Pensioner, 64, Flung Out Of Fighter Jet At 2500ft After Grabbing The Ejector Seat Handle To Steady Himself

A pensioner, who was given a surprise flight in a fighter jet as a retirement gift was flung out after holding onto the ejector seat handle to balance himself.

The impressive drama, described by the French Aviation Investigators in a newly published report, had stern words for the Airforce and Government throughout.

A pensioner, who was given a surprise flight in a fighter jet as a retirement gift was flung out after holding onto the ejector seat handle to balance himself

The report, in particular, described how the unknown 64-Year-Old feared and screamed with panic amid his first flight in the Rafale B, which took off from Saint-Dizier Airforce Base, in North West France.  

The pensioner, according to the report equally shot out at a very high speed, losing his helmet that wasn’t fastened around his chin, before landing in a field near the German border.

The man’s anti-force suit, worn by high accelerated aviators’ and designed to avoid a blackout also became loose around the trousers. It was, however, on a fortunate that the pilot wasn’t ejected by his passenger’s actions too, which might have led to a severe crash.

‘The pensioner never expressed the desire to take part in a flight segment like this one and most especially not in a Rafale.’ A report by the Paris-based BEA reads. Even with this, his coworkers at the defense contractor did set up the flight.

The unknown 64-Year-Old feared and screamed with panic amid his first flight in the Rafale B, which took off from Saint-Dizier Airforce Base, in North West France

‘Keeping the surprise until the moment of the flight had risky consequences, most especially as regards the preparation for the flight. This state generated a feeling of stress for the passenger and this was felt particularly during the ejection seat briefing where the pensioner had to assimilate a large amount of information in a very short while.’ The report added.

Additionally, the stress of the surprise has been exaggerated by the total lack of military aviation experience. Nevertheless, the passenger admitted he had no knowledge of the aeronautical environment and its constraints, and landed using his parachute but got minor injuries.

Source: Dailymail