CF-18 crash - 23 july 2010

[Jungle]

CALGARY — A Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter jet crashed at the Lethbridge Regional Airport Friday, as the facility was getting ready for the Alberta International Airshow.

Lethbridge RCMP said the pilot was taken to Chinook Regional Hospital with undetermined injuries after the crash occured around 12:20 p.m.

Witnesses say he pulled his parachute and ejected before the plane crashed. The pilot was practising for the air show, rehearsing low-level manoeuvres when the crash occurred.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/cr...#ixzz0ubGdHNTW

The pilot obviously pulled just in time:

[Goldie fish]

Some photo!

[SwiftandSure]

Lucky bugger! Hope he's not too injured from that.

[Jungle]

Lucky bugger! Hope he's not too injured from that.

They say he should be released from hospital shortly...

MODS: I just realised I posted this in Worldwide Conflict, but I meant to post in Foreign Forces; feel free to move the thread. Thanks !!

[easyrider]

Video of the crash:

http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/fighter+crashes+Lethbridge/3315229/story.html

[RoyalGreenJacket]

lucky guy, he won't do that again!

[sofa]

A new tie in the post for that man

[CS Gass]

He probably lost it trying to look out through the floor canopy

[hptmurphy]

Membership of the 'Caterpillar Club' for that one.

Nice to see Zero Zero seats really do work at Zero feet.

[sofa]

Question,

Are the ejection seats designed to turn and head upwards if need be?

or are the pilots hoping they are pointing the right way

[easyrider]

Notice the music that was playing in the bacground on the video!

[futurepilot]

Question,

Are the ejection seats designed to turn and head upwards if need be?

or are the pilots hoping they are pointing the right way

they are designed to do that

[Sluggie]

Video of the crash:

http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/figh...229/story.html

From that article:

Canada has lost 16 CF-18s, incurring eight pilot deaths as of 4 April 2009.

Does this seem like a high attrition rate? over how many years?

[Jungle]

Does this seem like a high attrition rate? over how many years?

Since we purchased the CF-18s, in oct 1982.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi there,
Not all seats will orientate themselves upright.Some of the older ones will simply fire themselves out and depart at whatever angle the aircraft's cockpit is facing.Some will turn themselves upright but they need to have a few hundred feet available to allow the turn to happen. At least one of the Russian models has a rocket motor and a self-levelling system specifically designed to orient the seat/man upright and then climb to a safe height to allow the seat to seperate from the man and allow a full parachute canopy to deploy.
regards
GttC