What is this handle for? Oops! F15 snafu

[XS22J8R]

I remember when going to a lot of airshows and military open houses back in the day, there were panels on tactical jets on display that were temporarily taped up to keep anyone from accidently activating an ejection seat.
It'd be interesting to hear what led to this mishap. The tweet said it was a recruiting officer in the back seat, so he may not have been someone experienced in fighter cockpit procedures and precautions, and if so apparently didn't get adequately briefed!
At least the guy who accidently ejected seems uninjured, though their flightsuit likely will need a good washing.
MSN

 

[hemi71x]

Back in the dinosaur days, i was a Air Force flight line crew chief on the RF-4C Phantoms.
It's impossible not knowing what that ejection seat handle is used for.
In order to go up for a flight if your not a pilot or navigator, you have to go thru a class for "egress seat training"
I never got to go up in the Phantoms during my tour of duty in Germany, as they stopped crew chief of the quarter flights when the supposedly "gas crisis" came about.
Pulling that handle was one big "F" up, that's for certain.

 

[XS22J8R]

Hearing that story reminded me of another accidental back seater ejection that happened in an F14. In this situation, the pilot rolling the plane inverted resulted in the passenger in the back seat grabbing his seatbottom to try to pull himself back into the seat, and he grabbed an ejection seat handle instead. THE STORY OF THE F-14 PILOT THAT WAS ABLE TO LAND HIS TOMCAT WITHOUT CANOPY AFTER HIS BACKSEATER ERRONEOUSLY BAILED OUT - The Aviation Geek Club
A kid got killed at an airshow years ago, when he managed to activate an ejection seat in a Navy plane he was looking at. https://www.decidedlygrim.net/?p=7147