Auto-GCAS Saves Unconscious F-16 Pilot—Declassified USAF Footage

Youtube / AviationWeek

Technology Saving Lives

Technology doesn’t just make our lives easier and more convenient. And when it comes to aircraft, some innovative systems were developed to reduce pilot fatalities. And in this particular case, the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System or Auto-GCAS saved the life of an F-16 student pilot during a basic maneuver training mission. He lost consciousness during a high-speed maneuver and his plane started plummeting toward the ground.

The Auto-GCAS executed a fly up maneuver which saved the pilot from a deadly crash and he regained consciousness during the recovery maneuver. The entire incident only took less than a minute.