USAF F-15 female pilot recalls when instead of ejecting she stayed aboard her Eagle after it suffered an inflight fire. She landed safely.

USAF F-15 female pilot recalls when instead of ejecting she stayed aboard her Eagle after it suffered an inflight fire. She landed safely.

By Dario Leone
Jun 8 2022
Share this article

‘A cold winter day off Okinawa, I had an augmenter burn through. My wingman confirmed I was still on fire, and dropping burning titanium,’ Shari Williams, USAF F-15 Eagle pilot.

In aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft in an emergency. In most designs, the aircraft canopy comes off and the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rocket motor, carrying the pilot with it. Once clear of the aircraft, the ejection seat deploys a parachute. In two seat aircraft, the seats are ejected at different angles to avoid a collision.

Before ejection seats, pilots would have to remove the aircraft canopy manually to climb and jump out.

Ejection seats can save lives.

What is the appropriate moment for a fighter pilot to eject?

Former F-15 pilot with the USAF Shari Williams explains on Quora:

‘Our -1 (aircraft manual) said “if fire is confirmed-eject”, regarding an inflight fire.

36th TFW F-15C Print
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F-15C Eagle 36th TFW, 22d TFS, BT/79-051 / 1981

‘A cold winter day off Okinawa, I had an augmenter burn through. As I turned toward home my wingman confirmed I was still on fire, and dropping burning titanium. I tightened my straps, put my tape in my g-suit pocket, removed my pen from my pocket and got ready to eject.

‘As I looked down at the cold gray water which was pretty choppy, I had second thoughts.

‘I was 100miles from the island. Every minute I stayed in the plane was 5 minutes quicker the rescue helo would be on scene. I flew along for the longest 5 minutes with one hand on the stick and the other in the ejection handle. Finally, my wingman reported I was no longer burning. I was able to land back at base.’

Williams concludes;

‘Did I break the rules? Yes. But it was my butt on the line. No one ever said a word to me about it.’

Photo credit: Military Aviation Channel on YouTube

F-15 model
This model is available from AirModels – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS.

Share this article

Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share this article


Share this article
Share this article

Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you!

Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.



    Share this article
    Back to top
    My Agile Privacy
    This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. We and our selected ad partners can store and/or access information on your device, such as cookies, unique identifiers, browsing data. You can always choose the specific purposes related to profiling by accessing the advertising preferences panel, and you can always withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on "Manage consent" at the bottom of the page.

    List of some possible advertising permissions:

    You can consult: our list of advertising partners, the Cookie Policy and the Privacy Policy.
    Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices