Investigation Summary
During a routine two-versus-one aerial combat maneuver training flight, First Lieutenant Gary Foust entered a vertical rolling scissors maneuver against an instructor pilot. The aircraft entered a post-stall gyration that developed into a flat spin, a condition typically considered unrecoverable in delta-wing aircraft. Foust followed standard spin recovery procedures, including deploying the drag chute and setting the takeoff trim, but the aircraft remained in the spin. At an altitude between 14,000 and 15,000 feet (roughly 8,000 feet above ground level), Foust ejected. The sudden reduction in weight, the shift in the center of gravity, and the downward force exerted by the ejection seat's rocket blast combined to push the nose down, breaking the stall. Because the aircraft had been trimmed for takeoff (neutral trim) and the throttle was at idle, the F-106 stabilized into a wings-level glide. It descended until it reached ground effect over a wheat field near Big Sandy, Montana, where it performed a gentle belly landing on a layer of snow. The aircraft continued to slide and then idle for approximately one hour and 45 minutes until its fuel was exhausted.
Final Conclusions
The incident was concluded to be a rare aerodynamic anomaly where the act of pilot ejection provided the necessary physical forces to recover the aircraft from a flat spin. The aircraft was recovered by a team from McClellan Air Force Base, transported by rail, and fully repaired. It returned to service and was eventually retired to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in 1986.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
Fighter Jet Mysteriously Lands By Itself After Pilot Ejects - The Cornfield Bomber — The story of F-106A 58-0787, which made an unpiloted landing in a Montana field in 1970 after its pilot ejected during a flat spin.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Takeoff Trim
A setting that trims all control surfaces to a neutral position; its activation during spin recovery procedures helped the aircraft maintain a stable glide once the spin was broken.
Ejection Seat
The Weber catapult/rocket seat provided the physical impulse that pushed the aircraft's nose down, assisting in the recovery from the flat spin.
Drag Chute
Deployed by the pilot as a last resort to break the spin; it failed to recover the aircraft but was part of the standard emergency checklist.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was actually in a wheat field, not a cornfield, despite its famous nickname.
- 02The pilot, Gary Foust, later flew the exact same aircraft again in 1979 while training at Tyndall Air Force Base.
- 03While the airframe and wings suffered no major structural damage, the underside sustained significant damage, including the destruction of the armament bay doors.
- 04The radar in the nose was still active and sweeping when the aircraft was found on the ground.
- 05The aircraft served for 16 more years after the incident before being retired to a museum.