# Eject! Eject! Eject!... Oops. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 30, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358 "2013-03-30T14:38:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/1 "2013-03-30T14:38:26Z")
[Pilot ejected when small airplane dives near Chattanooga](http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/29/17521724-pilot-ejected-when-small-airplane-dives-near-chattanooga-search-under-way?lite) > [@](#): > > A student pilot was ejected from a small aircraft above an area east of Chattanooga, Tenn., in a freak accident Friday evening, and authorities were searching for him. > > The accident occurred when the owner of the Zodiac 601XL plane was taking lessons from an instructor, NBC station WRCB of Chattanooga reported, citing police. A malfunction caused the plane to nose dive and the canopy flew open – and neither man was wearing a seat belt, WRCB reported. > > \ > > WRCB said the plane had been owned by a man killed in a December crash and then was sold to the current owner, described as an experienced pilot who wanted more training in the Zodiac. I always use a checklist, and I normally vocalise as I go through it. One of the things I say out loud is ‘Seats and seat belts adjusted and locked.’ Note that when I was flying helicopters, I almost always flew with the doors off. I am unaware of a ‘malfunction’ that would cause an aircraft to dive violently enough to cause the canopy to jettison, and yet allow it to remain controllable so the other numbskull (the instructor was not wearing a seat belt either) can land the aircraft safely. Maybe I’m just being suspicious, but I think something else might have been going on. The (presumed) original owner of the aircraft died in a crash. (The article doesn’t say what kind of crash.) The new owner is ejected from the aircraft. I’m thinking the next owner should paint ‘The Hope Diamond’ on the cowl. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/2 "2013-03-30T14:53:43Z")
And you damn well better use it. **Tennessee police search for man ejected from plane** > **[Tennessee police find body of man ejected from plane](https://www.foxnews.com/us/tennessee-police-find-body-of-man-ejected-from-plane)** > > Authorities in Tennessee have found the body of a man who was thrown from an experimental aircraft while an instructor was teaching him to fly. I have to wonder what kind of maneuver they were doing that would spill a passenger out of his seat! Given that the wings fail on these things more than one would like, I don’t think it’s aerobatic! ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/3 "2013-03-30T15:34:08Z")
WTF? Guy wears a seat belt to drive to the airport but doesn’t in the airplane? I suspect the autopsy will find blood and guts but no brains. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/4 "2013-03-30T15:37:27Z")
Dammit! Flingwing Johnny has scooped me again! Mods, feel free to merge… > **[Eject! Eject! Eject!... Oops.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=686701)** > > Pilot ejected when small airplane dives near Chattanooga I always use a checklist, and I normally vocalise as I go through it. One of the things I say out loud is ‘Seats and seat belts adjusted and locked.’ Note that when I was flying... ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/5 "2013-03-30T15:39:18Z")
Foul play ---
**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/6 "2013-03-30T15:41:43Z")
> [@](#): > > WRCB said the plane had been owned by a man killed in a December crash and then was sold to the current owner, described as an experienced pilot who wanted more training in the Zodiac. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/7 "2013-03-30T15:52:38Z")
> [@April\_R](#): > > Foul play Or fowl play. The birds got him. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/8 "2013-03-30T16:27:54Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > I have to wonder what kind of maneuver they were doing that would spill a passenger out of his seat! Given that the wings fail on these things more than one would like, I don’t think it’s aerobatic! As I said, I don’t know what kind of ‘malfunction’ would result in such a violent maneuver that left the aircraft controllable afterward. I suspect whoever was at the controls did something wrong. I don’t know the stall characteristics of the aircraft involved, but I can imagine that certain stall maneuvers that are commonly practiced might well have caused a violent pitch-down. It’s possible that the downward pitch was significant enough that an un-belted occupant could have slammed against the canopy, causing the latch to fail. The accident aircraft is stressed to +6/-4 g. A sudden pitch downward might be enough to hurl a body against the canopy (causing the latch to fail), but not enough to exceed the -4 g design limit. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/9 "2013-03-30T16:34:28Z")
