Overview

• A rear-seat passenger accidentally ejected from an F-15D Eagle (serial 85-0134) of the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing while taxiing at Westfield–Barnes Regional Airport.
• Social media footage and ATC audio capture the canopy jettison, a plume of smoke rising from the rear cockpit, and the pilot declaring a ground emergency as the backseater crawls away.
• Emergency crews shut down the runway, and the passenger appears to have survived though the Guard has not confirmed the occupant’s identity or condition, with one individual undergoing medical evaluation.
• The 104th Fighter Wing imposed a 36-hour safety standdown of flight operations after the mishap, which has since been lifted.
• Investigators will determine whether a procedural error, human factor, or technical fault in the ACES II zero-zero ejection seat system triggered the ground-level deployment.