At about 2,000 feet, 51° nose-low, accelerating through 604 knots/0.95 Mach (695 mph) at near sea level, with only two seconds left before impact, he yanks the ejection handle. The seat fires. The wind blast hits like a wall of concrete.....

F-15 Eagle Vet@F15sRdaBest·23h January 15, 2014. Roughly 45–50 miles off Virginia Beach. Lt. Kegan “Smurf” Gill is flying an F/A-18E Super Hornet with VFA-143 on a basic fighter maneuvers (BFM) training sortie. During a high-speed nose-low recovery (a Split-S type maneuver entered above recommended airspeed), the jet’s flight-control system enters the “G-bucket.” The aircraft incorrectly believes it is carrying bombs that are not actually loaded. This protective software limit reduces available G exactly when he needs maximum pull. The stick is in his lap, the jet stops responding, and he is trapped in a steep dive pointed at the Atlantic....