US Air Force instructor pilot dies after being ejected from plane

An instructor pilot has died after an ejector seat went off during ground operations.

A US Air Force instructor pilot has died after he was ejected from a plane on the ground.

Captain John Robertson was “severely injured” during the incident on May 13 at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas and died early the next morning.

An investigation has been launched, the Air Force said.

A statement said he was “severely injured when the ejection seat of the T-6A Texan II aircraft he was in activated during ground operations”.

Capt. Robertson was in 80th Operations Support Squadron.

An instructor pilot in the US Air Force has died. Picture: NBC 5 / Facebook

Captain John Robertson was ejected from a plane during ground operations. Picture: NBC 5 / Facebook

Colonel Mitchell J. Cok, the acting wing commander, said the death of Capt. Robertson was a “devastating loss” for the entire 80th Flying Training Wing.

“Captain Robertson was a highly valued Airman and instructor pilot. Our deepest condolences go with all who knew and loved him,” he said.

Col. Cok said immediate care kept the pilot alive long enough for his family to say goodbye.

“We are thankful for the M1 maintenance team who immediately provided life-sustaining care, and for the heroic efforts of the security forces, fire and medical personnel here on base and at United Regional Hospital,” he said.

“Their efforts allowed time for Captain Robertson’s family to be at his side when he passed.”

His aunty Julie Grier remembered her nephew as “smart, talented [and] always smiling” in a Facebook post.

“He will be truly missed,” she wrote.

Two T-6A Texan II aircraft from the 434th Flying Training Squadron during a training mission in 2020. Picture: US Air Force / Master Sgt. JT May III

Local news station NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported a student in the plane with Capt. Robertson did not eject and was uninjured, citing the Air Force.

Dallas-based aviation lawyer Jon Kettles explained to the program a seat ejection on the ground should eject a pilot just high enough to let their parachute fill and return the pilot to the ground.

He said there may be injuries during an ejection, but they should only be minor.

The T-6A Texan II is a single-engine, two-seat primary trainer designed to train students in basic flying skills common to US Air Force and Navy pilots, the Air Force website states.

The plane has stepped-tandem seating in a single cockpit, meaning one person is in front of the other, and the student and instructor positions are interchangeable.