Man survives ejection from plane

A civilian passenger riding in a South African Air Force plane accidentally activated the ejector seat while reaching for something to steady himself during a mid-air maneuver last week.

The man was sitting in the jet during a flight over Langebaanweg Air Force Base when he was believed to have accidentally pulled on a handle activating the two rockets attached to the back of his seat and sending him through the plane's perspex canopy and into the air high above the plane, the Sydney Morning Herald reports .

He then floated down to the ground safely with a parachute that opened automatically.

Experts said the man was likely shocked when the chair lifted off and he was lucky to escape unharmed.

"You get one almighty kick under the backside and then you're gone," a retired air force pilot said. "We train for this and if you don't get it right, and are not in the correct ejection posture, you can sustain severe spinal cord injuries or even worse."

The man was eventually recovered unharmed and returned to the base, and the plane landed safely.

Ejection seats usually attach to rails via a set of rollers on the edges of the seat. In the event of an ejection, a catapult fires the seat up the rails, rockets fire to propel the seat higher and a parachute opens to allow for a safe landing. The seat is designed to separate from the pilot automatically and the chute opens in case the pilot is incapacitated during the ejection.