F-14 Tomcat Fam Flight Goes Very Wrong

At my last base in the B-52, we had a gunner eject during a nighttime low level (I wasn't on that flight!). It was determined a series of crew errors & miscommunications caused him to panic. Instead of punishing him, they sent teams to collect whatever ejection mechanism parts they could find, and he went to a major medical facility to examine every inch of his body (had he become shorter due to spine compression? did he black out temporarily?, etc). They were quite close to the ground, and hadn't slowed even a little bit. It would have been impossible to get a volunteer to do this dangerous stunt. But since they now had one, why not see if everything worked as advertised?

I have a friend who used to perform maintenance on Tornadoes in the RAF. Two pairs of Tornadoes were doing low altitude training in the Lake District region in England. The cloud level was dropping severely and they were in the middle of a conversation with their CO about whether to alter their training docket to low vis training (something on their schedule for later in the year) or to just come home. They are telling jokes about scaring sheep when one bird goes silent. Their wingman screams out that his partner ha been struck and that the glass of the canopy is gone and the frame is buckled but still attached and smoke is pouring from behind the canopy. Contolled panic ensues, the flight is recalled and the damage aircraft crew (with no radio) indicates via hand signals that they are okay. The wingman, examining the damage from about thirty feet way can see burns, deformed metal and smoke coming from a fist sized hole. To their horror they can see a thin trail of white smoke coming from the belly of the aircraft. A huge rip about two feet long was visible with debris sticking out. Though tense, all four planes landed safely and my friend's team was called in for first assessment to ensure the aircraft was safe just to sit there while the investigation team arrived. The impact had struck about nine inches behind the canopy twisting the metal and deforming the canopy hinge enough to break and lose the canopy glass. The projectile had obliterated the UHF antenna and punched through the starboard equipment storage before leaving the aircraft dragging a bunch of scrap with it. To say they were extremely lucky to not have any vital flight systems hit is an understatement. There were a cluster of four punctures actually in the skin of the aircraft. The navigator's helmet had glass embedded in the back and he suffered concussion from the strike. It was a meteorite strike. There was a few centimetre long fragments of rock inside the fuselage with the investigators concluding a larger piece did most of the damage but that left the aircraft. Essentially a cosmic shotgun blast, barely missing the crew by a fraction of a fraction of a second. Interestingly it can't be logged as an official meteorite strike because there was no tracking of the projectile so there is no way to officially determine if it fell from space, a higher aircraft, a volcano or, given their flight altitude, a kid on a mountain top throwing rocks at passing aircraft. Infact the criteria to identify a meteorite strike on an aircraft is sooo high, it can't be met unless you knew it was going to happen before hand, a quirk of aviation accident investigation. I know it's only tangentially linked to the video but I just love that story so much I tell it at every opportunity.

When I was in the French Air Force in 89/90, a cadet that was within the squadron for one month, was in the rear seat of one of our Mirage F1b, ejected while the plane was on the ground after the flight when the plane was parked, inside a plane bunker. The mechanics was attaching the ladder to the plane to come detach the cadet when he ejected. Sadly he did hit the concrete ceiling and died immediately. The Air Force never knew what happened. 😢

Ward is like the cool uncle everyone wishes they had. I could listen to stories like this all day.

Fair play to the Captain, took balls to go back to the OC, he knew he'd screwed the pooch and would have to take the ribbing also he admited fault, didn’t try to blame equipment.

I guess we may know the RIO. His name must be Jester and he made it into DCS as F14 RIO (where he ejects if there is a minimal risk being shot down). ;-)

Having lunch in the mess hall on the America, off Yankee Station, and here comes a LT in full flight suit bee-lined to me. He leans over and whispers, “My 91 control panel is down, and I need you to fix it.” Well, that’s a never-heard of scenario in 99.98% of the time, except this LT is in my squadron and we’ve lifted a few brews on shore, and I know him. About then, Jake shows up, my AIMD mate, and he practically yells, “The damn ASM-403 won’t boot and I can’t test this LT’s control panel.” It was supposed to be my day off. Long story short, I fixed the test bench, got it running, and then found a bad board in the control unit and got it RFI and QA’ed, all in 1 hour 17 minutes. I went with the plane captain and the plane was on the flight deck. I hooked up the control panel, secured it and booted the ASN-91 and commanded a SIN’s fast-erect. The platform spun up and started the ship’s inertial navigation alignment. Woo-Hoo!! As I climbed out of the cockpit, the wind whipped the yellow ejection seat safety flag around my arm and I pulled the ejection seat safety lanyard out of the seat. I stepped over to the plane captain and yelled into his ear that the plane was in alignment, all good!! When he saw that flag around my arm he nearly tackled the LT who was climbing into the cockpit. He put the lanyard back in after unceremoniously removing it from my arm. Much later in the evening I got congratulated and my ass dressed down at the same time by the CO of my squadron and the LT Commander of AIMD. What would I have done if the aviator had accidentally ejected that seat without his harness attached? And it got worse. I asked why there were no RFI control panels in stock? And THEN it got worse. Next day I spent fixing 8 control panels under the gentile, kind and considerate observation of our shop chief. 🙄 Yeah. Right… a week later, I got a commendation. 😳 Never a dull moment.

Great story. I was an AI in VA-25 and was on weapons deployment with the air wing preparing to go to Vietnam. My squadron flew the A-1H which didn't have a second seat, so I persuaded the Ops officer of one of the F-4 squadrons to give me a FAM flight. I was so excited and nervous at the same time. I paid particular attention to how to use the ejection seat in the back. During take off, he hit burner and smoke started spewing between my legs. I screamed and started thinking about ejecting during the takeoff roll. Fortunately, my pilot said, "relax, that is just the condensation from the air conditioner". Glad I waited.

