March 6, 1962. Jim and I showed up at the Servicing Desk to sign out our aircraft. We’d already had one trip that morning: although our squadron was on “Alert,” we’d got airborne at oh-eight hundred on a routine high level mission against anything that moved and had spent a glorious hour-five pulling “g” and turning JP4 into exhaust fumes.
Returning to base, we’d signed in our aircraft and headed for the cafeteria for a cup of squadron coffee then into the debriefing room for a rehash of our trip. A call from Servicing advising that our aircraft were ready for a second sortie necessitated the collection of parachutes and helmets and a walk to the end of the building to take possession of our aircraft.
The airplane was “slightly deficient in power,” but what’s the worst that could happen?
Unserviceable on landing, my aircraft was still down and had been replaced by another. In answer to my query as to which aircraft he wanted, Jim indicated that his previous aircraft was slightly deficient in power and that it would be an excellent aircraft for me to take, seeing as it was my turn to lead the section.
The pre-flight briefing was simple: it mimicked the morning brief except I was leading and Jim was the wingman. We fired up and commenced the long taxi to the far end of the runway. Winters on the Continent were not particularly severe, but this winter had seen a lot of snow. The ground was white with what appeared to be about a foot of the fluffy stuff.
We rounded the corner onto runway 03 and lined up echelon right for the formation takeoff. Takeoff checks had been completed during taxi and all that remained was the engine check: the throttle was advanced to maximum in one second to check fuel flow scheduling and then reduced to ninety percent power. Temperatures and pressures were all within limits. A glance down the right wing was met with a nod from Jim that indicated he was ready to go.
Brakes were released and the engine speed smoothly increased to, and limited at, ninety-seven percent power to give number two a couple of percent to play with. At fifty knots, another glance showed Jim glued to the right wing. At 110 knots, the nose was rotated to the takeoff position with lift-off occurring at 130 knots. Gear and flaps were selected up and the climb established. I noted Jim still tucked in tight as we approached the Alert Hangar.
As we passed over the end of the runway at about two hundred feet above ground level, a massive explosion (accompanied by a transitory smell of smoke) was heard and felt aft of the cockpit coupled with a complete loss of acceleration. The sudden cessation of over seven thousand pounds of thrust was noticeable enough to force me against my shoulder straps.
“Houston, we have a problem…”
I quickly scanned the instrument panel looking for an answer to the loss of power: the deceleration was now robbing me of airspeed and with a best glide around 185 knots, I was shortly going to have to start giving up precious altitude for airspeed. The only anomaly noted during the scan was that the engine RPM was now sitting at one hundred percent, a setting I had not commanded. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of number two high in my two o’clock position, banked into me, trying desperately to stay with me without stalling. Then, in my headset, his voice:
“LEAD, EJECT!”
This not a phrase I wanted to hear from a number two. The urgency conveyed in those words implied a dire emergency: I turned in the cockpit and looked over my left shoulder towards the tail to check for smoke or flame. There was none. I did not want to leave the security of my warm cockpit for the below zero environment just outside on the basis of a radio call; I was momentarily unsure as to my next move.
Other than not being shoved somewhere, there was nothing wrong with my aircraft. There must be something I can do, some switch I can select which will make everything aright. However, in turning back to check my panel instruments once more, two illuminated lights on the right hand side demanded my attention. My decision had been made for me: I had both the forward fire warning light and the aft fire warning light telling me that something has gone drastically wrong in the engine compartment.
I mentally ticked off my situation: my engine is running at one hundred percent but I am not developing any thrust; I’m nose high and losing airspeed; and I appear to have a fire in the engine compartment. On the positive side, I’m still under control, I have airspeed, I’m climbing slightly, and I have at least 200 feet of air below me: I’m inside the ejection envelope.
I transmitted “I’m getting out”. Jim replied: “Affirmative, EJECT!”
