Three TU22 Crew Killed in Ejector Seat Accident

[T-bagger]

Tragic loss of three crew members when the crew of four’s ejector seats fired on the ground. Thoughts are with their families.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ru...

[Krikkit]

That's very sad indeed, such a shame.

Out of interest does anyone know if all the seats in the RAF AC all 0/0 seats that wouldn't have had this problem?

[Eric Mc]

Krikkit said:

That's very sad indeed, such a shame.

Out of interest does anyone know if all the seats in the RAF AC all 0/0 seats that wouldn't have had this problem?

ALL ejector seats are dangerous. Not that many years ago a Red Arrow pilot was killed when his seat inadvertently fired on the ground.

[Tony1963]

Krikkit said:

That's very sad indeed, such a shame.

Out of interest does anyone know if all the seats in the RAF AC all 0/0 seats that wouldn't have had this problem?

Once the Martin Baker seats started using rocket packs, they became zero/zero seats, as far as I recall.

[swampy442]

They’re all 0/0, thing is the seat is only one part of an ejection system, the canopy is also a major part, maybe that didn’t operate?

[Tony1963]

swampy442 said:

They’re all 0/0, thing is the seat is only one part of an ejection system, the canopy is also a major part, maybe that didn’t operate?

I’ve read that the TU-22 seats need at least 80knts (?) if below 240ft.

[tr7v8]

Even a 0/0 seat needs the person to be strapped in properly. And even then there will almost certainly some level of injury.

[Tony1963]

tr7v8 said:

Even a 0/0 seat needs the person to be strapped in properly. And even then there will almost certainly some level of injury.

That’s stating the obvious, and isn’t really anything to do with the op.

[RobGT81]

Not all seats are 0/0. I didn't think the old Hawk seats were? As mentioned, doesn't matter if you're not strapped in.

More info here https://theaviationist.com/2021/03/23/ejection-sea...

[Eric Mc]

Ejection seats can be lethal if they malfunction. There have been quite a few deaths and injuries caused over the years by seats firing at the wrong time or not going through the right sequences.

[Riley Blue]

Eric Mc said:

Ejection seats can be lethal if they malfunction. There have been quite a few deaths and injuries caused over the years by seats firing at the wrong time or not going through the right sequences.

Including the Harrier incident at Yeovilton Air Show in 1975, it put me off air shows for 40 years.

[RobGT81]

Back in the day when I was working on Tucanos, I was working with an apprentice who was sorting out the cockpit on a turnaround service. He was faffing around so I jumped up to see what he was doing, to find him struggling to sort out the leg restraints. Because he was trying to lengthen them without noticing that one was wrapped around the seat pan firing handle. :-o

[eccles]

RobGT81 said:

Not all seats are 0/0. I didn't think the old Hawk seats were? As mentioned, doesn't matter if you're not strapped in.

More info here https://theaviationist.com/2021/03/23/ejection-sea...

All Hawk seats have always been 0/0.

[eharding]

RobGT81 said:

Not all seats are 0/0. I didn't think the old Hawk seats were? As mentioned, doesn't matter if you're not strapped in.

More info here https://theaviationist.com/2021/03/23/ejection-sea...

Grim reading that article - by the sound of it, the forced eject switch - which ejects everyone but the commander - was left in the live position, when the commander gang-switched the circuit breakers on the system started firing everyone else out of the aircraft, with the final one waiting nearly four seconds for it to happen, long enough to realise what was happening and not being able to do anything about it.

[Tony1963]

A few FAQs for anyone who’s interested, and other info around their website:

https://martin-baker.com/about/ejection-seat-faq/