One of our F-117’s in the mid 90’s came back one night as a convertible. As I recall, the pilot claimed that his sleeve caught the canopy lock lever and inadvertently opened it in flight. Quite a feat, as it had about a foot throw and took some effort. This occurred near Farmington, NM. A team went out and recovered the canopy and brought it back. The F-117 canopy structure was so stout that it probably could have been put right back on the jet. Of course it wasn’t but it was in pretty good shape.

Reminds me of a story my dad (A4 & F8 driver) told me about when he was serving in VA-86 onboard the Independence. His squadron mate had just launched in his Skyhawk. The canopy wasn't latched properly, and popped off as he left the deck. The Air Boss radioed something to the effect of "A4, you lost your canopy". After a few seconds, the Lt. responded, "No shit". He landed safely. That Lt. went on to become the CO of the Blue Angels, CO of various frigates, CO of the Ranger, CO of the Naval Air Force Atlantic Fleet and Asst. Deputy Chief of Naval Ops. He retired as an Admiral. His name is Tony Less. Very nice guy who ate dinner at my house after a Blues' show in Texas. Thanks for all your videos, Ward. I thoroughly enjoy them.

What’s funny, is that I was roommates with the PR who packed the ejection seat parachute for the Captain, who told me the Captain came and gave him a case of beer. About a month later, I found myself in SERE school with the Jeff’s brother, who is an F-18 pilot and told me this story in person. Small World.

That’s pretty accurate, but there were a few things I can correct. I was the tower supervisor that day. The desert controller was an outstanding controller by the name of Thomas Hornbeak. As the TS, I was monitoring desert control and heard the event as it occurred. The wind played a minor role, but the pilot was understandably, full of adrenaline. His first two transmissions, nobody could understand him. Thomas calmly said “sir, take two deep breaths and calmly tell me what happened.” He had his mask on and he pickled the mic and we could hear him inhale and exhale two deep breaths and he says “MY RIO EJECTED” and at that point we rang the crash phone to activate SAR. They were just north of Bravo-19 in Dixie Valley. I think I still have the GPS coordinates of where the station SAR helo, an HH-1 at the time, in my sea trunk. There’s seldom a boring day in Naval aviation.

One time my Crew Chief and I were pre-flighting our bomber (B-52D) and while he was upstairs de-pinning the E-dub's seat I hear a sharp POP ! I was afraid to look. Turns out that although he did fire the hatch separation initiator it takes wind pressure from the slipstream to carry the hatch away. So as long as the hatch was in the hole the ejection sequence stopped right there. Close one. Would have been different had it been a downward firing seat. YIKES ! But there is a story about downward firing seats as well. One time someone fired the downward firing seat while on the ground......but wasn't strapped in. Just like in the cartoons the seat fired down and the occupant was sitting in mid air, until he fell through the hole 3 feet to the ground. Just wounded pride.

My Dad as a Korean War era Air Force pilot had a story of losing his canopy and also one where his oxygen system malfunctioned, he started slurring his words, losing consciousness. His Rio screamed at him (justifiably) , radioed in and then announced that he was ejecting in 5. He started the countdown. Something about that really annoyed Dad, enough to rouse him and drop down below 10k feet and recover.

We had a story in our squadron where the backseater was concerned about rough wx. He was pulling forward to see instruments in the front cockpit. ( Limited instruments in the back) He also was holding lower ejection handle. Well, they hit a bump hard enough that he pulled the handle! Seat worked as advertised! Front seat thinks that backseater must know something he doesn't so he ejects. The plane flys in circles and almost lands itself. No names , I don't know if these guys are still around.

I was a PR3 in the EA-6B VAQ-141 of CAQ 8 I saw that landing and thought OMG and ran to your PR1 Lamb and told her that an F14 from her squadron,was coming in without a RIO, and helped her pull the records for the flight gear, she was not happy. But it’s a story I tell people about, as it was the first convertible Tomcat I ever saw. I was the rigger who instructed that captain on his radio op the day before, very remembered day of my life…. Love it. I still laugh about it today.

I'm a retired Army Chief Warrant Officer I was a leg Warrant which you probably know non aviation side of the house. I lived in Virginia Beach for 11 years was originally an 11 Bravo Drill Instructor at Ft.Story but was also a Track and Wheel Vehicle Mechanic. Eventually was selected for Warrant Officer and became Battalion Maintenance Officer for the 5Th159 Aviation Heavy Lift Chinook helicopter Battalion Headquarted at Ft.Eustis VA. Those years were some fun and interesting times especially the contact an interaction with the pilots who also flew some of the Army's fixed wing aircraft. I thoroughly enjoy listening to your stories it takes me back to when I served with those individuals. I really appreciate your taking the time to educate the public on military aircraft operations. Thank you Sir and keep up the great work your doing. Respectfully CWO SHOOK

Very similar to a Rafale incident. That was also a "passenger" flight, actually to celebrate the passenger's retirement. Same issue, negative g, grab the nice "hold Yourself on these!" handles, boom, ejection! That was during take-off, the pilot got into a sharp vertical S (not inverting), passenger flew out. The ejection sequence was set to fire both seats, thankfully it didn't work (for that specific scenario, but it's definitely not what one generally wants), and the pilot brought the aircraft safely down. The passenger got in hospital but recovered. A memorable retirement.

Wow, that's quite a story!

I recently found your channel randomly as I was browsing warships on YouTube and since thing I’ve watched every one of your videos almost back to back. There’s something different and unique to your videos that keeps me, and I’m sure others, entertained from start to finish. You’re very well spoken and have incredible stories to tell. I look forward to many more exciting and interesting videos that I can learn from!