Things happened fast now: I ducked my head to prevent losing it, at the same time raising the left seat handle to blow the canopy. Accompanied by a rush of air, the canopy was gone. I leaned back and placed my head firmly against the headrest and my feet in the seat footrests; with the sides of the aircraft midway between my shoulder and elbow, I was now sitting in the open. As I placed my fingers around the trigger, I remembered that I didn’t have my visor down to protect against the windblast; I instinctively closed my eyes and squeezed.
The ejection system worked as advertised, hurling me out of the aircraft with enough force to clear the tail: there was a feeling of “being out-of-control” which was replaced by a period of negative “g,” probably occurring as I tumbled and/or when I separated from the seat.
The initial impact and debris field.
At this point, it seemed prudent to open my eyes: I had stabilized and was face down with a perspective of the ground that is normally limited to the skydiving fraternity. There was no feeling of fear or life scenes flashing before my eyes: the last altitude I remember is two hundred feet above ground and with the ejection system only guaranteed to a minimum of two hundred feet, my only thought was: “This is going to be close.”
As I reached for the manual “D” ring, the automatic system activated: the ‘chute deployed and snapped me into an upright position. I looked up and took note that I had a fully inflated canopy, then looked down between my feet and saw the ground rushing up. Noise ahead caused me to lift my gaze in time to take in the spectacle of 550 gallons of jet fuel being turned into an inferno; a rising ball of red flame and black smoke billowing into the sky.
I noticed that I was having trouble inhaling; not being plugged into the aircraft oxygen system means having to overcome a valve spring to breathe: I disconnected my oxygen mask and placed my hands on the risers.
The ground was really close now; I mentally went over the landing procedures according to the training film which we are required to view every six months: hands on the risers, feet together; at touchdown, fall sideways onto the hip and then the shoulders. Get up, run around in front of the canopy and collapse it if it has not done so already.
The ground was rushing up at me; I renewed my grip on the risers and…
Wheels and the engine just visible at the top left.
I’m lying on the ground; flat on my back; I can’t breathe. All the air is knocked out of me and I’m gasping like a fish out of water. The training film forgot to mention the effect on a body’s center of gravity when thirty pounds of emergency survival equipment attached to one’s posterior. I had landed like I was released from a very tall cow.
After about twenty seconds, I had recovered enough to get up and try to get rid of the parachute and seat pack: Jim was circling overhead trying to ascertain my well being and I didn’t want him stalling in on top of me as has happened before. The ‘chute was no problem, but the seat pack did not want to release: the connectors must have no downward pull on them to disconnect. One released but the other would not and I was left trying to walk around with the seat pack dangling off my side, banging into my thigh with every step. Jim came by once more, then left: I never did find out if he continued on with the mission or landed.
About five minutes later, a squadron technician arrived: he was in the process of cleaning and washing his car a short distance away in a trailer court and witnessed the whole procedure. We tossed everything into his back seat and headed for the airport.
I spent the night in the hospital where my squadron mates ensure I had enough liquid to prevent dehydration. I had suffered only a hairline fracture to one vertebrae and a slightly detached retina that was picked up during a routine eye exam several months later. I was back in the air in three weeks.
The cause of the accident came to light during the subsequent investigation: an aft piece of the engine came adrift and blocked the intake to the tailpipe: the resulting overpressure blew the tailpipe off its moorings allowing it to fall onto the fuselage floor. The engine was no longer a “jet” engine but a gas producer. The lack of “back pressure” allowed the engine RPM to rise the three percent I had noticed.
The instrument panel, a little worse for wear.
Moreover, the tailpipe was covered with a fiberglass batting to protect surrounding structure from heat. As it lay on the floorboards, the resulting high speed exhaust from the engine tore the batting to pieces and ejected them out the back of the aircraft. These pieces exiting the fuselage were visible to Jim and were the basis of his call to eject: he thought I’d blown the engine and the compressor blades were coming out the back. He told me later that it wasn’t until I had left the aircraft that he realized was the compressor truly disintegrating; the blades would exit the engine sideways, not backwards. Regardless, his call galvanized me into action.
