A video leaked online shows security camera footage of the accidental ejection of an Airman while in the back seat of an F-15D.
Few days ago we reported about the unusual incident at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Massachusetts, saw the backseat passenger of an F-15D Eagle ejecting from the aircraft while on the ground. The first video surfaced online showed the immediate aftermath of the ejection, with the smoke caused by the ejection still visible.
Now, a new video leaked online shows security camera footage of the entire ejection sequence while the F-15 was taxiing at the end of the runway. The parachute can be seen deploying as soon as the seat is clear of the aircraft and separates from the passenger, which then landed on the grass near the taxiway.
The F-15D is covered by the smoke generated by the ACES II ejection seat’s rocket motor, briefily stopping as the pilot realized what happened. As the smoke dissipates, the pilot resumes taxi and vacates the runway as emergency services are being alerted.
The incident
The aircraft, assigned to the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing, was reportedly involved in an incentive flight earlier this week, with the ejection happening after landing. According to unconfirmed reports, the passenger was a recruiting Airman from the 104th FW.
Incentive flights are often offered by the U.S. Air Force units to individuals, sometimes even civilians, who show exceptional performance in their duties. The flights are a reward to acknowledge the hard work and dedication, but they also serve to inspire future Airmen about aviation and military service.
The War Zone published a statement from the unit, confirming the ground mishap occurred at approximately 2:05 p.m. on August 12, 2025. The statement confirmed that neither service member sustained any injuries as a result of the incident, although the passenger was transported to a local hospital for evaluation as precaution.
Initially there was confusion about when the incident happened, with conflicting reports about it happening before takeoff or after landing. An audio recording of the radio communications with air traffic control (ATC) also emerged online, hinting at the incident happening after landing.
The pilot of the F-15, which flew with the callsign “RAMBO 01,” reported the ejection of the backseater and then declared a ground emergency. This was followed by the ATC shutting down the runway 02/20 and directing the aircraft to vacate it and stop while coordinating with the emergency services.
A Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) alert also surfaced online, further confirming, as it can see in the video, that the F-15 landed on runway two and was exiting at the end on taxiway Bravo.
— John Ridge 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇹🇼 (@John_A_Ridge) August 13, 2025
A second incident
In our initial report, we mentioned that the Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page posted another video from Barnes ANGB, supposedly showing the tire of an Eagle’s main landing gear right leg blowing after landing. The video was posted shortly after the video of the ejection, but it was unclear if both incidents happened on the same day.
It now appears to be the case, as radio communications emerged online also for this incident, which happened at the end of the same runway just few hours earlier. The F-15C, callsign “SLAM 02,” just returned from a practice scramble as part of a two-ship formation.
Before the inadvertent ejection at Barnes, a practice air defense scramble took place and SLAM 02 (F-15C) blew a tire after landing and became disabled on the taxiway near where the ejection took place a few hours later. Tuesday was not an easy day for the 104th FW maintenance… https://t.co/a2sGs30OCp pic.twitter.com/wgYSf9vDUC
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) August 14, 2025
Accidental ejections
Accidental ejections are rare, but they do occur. A well-documented instance is the accidental ejection of the passenger of a French Rafale during an incentive flight in 2019. The in-flight incident was attributed to both human and technical failures, as you can read in our previous report here.
Such unusual incidents, however, can also happen during normal flights with experienced crew. For instance, we recently reported about the fatal ground ejection of a U.S. Air Force T-6A Texan II’s instructor in 2024, caused by the previously disconnected harness chest strap catching on and inadvertently actuating the seat’s handle while the aircraft was still taxiing after landing.
While there are some similarities, it’s not possible to understand what happened in the F-15D’s case. However, an investigation will be launched and we will know more at a later date.
