I had been in the Navy just about a year when this happened, and myself being an ejection seat technician, I could definitely appreciate the situation. The top latch mechanism on the ejection seat broke which allowed him to partially eject, luckily without firing any of the pyrotechnics - otherwise he may have been a dead man.
LT Keith Gallagher is seen above the canopy as the A-6 aircraft touches down on the deck of the Lincoln. Note that LT Gallagher's parachute has deployed and is wrapped around the tail of the aircraft. (Navy photo)
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Irish Luck - Surviving Partial Ejection from A-6 Aircraft
