F-16 fighter jet crashes near March Air Reserve Base in California; pilot safely ejects
An F-16 fighter jet crashed into a warehouse west of March Air Reserve Base in Southern California on Thursday. The pilot safely ejected but at least three people were injured on the ground.
The pilot was able to walk after ejecting from the jet, according to reports from the scene.
The three people hurt at the crash site were taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley for treatment of minor injuries, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The crash happened as the pilot was landing following a routine training mission, March Air Reserve Base Deputy Fire Chief Timothy Holliday said. Witnesses reported seeing the jet shutter and roll moments before it plummeted to the ground.
“The pilot was having hydraulic problems,” Holliday said. “He started losing control of the aircraft.”
The armed Fighting Falcon, a part of the 114th Fighter Wing, went down about 3:45 p.m. and crashed into the See Water Inc. warehouse, near Interstate 215.
At: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/05/16/f-16-fighter-jet-crashes-march-air-reserve-base-california/3700934002/
Our tax dollars at play: The See Water warehouse in Moreno Valley, CA, after today's incident.
Three civilians on the ground were hurt.
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Martin Baker, founded by Sir James Martin and Captain John Baker, started out in the late 20s and was originally an aircraft manufacturer. After Captain Baker was killed during a test flight of the Martin-Baker MB3 prototype, the company zeroed in on pilot safety and ejection seats.
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Andrew Martin, Martin Baker, told us about some of the company’s newest ejection seats, including the US16E for the F-35.
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JIMMY FALLON AND THE MARTIN-BAKER EJECTION SEAT TIE CLUB
The Martin-Baker Ejection Tie Club is one of the world’s most exclusive clubs and is probably one of the least known. The only way to join is to eject from a military aircraft using a Martin-Baker seat in an emergency situation. As the biggest manufacturer of ejection seats in the world, over 7,463 air crew lives have been saved to date, including Jimmy Fallon’s Father-in-Law! On his show on Tuesday 31st March he spoke about the chance sighting of an ejection seat in the window of a watch retailer in London and how he found out about the Martin-Baker Tie Club, the special watch for ejectees and discovering that his Father-in-law had ejected in 1961 and was a member of this very club.
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When an ejectee joins the club, he is given the distinctive tie, tie pin, cloth patch, certificate and membership card. Also available at a special price is the Bremont ejectee watch – just like the one Jimmy Fallon gave to his Father-in-Law. The watch is a collaboration between two British companies, Martin-Baker and Bremont and was put through a rigorous testing schedule including vibration testing, which is used to simulate 30 years of aircraft life. The result is the Bremont MBI with its distinctive red barrel which was the very first watch to go through a live testing programme.
Saving lives is our business and the figures speak for themselves. 7,463 lives have been saved – in itself this is a momentous achievement, however next year Martin-Baker will be marking another major milestone in its 80 year history when it will be celebrating 7,500 lives saved.
http://martin-baker.com/2016/03/31/jimmy-fallon-martin-baker-ejection-seat-tie-club/
