Marine F-18 Crash Near Rimrock Lake Leaves Pilot Safe as 10.5% Ejection Mortality Rate Highlights Risk
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 25
Marine F-18 Crash Near Rimrock Lake Leaves Pilot Safe as 10.5% Ejection Mortality Rate Highlights Risk
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 25
Summary
June 13 bodycam footage showed Marine Maj. Jackson Simon walking out of woods near Rimrock Lake with a bloodied face after ejecting from a crashed F-18, telling a deputy he was only “a little frazzled.”
Former Navy F-18 pilot Matthew “Whiz” Buckley said that calm likely reflected shock, adrenaline and training, describing ejection as a 10-to-20-G event so violent that many pilots remember only pulling the handle and waking under parachute.
A meta-analysis covering 1,710 military aircrew ejections found a 10.5% mortality rate and 29.8% major-injury rate, with risks including spinal compression, dislocated arms and broken legs from poor body positioning.
Video and local reporting suggest Simon was flying low before the jet clipped power lines and crashed into forest, sparking a small wildfire, though the Marine Corps has not confirmed that account and says the cause remains under investigation.
Buckley said Simon will likely face a review board that could determine whether he keeps flying status after the loss of a $60 million to $65 million Hornet.