A young French air force pilot who, in a cruel initiation prank by otherairmen, was hooded, trussed, and tied to a post used for target practice by fighter jets, has filed a formal complaint with the public prosecution services for “aggravated violence” and “deliberately endangering the life of others”. Mediapart reveals here photos and video of the disturbing events at an airbase in Corsica which, as Justine Brabant reports, further tarnish the image of the air force after prosecutors in February opened an investigation into allegations of “institutionalised” harassment at a major base in eastern France.
A 64-year-old civilian who was invited as a back-seat passenger on a flight in a French air force Rafale fighter jet became so unsteadied by the g-force as his straps unloosened that he accidentally grabbed the ejector handle, rocketing him out of the aircraft when he parachuted – safely – to ground in north-east France, a probe into the incident has found.
