Martin-Baker

🔻Ejectee - CDR David P. Brown, USN, Ret – 06 November 1990 On November 6, 1990 LT Hoyt (pilot) VA-34 and LCDR Brown (bombardier/navigator) VA-176 departed NAS Oceana shortly after 10 PM local time in an A-6 Intruder aircraft on a night low level navigation and practice bombing mission. The flight was a mixed squadron crew as this was LCDR Brown’s final check flight on the use of night vision goggles for night operations. Shortly after takeoff there was a loud explosion and a fireball shot forward from one of the engines. One by one all but the nose wheel well fire lights illuminated and the aft of the aircraft was visually confirmed to be on fire. Departing on runway 5 the flight path took the aircraft over the densely populated resort area of Virginia Beach. The crew elected not to immediately eject as per NATOPS training and instead turned East toward the Atlantic Ocean. Both crewman ejected once the aircraft cleared the beachline and the aircraft crashed into the ocean about ¾ of a mile offshore. There was an unknown malfunction in LCDR Brown’s ejection seat as he tumbled following the initial ejection and then a “line over” ripped multiple tears in his parachute. LCDR Brown was an experienced parachutist having completed the US Army Airborne School and later earning his Gold Navy/Marine Corps parachute wings. He successfully navigated through a series of obstacles including large buildings and power lines to land on a city street in a residential area receiving only minor injuries. The accident investigation determined that an Allen wrench lost in the nose wheel well four months earlier dislodged and was sucked down the left engine causing the explosion. Both LCDR Brown and LT Hoyt were awarded Air Medals for successfully maneuvering the burning aircraft out of a densely populated area before ejecting. #EngineeringForLife

✈️ Start your aerospace career with Martin-Baker We’re heading to Careers in Aerospace & Aviation LIVE 2026! Meet the Martin-Baker team and find out more about our Year in Industry, Apprenticeship & Graduate opportunities, the different careers available across our business, and what it’s like to work in aerospace. 📍 London | 4 November - aerosociety.com/events-calen… 📍 Sheffield | 25 November - aerosociety.com/events-calen… Come and meet us and see where a career with Martin-Baker could take you 🔻 #MartinBaker #AeroCareers #EngineeringForLife #Apprenticeships #GraduateOpportunities #CareersInAerospace @AeroSociety

Yesterday, a U.S. Air Force T-6A Texan II crashed near Seguin, Texas. Both pilots successfully ejected using the Martin-Baker US16LA Ejection Seat. #EngineeringForLife

We’re exhibiting in Warsaw next week! Martin-Baker will be showcasing our Crashworthy Seating portfolio at Global Defence Aviation. 📍 Warsaw, Poland 📌 Booth #108 Come by the booth, meet the team and learn more about our crashworthy seating capabilities. #EngineeringForLife #GDA26

LCDR Dale Content USNR (ret.) Tie Club Member #1271 🔻 I am currently retired from all flying, as I am now 84 years old. I was a young lieutenant, 26 years old, when I was instructing future Naval Aviators at NAS Chase Field in Beeville, Texas. I had just returned from flying off the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-43) over North Vietnam in an A-4C. What started out as a fun, four-plane formation training flight on a perfect spring day in South Texas soon became an emergency. I was the instructor in the back seat of a Navy TF-9J Cougar on the second flight of the day. We were the wingman of the first section leader. When the student raised the landing gear after takeoff, however, the nose wheel did not indicate that it was up. I requested that the leader inspect our aircraft, and he reported that the nose gear was still extended. The student then reported that he had no longitudinal control. The other instructor reported that white smoke was coming from the tail of our aircraft. He said he could see through the tail and thought we would need to eject. The proper sequence for ejection was for the rear seat to go first, followed by the front seat. I told the student that when he heard me leave the aircraft, he should eject as well. We were approximately 4,500 feet in the air and five nautical miles north of the Naval Air Station. The ejection was quite forceful, as this was not a rocket-propelled seat but a cannon-shell system. I remember rotating backward and then feeling the shock of the parachute opening. Thank you, Martin-Baker, for getting me safely out of that burning aircraft. After that, it was very quiet. I looked around but didn't see my student or the aircraft. Shortly afterward, I checked and saw my fully opened parachute. I prepared to land and realized that I was headed for a tree. When I stopped descending, I was about three feet off the ground. I released the parachute and waited to be picked up by the helicopter. The student had a similar experience, and we were both grateful for the excellent performance of the Martin-Baker ejection seat! Read more stories from our Ejectees stories on our website - lnkd.in/djXwjYz7 #EngineeringForLife

We're looking forward to exhibiting at Marine Fighter Foray in Dallas, Texas, from 14-18 October 🔻 Come by our booth to meet the team and learn more about Martin-Baker's latest aircrew safety and escape system capabilities. #EngineeringForLife

Since 1957, more than 6,000 aircrew who owe their lives to an ejection seat have joined the Martin-Baker Ejection Tie Club. Bound by a unique shared experience, members wear the iconic Necktie and @Bremont MBI watch with pride. youtube.com/watch?v=7AODsGL1… 🔻Engineering For Life. #engineeringforlife #tieclub #martinbaker #navy #usnavy #us250

On Monday 28th September 2026, a U.S. Navy E/A-18G Growler from VAQ-130 was involved in a mishap during aircraft recovery operations aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower off the Virginia coast. Both aircrew successfully ejected using the Martin-Baker US14A (NACES) Ejection Seat. #EngineeringForLife

