12 hours ago
- During a routine trans-Pacific refueling mission at 20,000 feet, pilot Cliff Judkins experienced a sudden engine flame-out and fire after his F-8 Crusader's fuel tank burst due to a failed automatic cut-off switch.
- Both the primary and secondary ejection seat systems failed, trapping Judkins in the burning aircraft; he manually jettisoned the canopy and bailed out without the seat's assistance.
- After successfully exiting the plane, his main parachute failed to open due to tangled shroud lines, causing him to fall 15,000 feet into the Pacific Ocean.
- He survived the impact with severe injuries including multiple fractures in his ankles, pelvis, and vertebra, a partially collapsed lung, and internal shock.
- Rescued after two and a half hours in the water by a minesweeper and later a cruiser, he received medical treatment and was eventually airlifted to a hospital ship.
- A key factor in his survival was the absence of his spleen (removed years earlier), which prevented fatal internal bleeding upon water impact.
- Judkins eventually recovered fully, returned to flying the F-8 Crusader within six months, and later became a commercial airline pilot.