Ooops !!
I never saw a plane roll off the deck , but I have seen a A-7 being “ waved off “ cause the LSO ( landing signal officer) saw something screwed up. The pilot hit the gas to try to make another pass , BUT the tail hook caught the #3 wire (3 of 4 arresting cables). Since it caught the wire , it ended up hanging over the port side engine going full throttle. The pilot ejected but instead of going up it ejected him like throwing a rock to make it skim across the water. Pilot died , plane was still hanging off the side until it ran out of fuel . Tense times to be on the flight deck.
Saw a few planes get a cold shot where the catapult didn’t get enough steam to launch it , or they didn’t figure the right weight of the plane dialed in. See them launch but once they didn’t get any lift , they ejected in the drink.
Mystery solved... I can vouch that this is almost-certainly true!
Sirhr
PS @mikeinfwa beat me to it.. Well done, sir! On point!
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