Anything greater than about -1 G is going to be problem unless you are holding tight to something before it happens. Reminds me of an accident I read about years ago. Sorta one of those in hindsight moments (precognition pun retroactively approaching). Some guys’ canopy blew off. A few miles further down he crashed and died. Why? Because his vision was bad enough without glasses that he couldn’t fly the plane. In hindsight it seems pretty obviously that you better have those babies well secured to your head with a good packup pair at the ready. But most folks don’t worry about the canopy going bye bye. And if they do, I doubt they think “oh shit, I’ll lose my glasses too”. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/10 "2013-03-30T16:47:14Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Some guys’ canopy blew off. A few miles further down he crashed and died. Why? Because his vision was bad enough without glasses that he couldn’t fly the plane. In hindsight it seems pretty obviously that you better have those babies well secured to your head with a good packup pair at the ready. > > But most folks don’t worry about the canopy going bye bye. And if they do, I doubt they think “oh shit, I’ll lose my glasses too”. Were my eyesight bad enough I could not fly an aircraft without them, I’d have a spare pair with me at all times. There have been cases where pilots have lost control after a door or window opened in-flight. They become so distracted trying to close the hole, that they forget to fly the aircraft. I had a window blow open on a 172 Skyhawk at cruising speed (about 120 knots) once. The sudden noise got my attention. I reached over and closed and latched it. My mom was involved in an aerial burial once. As she dumped the ashes, the slipstream took her brand new Ray Bans. (She thought it was fitting that a pilot should be ‘laid to rest’ with a new pair of aviator shades.) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/11 "2013-03-30T19:58:23Z")
Well the plane was the Zodiac… ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/12 "2013-03-30T20:08:23Z")
Holy hell, how did I miss this?? I live about 20 min from that area… Think I’ll show this to my husband, who is planning on get his private pilot’s license soon. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/13 "2013-03-30T21:05:30Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Anything greater than about -1 G is going to be problem unless you are holding tight to something before it happens. > > Reminds me of an accident I read about years ago. Sorta one of those in hindsight moments (precognition pun retroactively approaching). > > Some guys’ canopy blew off. A few miles further down he crashed and died. Why? Because his vision was bad enough without glasses that he couldn’t fly the plane. In hindsight it seems pretty obviously that you better have those babies well secured to your head with a good packup pair at the ready. > > But most folks don’t worry about the canopy going bye bye. And if they do, I doubt they think “oh shit, I’ll lose my glasses too”. My eyesight is very poor. I was advised when I started flying to always carry a spare set of glasses and I did so on every flight. Heh, I wanted to be an astronaut and even got a PhD so that I might qualify and even when they reduced the standards in the 90’s I still didn’t qualify :P. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/14 "2013-03-30T21:35:53Z")
Well, if he wanted to be thrown clear, looks like he got his wish… ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/15 "2013-03-30T21:57:22Z")
> [@saje](#): > > Holy hell, how did I miss this?? I live about 20 min from that area… Count yourself lucky it missed you — they’re still trying to find where he landed. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/16 "2013-03-30T22:03:20Z")
The article has been updated to indicate that the body has been found. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/17 "2013-03-31T02:40:46Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I am unaware of a ‘malfunction’ that would cause an aircraft to dive violently enough to cause the canopy to jettison, and yet allow it to remain controllable… I concur. Both the failure to wear seatbelts and the canopy opening in flight are _really_ weird of themselves - the combination is almost absurdly unlikely. Good chance there’s more to this story. ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/18 "2013-03-31T04:02:05Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I had a window blow open on a 172 Skyhawk at cruising speed (about 120 knots) once. The sudden noise got my attention. I reached over and closed and latched it. Same thing happened to me on my second solo, right after takeoff. Those windows are loud when they slam up against the bottom of the wing! ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/19 "2013-03-31T06:22:12Z")
Isn’t that plane noted for (other than in-flight detachable wings) extreme pitch movements AND a tiny CG range? What happens if the pilot’s weight is suddenly removed (-G)? What would the guy still holding on do - put nose up or down? I never trusted the hinge-less aileron design, and the behavior of Heinz (designer) and co. in stonewalling a defective spar was inexcusable. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358/20 "2013-03-31T14:27:32Z")
I had not looked into the Zodiac before, but a quick scan of Wiki shows that wing flutter appears to have been an issue in some crashes. I also see that the canopy is hinged at the front. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eject-eject-eject-oops/654358.md?page=2)