Inside the Martin-Baker Tie Club - for Ejectees Only: youtube.com/watch?v=7AODsGL1… #engineeringforlife #tieclub #martinbaker #navy #usnavy #us250

The moments before an ejection, as described by members of the Martin-Baker Tie Club. 🔻Watch the full video: youtube.com/watch?v=7AODsGL1… #engineeringforlife #tieclub #martinbaker #navy #usnavy #us250

On Wednesday 23rd September, a Royal Air Force Hawk T2 crashed near RAF Valley. Both pilots successfully ejected using the Martin-Baker GB10LH Ejection Seat. #EngineeringForLife

Ejectee #4813 & #5657 take us back to the day of their ejection. Watch the full video on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=7AODsGL1… 🔻Learn more about the Tie Club: martin-baker.com/tie-club #engineeringforlife #tieclub #martinbaker #navy #usnavy #us250

EJECTEES ONLY: We spoke to Ejectee #4813 & #5657. Earlier this year, Martin-Baker visited two former U.S. Navy aircrew who are both members of the Tie Club. ⚓ WATCH NOW: youtube.com/watch?v=7AODsGL1… #engineeringforlife #tieclub #martinbaker #navy #usnavy #us250

Two U.S. Navy aircrew. Two emergencies. Two ejections that saved their lives. Hear the first-hand stories of an F/A-18 pilot and an F-14 Tomcat RIO who survived two very different accidents - thanks to their Martin-Baker ejection seats. Brandon, callsign “Norman”, was flying an F/A-18 when a head-on collision during a training flight over the mountains left him with no option but to eject. His Martin-Baker US14A (NACES - Navy Aircrew Common Ejection Seat) got him safely out of the aircraft. Dave Baranek, callsign “Bio”, was an F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) when a carrier landing in the Indian Ocean went catastrophically wrong. When the arresting gear failed to stop the Tomcat, Dave and his pilot were forced to eject before the aircraft went over the side. Both escaped using Martin-Baker GRU-7A ejection seats. 🔻Two aircraft. Two generations of U.S. Navy aviation. One shared experience. And one very exclusive membership. Watch the full video: youtube.com/watch?v=7AODsGL1… #engineeringforlife #martinbaker

The Martin-Baker team are exhibiting at AFA Air, Space & Cyber Conference next week 🔻 Visit us at Booth #1255 to learn more about our latest generation F-16 and F-35 ejection seat systems and meet members of our team. #AFA #EngineeringForLife

Ejectee Stephen S. Fowler, Capt. USAF, Retired 🔻 “I was the "student instructor" in a McDonnell Douglas RF-4C on February 19, 1980. During this mission, the instructor pilot, Captain Tom Carl, observed me performing basic instrument and aerobatic manoeuvres from the back seat. After completing an instrument approach to McIntyre ANG Base in South Carolina, we proceeded to the Shaw AFB Military Operating Area (MOA) for a series of aerobatic manoeuvres typical of student missions I would fly as an instructor. As I later learned, certified instructor pilots can sometimes become quite bored during these missions. To relieve the monotony, and under the guise of "demonstrating" a manoeuvre, Captain Carl informed me that he was going to take control of the aircraft and demonstrate an accelerated stall. As a student, this was welcome since when the instructor is flying, the student is not being graded. Captain Carl set up the manoeuvre perfectly and began smoothly applying "G" forces to the aircraft, which should have resulted in a "rocking" of the wings — a precursor to a full stall and the signal to relieve the "G" force by reducing back pressure on the control stick. However, the aircraft did not display the usual "wing rock." Instead, it violently entered a barrel roll and then a flat spin. Initially, I thought Captain Carl was demonstrating a situation that sometimes occurs in RF-4 student flights, which requires a quick instructor response. But as I heard his surprised voice and saw him quickly executing procedures to recover from the spin, I realised this was not planned. Unfortunately, the RF-4 was known to be incapable of recovering from a flat spin, as clearly stated in the pilot's operating manual. Despite this, Captain Carl attempted the prescribed emergency procedures for a normal spin, but they proved ineffective. For the first few seconds, I still assumed the spin was intentional and we would soon recover, noting how smooth the ride was despite descending at over 20,000 feet per minute. One of the steps in the "Spin Recovery" procedure was to deploy the drag parachute. As Captain Carl deployed the parachute, I thought about how embarrassing it would be to return to base with it having been deployed and jettisoned — something that rarely happens and is usually an awkward mistake by a pilot. Little did I know, mere seconds later, we would be "jettisoning" the entire aircraft." Read the full story here: lnkd.in/ekhtspT7 #EngineeringForLife

On Friday 31st July, a United States Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II crashed short of the runway at MCAS Miramar, California. The pilot successfully ejected using the Martin-Baker US16E Ejection Seat. 
Earlier today, a Hungarian JAS-39C Gripen crashed under unknown circumstances near Szolnok. The pilot successfully ejected using the Martin-Baker S10LS Ejection Seat.   #EngineeringForLife

This year at Tailhook, Martin-Baker will have an additional booth dedicated to our Ejectee community #135 We're looking forward to meeting Martin-Baker ejectees, hearing their stories, and learning more about their journey. If you're attending Tailhook and would be willing to share your story in a short interview, please stop by our booth. Alternatively, you can contact us in advance at [email protected] to arrange a convenient time. We look forward to seeing you all next week! #Hook26 #MartinBaker #EngineeringForLife