A service member in an Air Force F-15D fighter accidentally ejected while the aircraft was still on the ground, The War Zone first reported.
A video shared on social media shows an F-15 taxiing without its rear seat occupant and with its canopy open. In the undated video, a person wearing what appears to be a flight suit and helmet and possibly a parachute, can be seen moving on the edge of the flightline.
The 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard has issued a statement confirming that a “ground mishap” involving an F-15D and two members of the wing took place on Tuesday afternoon on the flightline of Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Massachusetts.
“Safety is the highest priority at the 104th Fighter Wing and as a precaution, one service member was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and wing leadership initiated a safety standdown of all flight operations,” the wing’s statement says. “The other service member was released from the scene with no injuries. Neither service member sustained any injuries as a result of the incident.”
No specific information was immediately available about how the incident happened or what type of mission the two service members were tasked with at the time.
The wing declined to provide any further information about the service member who ejected.
The F-15D is a training model typically flown by an instructor pilot and a student.
“The incident remains under investigation and more information, including information compiled by the applicable investigation boards, will be released as it becomes available,” the statement says. “In accordance with Air Force policy, the identity of the service members involved will be withheld until the completion of an official investigation.”
Flight operations at the base resumed after a 36-hour standdown.
CORRECTION: 08/15/2025; The two-seat F-15D is generally flown as a training aircraft with one instructor pilot and one student pilot or non-pilot passenger. A previous version of this story stated that the plane’s usual crew included a weapons officer, a role generally flown only in the F-15E.