In keeping with custom, upon release from the hospital, I made the trek to the Safety Systems Section and presented the technician who had packed my parachute with a bottle of his favorite libation. He had repacked it on January 22, 1962, and it had performed flawlessly some six weeks later, allowing me to become a member of a very exclusive group: the Caterpillar Club.
I experienced no mental “angst” as a result of the ejection, although for several months afterward, I noticed that if I reviewed the sequence of events, my palms would get sweaty. However, the memory of the ejection did not go away; it would come back to haunt me a year or so later…but that is a story for another day.
- What? Me panic? - August 8, 2014
- Heroes and goats - April 11, 2014
- 60 seconds airborne: the end of Sabre 26710 - March 10, 2014
Very scary experience and good story. Glad for your part that you didn’t become a statistic.
Nico:
Thank you for your comments.
It was subsequently interesting to me that that there was never a moment when I thought the system would not work as advertised. Nor did my life flash before my eyes! Although my mind was probable working at a fetch rate measured in yocto-seconds, I don’t remember being particularly panicked; more a “things to do” attitude, as evidenced by trying to beat the automatic ‘chute sequence which would have been seconds after being thrown out of the seat.
A Board of Inquiry was convened immediately after the accident and the Board president was quite sympathetic; he was still wearing his turtle body cast that was the result of his low-level ejection from an F-86 trying to nurse his powerless aircraft back to base through cloud.
Hey John, glad your were ok…..now for the rest of the story….your view above the ground is NOT something the average jumpers see’s – and lives. Generally unless you have a lot of canopy above your head the average sport parachute isn’t going to do much from 200 ft AGL.
SO you sir have seen what very few people have seen. :)
Fortson:
Years later, I volunteered to fly a Cessna 182 for the local jump club on weekends. Every Saturday night, after the jumping was over, the bonfire was lit and a few “brewskis” were consumed. By ten o’clock, I had been convinced to come back the next day, a quick briefing, and they’d throw me out the door. And off I’d head home, sure I’d return the next day and step out the door into thin air. Of course, by the time oh-eight hundred arrived the next morning, my saner self would prevail and I’d go back to driving the airplane. I always said I’d like to do it again; this time, a little higher. I never did get the chance…
Its always amazing to me what good training will do for a person, when big trouble comes he usually does not panic, or at least not until its over & done with. I was an engine mechanic on B-52 & KC-135’s in the last half of the 60’s. I recall seeing at least two engines come back without the tailpipe, thankfully on them they could keep on flying. Oh how I hated to put a tailpipe on an engine on the flight line, to many bolts & nuts. Thanks for the story & happy with your outcome.
God Bless,
Jerry
Jerry:
It IS amazing what training will do for you. As mentioned in the story, prior to blowing the canopy, I ducked my head; most of us sat high in the seat which resulted in the canopy bow being below the top of your head. If you didn’t duck down prior to jettison, the bow would meet your eyebrow line doing about warp 7. Not conducive to longevity.
It sounds like you had an interesting career also; ever get a ride on the ’52 or the tanker? On a subsequent posting to F-5s, I got a chance to ride in the 707 tanker and then do several hook-ups. Quite the experience.
John
John,
A friend sent me a link to your article. How fortunate you were to eject safely. My uncle, Guy Cloutier was originally posted to 434 Sqn at Uplands in 1952 after graduating from Course #18 with Syd Burrows (an usher at Guy’s wedding to my aunt Barbara). He was eventually posted to 421 Sqn at 2 Wing was not as fortunate as you were. Guy ejected from Sabre 19365 on 09 June 1953 after, presumably, becoming disoriented during a GCA landing. He was at 700 ft when he made the decision to eject. Unfortunately he would not survive his ejection.
I also had the pleasure of speaking to Bill Slaughter about his ejection from Sabre 23374 after a compressor stall and fuel exhaustion on 18 April 1961. He was a lucky man only to have broken a couple of vertebrae.
