F-8 Aircraft Carrier Crash (why carriers have angled decks for landing)

This stunning photograph shows a pilot ejecting from a Vought F-8 Crusader, a single-engine carrier-based jet capable of supersonic speeds.

During a crash landing, the pilot bravely manages to eject at the very last second using his Martin-Baker model F5A ejection seat. He survived the mishap uninjured.

For decades, the aircraft carrier has been a critical player in War. In the early 1960s, the vessel reached a new level of potency when the angled deck was introduced to accommodate new supersonic jets like the Vought F-8.

This series of photos prove why the angled deck was so useful for new jet-powered technology. Without it, the results for this pilot would have been fatal...