F-14 Tomcat Ejection Featuring Bill "Striker" Switzer | Produced by Ryan Nothhaft

On a calm December day in 1981, The USS Constellation (CV-64), a Kitty Hawk-class super carrier, was operating at full song in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It was two months in to a seven month deployment and Fighter Squadron 24 (VF-24) was participating in a series of training flights pitting their supersonic, twin-engine F-14 Topcats against LTV A-7 Corsairs.

The Commanding Officer of VF-24, "The Fighting Renegades", was Skipper Bill Switzer, a seasoned pilot who had flown 150 missions over Vietnam and was a former member of the United States Navy's Flight Demonstration Team, the Blue Angels. Skipper Switzer and his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO), David "Bio" Baranek, launched aboard their F-14 as part of the day's training exercises. It was upon their return to carrier when they encountered a malfunction with the ship's arresting gear cable that put both their lives in jeopardy.

Shortly after 5 PM, Switzer positioned their Tomcat onto final approach with the Constellation like he had done so many times before. As the F-14 descended, its tail hook latched onto the fourth and final cable on the carrier's deck with the expectation of bringing the 52,000 pound aircraft to a full stop, however, that is when everything went into slow motion for the flight crew.

Hearing a loud pop to the rear of the aircraft and the plane continuing to barrel down the deck, Switzer and Baranek knew they were in trouble. With no chance of keeping the aircraft on the deck, Switzer attempted to go full throttle, but to no avail. Not able to keep the plane airborne, the F-14 continued off the deck of the Constellation and began to drop belly first into the Indian Ocean. Within a split second, both Baranek and Switzer were able to initiate ejections.

Miraculously both still alive, in part due to their Martin-Baker GRU-7A ejection seats, both men found themselves in a new predicament, trying to remove their parachutes while not getting dragged under the water. Fortuitously, this particular cruise marked the Navy's first use of the FLU-8, a salt water activated CO2 cartilage worn by flight crews that automatically inflate their life preservers. The FLU-8s played a critical part in bringing both men to the surface.

Reestablishing his bearings, Switzer grew concerned over the potential of threatening sea snakes and sharks that had been seen in the areas surrounding the Constellation. His nerves tested multiple times while waiting for his retrieval, mistaking the sinking F-14's vertical stabilizer as the fin of a oncoming shark.

Switzer and Baranek were successfully pulled from the water by a SH-3 Sea King rescue helicopter and returned to the deck of the Constellation where they were happy to learn that the crew aboard the flight deck were not injured in the mishap. The cause of the accident was due to a failed landing cable that was not properly calibrated to stop the 52,000 pound weight of the F-14, and instead was programed to only 14,000 pounds, thus causing the malfunction.

Switzer was injured in the ejection, losing three-quarters of an inch of height due to the compression on his back and also sustain a chip in his neck. After being grounded for only three days, he returned to flying for the remainder of the cruise.

Bill "Striker" Switzer retired from the Navy after thirty years and later served as the Federal Security Director at Lambert-St. Louis Internal Airport.

Dave "Bio" Baranek served as a Topgun instruction and retired from the Navy in 1999. He is the author of three books that featuring his flying experience. Learn more about Bio at Topgunbio.com