The Greek Air Force has its eyes on the investigation into what caused the ejection seat of an American T-6 airplane in Texas to activate while the plane was still grounded, causing injuries that resulted in the death of the US Air Force training pilot.
The accident happened earlier this week while the plane was taxiing, according to multiple media reports, and the rear seat was suddenly ejected, causing fatal injuries to the pilot.
T-6 airplanes, which are made by Raytheon, are two-seat propeller planes that are often used for basic aviation lessons for pilots.
A media report at TO VIMA states that the aircraft are used in Kalamata for training, and they are also frequently used to train pilots of NATO member countries.
The report also notes that the Greek Air Force considers that either the seat was defective, or the pilot accidently pulled the ejection lever.
A report on the accident at Airforce times notes that the death comes two years after the military had previously grounded hundreds of T-6 training crafts over concerns that their ejection seats wouldn’t fire when needed.
The cartridges that “explode” to eject the seat were found to malfunction in some T-6 aircrafts and were replaced by its manufacturer, but it is not yet clear if the recent accident has any relationship to the recall, says Airforce times.
