This wasn't exactly a screwup, but then again -- you decide.

I was in Korea and the flyboys were "attacking" a radar site (as they often did for training). One of the F4Fs made a run, pulled up and at the top of the climb, the engine shut off. A flame-out, and the pilot couldn't restart. Rather than continue spiraling into the ground (pilots, unlike ship's captains, don't go down with their ship if they can possibly avoid it) he punched the eject button.

All worked as it was supposed to, and the pilot rode his chute down into...a rice paddy. A flooded rice paddy. At the time the Korean farmers fertilized as their ancestors had -- with nightsoil.

The pilot sank into it until the water lapped his armpits. He was stuck, and then Air-Sea Rescue arrived in their chopper.

The downwash from helicopter blades can made quite a little wave action on the water of a recently disturbed rice paddy. The SAR folks hoisted the pilot out in a horsecollar, but flew back to the airbase with the pilot safely in the horsecollar and standing on the skid OUTSIDE the dustoff. At the airbase at Yongsan they lowered him to the runway and then went off to land the helicopter.

The medics were there for the pilot, but first he was hosed off with water,soap and water, water, and disinfectant. He had to strip naked in place for this.

Clean, he was given a bill of good health by the medics, picked up some new flight gear and headed for the BOQ.

His "buddies" were at the door waiting for him, blocking in the entrance, smiling and pointing to a neatly erected pup tent outside the quarters....