After skidding off the end of the runway and into a farm field in Davenport, Iowa, Capt. Smith appeared to be out of harm’s way when he ejected from his AV-8B Harrier. . . . (TOM MACK / For the Times)
But the wind carried the Marine pilot over a fireball that rose from the burning plane, melting his parachute and dropping him more than 30 feet to the ground. (TOM MACK / For the Times)
