Same thing happened with Chuck Yeager.
Read a book recently about the air war over the north, something about one plane shot up losing fuel. They did not want to eject over enemy territory.
Another pilot somehow managed to get underneath and push him enough to get him away from danger so they could eject when the fuel ran out. They ejected and were rescued.
Of course, the brass wanted to punish the innovative pilot that had saved the crew. His using unorthodox maneuver was intolerable.
Robin Olds quashed that and got the guy a medal. He was a fighter pilot's pilot.
Look for the story called “Pardo Push”