Air Force instructor dies after ejection seat explodes while plane is on the ground

An Air Force instructor pilot died Tuesday after the ejection seat on the plane he was in activated while the aircraft was on the ground, Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas said.

Capt. John Robertson, of the 80th Operations Support Squadron, was seriously injured in the incident at the base on Monday and died on Tuesday morning, base officials said in a statement.

The T-6A Texan II aircraft’s ejection seat deployed while he was inside, the statement said.

The T-6A Texan II is a single-engine, two-seat aircraft used for training. No other injuries were announced. The accident occurred during “ground operations,” the statement said.

“This is a devastating loss for Capt. Robertson’s family and loved ones, and for the entire 80th Flying Training Wing,” Col. Mitchell J. Cok, acting wing commander, said in the statement. “Captain Robertson was a highly valued aviator and instructor pilot. Our deepest condolences go out to everyone who knew and loved him.”

The base said an interim safety investigative board was formed immediately and that a full Air Force Safety Investigative Board is expected to be created later this week.

Robertson’s family was able to be by his side at a hospital when he died, which Cok attributed to the medical efforts of area workers as well as other first responders and hospital staff who provided care to him.

Sheppard Air Force Base is north of Wichita Falls, Texas. It is an Air Force training facility and it says on its website that it is the only Air Force base that offers flight and technical training.

The T-6A Texan II is a turboprop aircraft used to teach basic flying. Ejection seats are designed to propel people away from aircraft in distress so they can parachute to safety.