What the Crew of the F-15 That Crashed in Libya Could Have Experienced
ABC News' Martha Raddatz recalls her experience flying over Afghanistan.
March 22, 2011— -- The U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle that crashed 25 miles from Benghazi, Libya on Monday night was identical to the plane that ABC News' Martha Raddatz flew in Afghanistan on a combat mission last year. Both planes carried thousands of pounds of bombs.
Watch "World News with Diane Sawyer" for more on this story tonight on ABC.
Like the crew over Libya last night, all crews train for whatever emergency might force them to eject from their aircraft, a dramatic and dangerous event no matter what the reason.
According Steve Ganyard, a former Marine Corps pilot, several questions run through a pilot's mind.
"All of a sudden some kind of alarm goes off in the cockpit, and for that brief second you think Uh-oh, what happens if I have to eject over enemny territory?" said Ganyard. "Who's on the ground? Are they going to be helpful? Are they going to want to shoot me? Are they going to capture me? Am I going to be tortured?"
Crews constantly train for that moment of ejection. Raddatz had to do the same before embarking on the flight over Afghanistan she took part in.
She was trained at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, shown how to connect the oxygen system to her helmet, and to assume the position for ejection.
"Legs forward, elbows in, head back against the seat," said her trainer. "You got it."
Watch ABC News' Martha Raddatz Fly Above Afghanistan on a F-15E Fighter Combat Mission Here.
In an actual emergency, the decision to eject would be made in a split second. A lever would be pulled and the powerful rocket beneath the seat would launch the pilot right into the air.
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