Air Force pilot killed when ejection seat fires on the ground
The Air Force grounded about 70 similar T-6As in 2022 after flaws were found in the explosives used in ejection seats.
BY MATT WHITE | PUBLISHED MAY 14, 2024 12:43 PM EDT
An Air Force instructor pilot with the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas died overnight from injuries sustained when their T-6A Texan II ejection seat activated during ground operations here May 13, the Air Force said in a release.
Capt. John Robertson of the 80th Operations Support Squadron was severely injured when the ejection seat of the T-6A Texan II aircraft he was in activated during ground operations Monday, the Air Force said. He died of his injuries overnight.
“This is a devastating loss for Captain Robertson’s family and loved ones, and for the entire 80th Flying Training Wing,” said Col. Mitchell J. Cok, the acting wing commander. “Captain Robertson was a highly valued Airman and instructor pilot. Our deepest condolences go with all who knew and loved him.”
The T-6A is a propeller-driven trainer that is the first plane student pilots officially are taught to fly at Undergraduate Pilot Training, or UPT. All Air Force pilots, regardless of the plane they will eventually fly, begin their flight training at UPT at Sheppard of another training base.
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