Willow Grove Pa, Ejection Seat Accident. Late 1970's, Early 1980's Options

[brotenberger]

Does anyone remember an ejection seat accident at the Willow Grove Pa, Air Show? It would have been late 70's or early 80's. I remember being there as a very young child and seeing the seat in the sky and listening to people describe what happened. I just was curious to hear what really happened. If anyone knows and can shed some light that would be great.

I think it was a young boy who sat in the seat and activated it somehow. I am pretty sure he did not survive.

Thanks.

[DeMar 727]

my girlfriend's grandfather told me about this the other night


weird that you brought this up


but to answer your question.. he knew just as much as you just said...sorry

[SEWolff]

I remember hearing about this when I was a young lad first starting out with airshows; my father spoke of the accident, and I believe that it involved an S-3 Viking--and to my knowledge the young man did not survive.

That about all I know...

[blueangelsfan]

I was but 50 yards away from the S-3 Viking when the incident happened.

[blueangelsfan]

The explosive rockets on the seats were not pinned, which is why the kid was able to pull the ejection handle. That happened on a Friday, but the boy did not pass away until Sunday. I never saw the boy because he was not belted into the ejection seat he must have come right out, and gone to the ground. The ejection seat went over a trailer before the parachute streamered due to no one being belted in the seat. Here is the link to a picture of the S-3 about 3 hours before the incident happened that day from the very side it happened.

http://www.airshowbuzz.com/photos/view.php?v=1134

This photo is in my Airshow Archives section of my Member's Gallery photo's. That was an eventful weekend as a ramp to a McGuire F-105 came away from the plane and collapsed with 5 people including the pilot receiving broken bones, a civilian doing an aerobatic in a Swift forgot to lower his gear for a dead stick finale bellying the plane about 50-70 yards down the runway, and the Thunderbirds made 3 or 4 passes with their T-38's on their way to New England area for a show. According to Bill Bordeleau the announcer with the Blue Angels and Snowbirds both being at NAS Willow Grove, that when the Thunderbirds flew over it was the first time ever all 3 North American continent jet teams were at the same place at the same time.

[blueangelsfan]

Oh yeah, the guy in the Swift? Saw him at an airshow at New Castle County Airport (then Wilmington Airport) either later that year or the next, and I asked him about his plane. He said all the belly landing did was scrath the paint. I do remember that day the fire crew lifting the wing, and he cranked the gear down. Then he started the plane, and taxiied it back to parking. It was in a hanger the next couple of days getting inspected I guess.

[blueangelsfan]

I have a newspaper article that I cut out on the incident too if anyone would like me to scan it, and then post it here.

[waldo]

[quote name='brotenberger' date='Oct 27 2007, 12:17 PM' post='32294']
Does anyone remember an ejection seat accident at the Willow Grove Pa, Air Show?

I was in the air in the Stearman flying my solo routine at the moment it happened. The show was July 4,5 & 6, 1980 ....(My memory isn't that good, I had to look at the file)
Air Boss said "Stop we have a problem" I looked down at the crowd line to see a smoke trail coming from the center going vertically upward. Didn't know what it was until after landing.

[MKopack]

I was a 12 year old kid with my Grandfather back behind the trailer when I heard the "BANG - Whoosh" of the seat going off. I can still see the black smoke today as if it had just happened. Although I was young I knew exactly what had happened. The seat made probably a 50' tumbling arc through the air, still trailing the smoke with the white and orange chute floating away as it reached its apex, it ended up smacking down on the ground about 30-40 feet from me.

Two young boys, roughly my age at the time, had made their own entry into the Viking through the crew entry hatch. The S-3, I am told, uses a system of safing the seats that is different from the multiple pins that we are used to on the ACES and MB's, and the seat somehow became armed. The seat was fired as the child leaned over the seat pan, he received fatal injuries as a result of the rocket blast, the canopy penetration and the drop to the ground to the front of the aircraft. The second child was behind the seat, near the Electronic Systems Operators positions, he received burns which would also prove to be fatal.

Years later as I was going through school to become a Crew Chief on F-16's our instructors repeatedly stressed how unforgiving ejection seats could be - and showed us some investigation photos to illustrate the fact - but I had learned that lesson that day back at Willow Grove. I was always completely comfortable anywhere around my Viper, from idle to max AB, but every time I sat in the cockpit, in the back of my mind I knew just what I was sitting on.

Mike Kopack

[Airshow4444]

This sounds like such a sad airshow. I alyways think about these things every airshow weekend now unfortuanlly.

[brotenberger]

I would love to see that article if you could scan and post. We used to live in Quakertown, PA and attend WGAS every year until we moved to Orlando.

I remember that day vividly, even though I was only 6 years old at the time. I could not have been very far from that plane when it happened. I don't remember the other incidents.

Thank you all for the information. A sad walk down memory lane.

[blueangelsfan]

I would love to see that article if you could scan and post. We used to live in Quakertown, PA and attend WGAS every year until we moved to Orlando.

I remember that day vividly, even though I was only 6 years old at the time. I could not have been very far from that plane when it happened. I don't remember the other incidents.

Thank you all for the information. A sad walk down memory lane.

When I get a chance to do it, I'll post it here.

[blueangelsfan]

Does anyone remember an ejection seat accident at the Willow Grove Pa, Air Show?

I was in the air in the Stearman flying my solo routine at the moment it happened. The show was July 4,5 & 6, 1980 ....(My memory isn't that good, I had to look at the file)
Air Boss said "Stop we have a problem" I looked down at the crowd line to see a smoke trail coming from the center going vertically upward. Didn't know what it was until after landing.

Glad you looked Walt, I had written 1980 on the back of the photo that I have posted in my Member's Gallery - Airshow Archives section.

[David F. Brown]

When I get a chance to do it, I'll post it here.

I was there too and it was tragic to see and then later read about that young boy losing his life. I still think about it from time to time. This is the Hoover involved photograpghed that morning.

[onetime4yourmind]

Yes i do remember this accident. I was actually in the plane with my lil brother at the time it happened. Me and my lil brother we were in the right hand cock pit seat when the boy ejected himself. I remember this like it was yesterday. After the ejection our father rushed in and grabbed both of us and carried us out of the plane. I believe that the boy finally came down about 1,500 feet from the plane and was dead on impact. We were rushed into the lounge of the blue angels and checked out for any injuries but thankfully we were not hurt.

[Pecker]

Such a sad tale. I'm sorry so many of you had to experience something so horrible. Airshows should be happy events for everyone.

and I agree with Mike, no matter how many times I strap into a seat, I always get a bit tense when I flip the arming lever. Those things don't discriminate.