The best-remembered gifts are those into which a lot of thought goes. Some presents are exceptional and affect our lives so profoundly we remember them forever. On the other hand, some surprises can be unusual, or even hazardous.

If whatever your timidity you accept the gift, then it might still become memorable, but in a very different way. This is what happened to a senior man in France, who was involuntarily involved in a test flight.

A 64-year-old man accidentally ejected himself while flying in a Dassault Rafale jet at over 500km/h (320mph) at an altitude of 760 metres (2,500 feet).  According to reports, the force of the fighter aircraft’s take-off made the man involuntarily stand.

In doing so, he misguidedly grabbed the ejection handle to steady himself. It gets worse: The birthday boy also failed to securely attach his helmet which in the process severed itself from the unfortunate passenger’s skull.

The man did not plan the flight himself, but employees of his firm arranged it as a surprise gift, bringing him to the Saint-Dizier Airbase.

According to investigators, ‘his heart was in full tachycardia’, ranging from 136 to 142 beats per minute ~ and that was before the man prepared for the take-off.

The unfortunate passenger’s parachute, however, saved his life. The hapless passenger managed to land without sustaining any serious injuries but was taken to the hospital afterwards. The pilot also avoided a catastrophe, finishing the flight safely. Source