[bumpkin]

Another pilot of the Red Arrows killed after his ejector seat deployed on the ground

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8877315/Red-Arrows-pilot-dies-after-ejector-seat-accident.html

[asathorny]

Oh cripes....  amazing, not only did it eject whilst on the ground but the chute failed to open.  amazing.  I am not sure if the chute would have saved him, but surely they make allownces that someone may have to eject during take off, that is, whilst on the ground ???????

Very sad business

[Shambles]

Very sad news indeed.

Some reports I read earlier suggested he might have been ejected through his closed canopy. If that happened, his injuries must have been appalling

I believe the formation had been continuing to fly "8 men up one man down"... what will they do now?

Terrible news

[eye30]

Picked it up on the eveneing news..

They say bad news comes in 3's so fingers crossed no 3rd...

[bumpkin]

Indeed the canopy did not open, I think the canopy would only eject when in flight and the chute would fail to open as there would not have been enough height for that to work.  Reports state that he survived the incident but died from his injuries after being taken to hospital.

As of yet I don't know if he was a seasoned arrow or a new recruit (they normally join the team over the Winter), they would not be displaying now, simply in training for the 2012 season and so would have been going back to flying in standard formation anyway.

[Dazzler]

Sounds horrific (more so, considering he may have survived the initial event) 

[FatBoy]

Very sad indeed.  The ejection seat in the Hawk (what the Red Arrows use) are designed to be "Zero/Zero" seats.  That means that an ejection "should" be survivable from zero airspeed at zero altitude.  In the PC-9 (which I used to fly) it was a "Zero/80" seat (from memory).  Which means an ejection was survivable at Zero feet and 80 knots.

The method of going through the canopy varies from aircraft to aircraft too.  In the PC-9, the seat had "horns" which would break the canopy on the way through.  The Red Arrows have "det cord" in the canopy, which is a small explosive cord in the canopy which shatters it before the seat goes through.

There are many injuries that can result from an ejection, these can include "flail" injuries, dynamic overshoot, broken femurs, neck and back compression, and then you have to land.

My thoughts are with his family and team members.


FatBoy

[asathorny]

Very interesting, I thought it was the case that ejecting whilst on the ground would automatically be a fatality.  Still very sad though as you say 

[asathorny]

Very interesting, I thought it was the case that ejecting whilst on the ground would automatically be a fatality.  Still very sad though as you say 

Would not be automatically...  it should have read. The dementia is still progressing <sigh>