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Ditching at Sea

Griz882

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
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So this weekend I showed my wife "The Bridges at Toko Ri" since she had never seen it and we've been on an old movie kick. That said I got to thinking after the scene where Brubaker ditches at sea...have any US Navy tactical jets ditched in modern history? Google failed me but let's say going back to 1965...has it been done?

I get it, WHY, when you can eject but the question stands (say a seat failure). I imagine ditching a radial piston aircrasft a la WWII is an easier proposition with that giant shock absorber up front. I appreciate your knowledges.
 
wink

wink

War Hoover NFO.
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Good question. Even in 1965 there must have been some seats with restrictive enough envelops that might have resulted in ditching over ejection.
 
ea6bflyr

ea6bflyr

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The only ones I can recall are ditching after a cold cat. Here's one:
19 February1969: The first major accident aboard USS John F. Kennedy, CVA-67, occurs this date, when a North American RA-5C Vigilante from Reconnaissance Attack Squadron (RVAH) 14 plunges into the water just after launch. A Kaman UH-2A Seasprite, BuNo 149748, from HC-2, Detachment 67, piloted by Lieutenants Robert E. Hofstetter and William H. Gregory, with Aviation Machinist's Mate (Jet Engine Mechanic) 3d class Dehey and Aviation Electrician's Mate 1st class Donald L. Lewis as rescue crewmen, retrieves Lieutenant (j.g.) John R. Ellis, the Vigilante's naval flight officer (NFO), but Lieutenant Commander Richard A. "Dick" Bright, the pilot, is lost with the airframe.[385]
 
Griz882

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
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Contributor
ea6bflyr said:
The only ones I can recall are ditching after a cold cat. Here's one:
19 February1969: The first major accident aboard USS John F. Kennedy, CVA-67, occurs this date, when a North American RA-5C Vigilante from Reconnaissance Attack Squadron (RVAH) 14 plunges into the water just after launch. A Kaman UH-2A Seasprite, BuNo 149748, from HC-2, Detachment 67, piloted by Lieutenants Robert E. Hofstetter and William H. Gregory, with Aviation Machinist's Mate (Jet Engine Mechanic) 3d class Dehey and Aviation Electrician's Mate 1st class Donald L. Lewis as rescue crewmen, retrieves Lieutenant (j.g.) John R. Ellis, the Vigilante's naval flight officer (NFO), but Lieutenant Commander Richard A. "Dick" Bright, the pilot, is lost with the airframe.[385]
Click to expand...
Good find. I don’t think it really fits the bill, but it is interesting they didn’t eject. Good to see HC-2 making the save!
 
ea6bflyr

ea6bflyr

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I do recall a story when doing through NOMI Water Survival about an A-7 or A-4 ditching and the pilot was able to breath through his mask while getting out of the water, but can't find it on the interwebs. He didn't eject because he was out of the envelope...maybe a cold cat?

But, like you said, it's pretty rare for an ejection seat jet to ditch in modern times.
 
Griz882

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
Here is a video of an A-3 Whale after a cold shot. Similar idea.

 
zipmartin

zipmartin

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Had a dept. head, "Redneck", in my A-7 squadron when I was a nugget, who told his story of going over the side one night in an A-7B (don't remember if it was a cold cat or cable/hook failure). He ejected under water, couldn't tell which was up or down, but saw lights so he swam to them. Flight deck crew had thrown flashlights over the side to mark the spot. He was rescued but had compression fractures in his vertebrae. He was kept in sick bay overnight and was to helo off the next day to a medical facility. The following morning, a deck crewman had a more serious injury (unknown) and the helo could only transport a single person along with the accompaning medical personnel, the distance to the medical facility, so the deck crewman was loaded aboard. The helo lifted off, had a catastrophic failure of some kind and crashed in the water, killing all aboard. Later, as the CO of VA-105, "Redneck" was T-boned in his car on the way to work at NAS Cecil Field one morning and never flew again.
 
Griz882

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
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Contributor
Meyerkord

Meyerkord

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