An audience account describes a Blackburn Buccaneer that remained stable after its pilot ejected and flew until its fuel ran out. The discussion then turns to a more consequential parallel from 1989 involving a Soviet MiG-23. After technical trouble led the pilot to eject over Poland, the aircraft continued for roughly 900 kilometres before coming down in Belgium. It struck a house and killed a nineteen-year-old resident. Belgium formally protested because the Soviet Union had not warned it that the uncontrolled aircraft was crossing borders. Aerodynamic stability had turned a successful ejection into a long-range public-safety and diplomatic problem.
Notable Point · 7:12-10:44
Aircraft that kept flying after their pilots ejected
A Buccaneer anecdote leads to the 1989 MiG-23 flight across Europe after its pilot ejected, showing the hazards of a stable aircraft continuing without control.