I have also had the great fortune of speaking with many pilots who flew an assortment of aircraft through the duff weather in Europe during the NATO mission with 1 Air Division and 1 Canadian Air Division. You all have me greatest admiration, thanks and respect.
Respectfully,
Mike
Mike:
Great hearing from you. We met briefly at the SPAADS reunion in Hamilton, I believe. A sad note about your Uncle Guy; I’m not sure of the seat capabilities in ’53. I know that with the “zero landyard”, the seats in the early sixties were only guaranteed at 200 feet/90 knots in level flight. Anything outside those parameters and you were a test pilot – and a poorly paid one at that!
I had a look at http://canadianforcesmilitary.com/snowbirds.html to refresh my memory and note that it’s been over thirty years since you “tripped the light fantastic”. It does seem like yesterday, though; doesn’t it? Then, of course, my son intrudes and notes that I can add another ten or more years onto that since my fifteen minutes in the spotlight.
All the best
John
John, When I got to my 1st PCS base I worked in shop, but watched the flight-line-engine-crew come & go from inside of the engine shop while I was busy taking apart & or putting engines back together. Quickly I said that’s for me. The big 1st thing that caught my eye was those who were qualified to run up the engines on the B-52’s & KC-135’s to check out the engines. Quickly I founded out what it took & got qualified. Sill amazes me us 18,19,20 year old’s setting in those B-52’s & KC-135’s on the flight-line running up engines on those high dollar planes to see if we had repaired them properly. Flew 2 times on B-52’s missions but after I married I did it no more. The B-52 crews always seemed quite happy when they had an engine man on board to answer questions about any engine problems that might come up. The only ride I got on a KC was coming home from a TDY to Anderson January 69. It was not near as comfortable as the C-141 we went over on. I forget how often we had to get requalified, yet once the fellow running the simulator let me take the B-52 down the runway taking off. But time ran out yet I will never forget.
Thanks,
Jerry
John, Did you get my comments that I sent just minutes ago?
Joel:
I haven’t received anything.
John
Great Article; What model of the F-86 did you fly John. I flew the F-86H in the Mass. ANG; in the 1960’s……. and I’d like to share a few photos during those flying days; plus some background on me in,”When Did You Know”
Joel:
I joined the RCAF in ’57 which would put me a few years behind you, I think. After training, I wound up just south of Ramstein in Zweibrücken. The OTU at Chatham on the east coast of Canada used the Mk 5 Sabre while the squadrons in Europe were equipped with the Mk 6. Although a great aircraft to fly and I enjoyed my tour immensely, we were on the tail end of day fightery(!). In the event the bad guys came over the eastern horizon, our role was called “Lane Control”, as I remember. If anything came down the pike in your lane and no-one could vouch for it’s provenance, then it was your job to persuade the miscreant to go home. Which means that our position in the ORBAT was somewhere between “Don’t call us; we’ll call you” and “Head for the hills, boys; they’re through the Fulda Gap!”
It would appear as if the “H” and the “6” were quite similar. Although the “H” had a more thrust which improved its climb rate, top speed and max altitude suffered due to the increased weight as compared to the “6”. I would have traded the six point five machine guns on the “6” for two of the four 20 mm cannons on the “H”, though!
We were some of the lucky ones; I subsequently flew the F-5, and while I thoroughly enjoyed “modern” equipment, up-to-date cockpit ergonomics, and climbing at mach .9, there was none of the “cachet” of flying the F-86.
I see you’re Newsletter editor for EAA Chapter 26; I’m doing the same job for the Vernon Flying Club in BC; past issues of same can be seen at http://www.vernonflyingclub.org and winkling around. (Go into NEWS and keep mousing…)
John
Always good to hear stories of the Sabre pilots of Air Div. My father, F/L C. J. Hank Henry was there at that time with 422 and told of many incidents. They were the best.
Lawrence:
Your father was ahead of me but was one of my gunnery heroes; he preceded my on the Guynemer Trophy Team by a couple of years. But his 95 holes in the flag out of a possible 98 far outshone my efforts.