The Air Force Knew It Had an Ejection Seat Problem, But Didn't Speed Up a Fix. Then a Pilot Died
19 Jun 2021
Military.com | By Oriana Pawlyk
Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series about the fatal accident of 1st Lt. David Schmitz, an F-16 pilot at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Read the first story: F-16 Pilot's Runway Death Forces Reckoning Over Tight Flight Hours, Training Gaps
There was no shortage of missteps, accidents and bad calls that led to the crash that killed F-16 pilot 1st Lt. David Schmitz last June: A botched risk assessment that didn't consider his level of experience for the mission that night, his damaged landing gear, and an improper suggestion from the control tower to attempt a cable arrest while landing with his busted gear.
Despite all that, Schmitz might have had a chance at walking away from that crash but for one devastating problem: A catastrophic malfunction of his ejection seat when he tried to bail out as his landing was going all wrong.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/06/19/air-force-knew-it-had-ejection-seat-problem-didnt-speed-fix-then-pilot-died.html
