French man, 64, accidentally ejects himself from fighter plane mid-flight
- Weapons company executive did not want to be on aircraft, but felt he could not turn down surprise gift from colleagues
- He did not tighten seat straps and started to float when plane was in mid-air, then pushed the ejector button when pulling himself down
A French man ejected himself from a fighter plane while being taken on a surprise trip through the skies, a French government report published recently revealed.
Per documents first obtained by BuzzFeed News, the 64-year-old man took part in a two-flight training at the Saint-Dizier airbase in eastern France.
To make matters worse, the man, who was not identified in the report, did not even want to be on the plane – a Dassault Rafale B, which is used by the French Air Force.
An executive at a military weapons company, the flight was a surprise from his colleagues. Per the report, he had no prior military experience and expressed no desire to be on a fighter plane.
The situation, according to the report, caused him distress – but he felt as if he could not turn down the offer due to “social pressure” from his colleagues, one of whom was a former Air Force pilot.