The Air Force announced on Tuesday that an instructor pilot in the Air Force died after the ejection seat went off while the aircraft was still on the ground at a military installation in Texas.
On Monday, during ground operations at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, the instructor pilot’s seat activated in a T-6A Texan II. According to the Air Force, the pilot was brought to a hospital before passing away on Tuesday. The identity of the pilot was being kept secret until the next of kin was notified.
Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps pilots receive their main training aboard the single-engine, two-seat T-6A Texan II. An instructor can take a seat in the front or back during a training flight; both have lightweight Martin-Baker dismissal seats that are triggered by the seat’s handle.
Inspections in 2022 found a possible flaw with one of the cartridge actuated devices, or CADs, that controlled the ejection seat, leading to the grounding of the T-6 fleet along with hundreds of other Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft. After a fleet inspection, the CADs were changed in a few cases.
Upon activation, the cartridge detonates, initiating the ejection process.
Although ejection seats have been credited for saving pilots’ lives, they have also malfunctioned during crucial parts of aircraft mishaps. Investigators found that 1st Lt. David Schmitz, 32, died in an F-16 collision in June 2020, with ejection seat failure contributing to his death.
When a B-1 bomber crew noticed one of the four ejection seats was malfunctioning while their aircraft was on fire in 2018, they were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. To give themselves the best chance of surviving, the crew chose to land the burning aircraft rather than jumping out. The group as a whole made it out alive.
