Plane crash caused by pilot's outfit

[TallDutch]

A crash last week involving a Swedish Air Force fighter plane was probably caused by the pilot's G-suit, an investigation has shown.

In the crash, which happened last Wednesday in a sparsely populated area of the northern Swedish county of Norrbotten, a pilot ejected from his Gripen plane, which then smashed into the ground below.

Following the findings, a flight ban on Swedish Gripen planes has been lifted, although planes in C/D class, similar to that involved in the crash, are forbidden from exceeding 3g.

"This means that they may not undertake advanced flying, such as interception. For the older classes, A and B, there are no restrictions," said Mats Helgesson, head of flight at the Swedish Armed Forces central command.

The armed forces wrote in a statement that according to evidence so far gathered by investigators, it was "very likely" that the pilot's G-suit had caused the crash. The pilot said immediately after the crash that he had not activated the ejector seat himself.

"When subjected to large forces the suit fills with air. This is thought to have affected the ejector switch," Helgesson said.

http://www.thelocal.se/7108/20070425/

[wunaladreamin]

Wow. Thank God he's ok, but I have a question. What happens if they fart?

[flyboy 28]

Wow. Thank God he's ok, but I have a question. What happens if they fart?

I'd assume it just works it's way out the pant leg. :D

[stuart schechter]

Gives the pilot a little extra cushion and a nice blast of warm smelly air!

[moose135]

Wow. Thank God he's ok, but I have a question. What happens if they fart?

Not at all sure what that has to do with a G-suit...for those of you who don't know how a G-suit works, let me explain. A G-suit (actually, an "anti-G suit") wraps around your lower abdomen as well as both legs. It contains air bladders that inflate when the aircraft pulls Gs - the suit attaches with a hose, and a valve opens to inflate it. By filling with air, it applies pressure to your lower body, helping to keep the blood in your head so you don't grey/black out.

A G-suit helps provide added resistance to the effects of G-forces, but the pilot must still perform a "straining" manuever (tensing the legs and lower body) to be effective in preventing the on-set of G-effects. The greatest danger is G-induced Loss of Consciousness ('G-LOC') which has resulted in the loss of a number of aircrew and aircraft.