy announced the pilot died in the crash.  The name of the pilot has been withheld until 24 hours after notification of next-of-kin.

A US Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornet crashed on Saturday while supporting the Naval Strike and Warfare Center “Top Gun” course.

The Navy has issued several releases since then on the follow-up:

Initial reports from the scene indicate the aircraft is a total loss. It took Navy personnel several hours to reach the crash site as it was located in remote, rugged, mountainous terrain…

The reports say they are “continuing to search” for the pilot. Having located the aircraft, that is not a good omen.

Also at the Marine Corps Times, CNN, Christian Science Monitor, and the Stars and Stripes.

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Air Force Urgently Replacing Ejection Seat Beacons

On February 5th, the Air Force Times reported the US Air Force has experienced a spate of problems with the emergency locator beacons intended to help rescuers find downed airmen [emphasis added]:

The Air Force spent $30 million for 17,000 of the beacons in 2009, with deliveries finalized in 2010. Two years after the first beacons were installed, crash investigators began noticing that they had not worked in multiple crashes. In fact, the beacons failed 10 times in 22 ejections, according to a review of crash reports since the beacons were installed.

The situation is so serious that one unit in Italy made a point of flying with their personal cell phones.

The article notes the incident that may have caused the greatest injection of urgency was the loss of an F-16C over the Pacific in 2012:  Read more

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