Ejection system "glitch"
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Three members of a Russian bomber’s air crew died Tuesday when their ejection seats accidentally activated during preflight checks, the military said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the incident happened at an airbase in the Kaluga region, about 145 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Moscow.
It said the crew of a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber was preparing for a training mission when its ejection system malfunctioned and accidentally shot the crew out. The ministry said the altitude wasn’t enough for the parachutes to open and three of the four crew members died of injuries.
I remember reading that the Russian ejection seat systems were the most sophisticated in the world.