Through the magic of video editing, Porkins survives his brush with death when he CAN hold it. He then goes on to save several of his fellow pilots, as well as take out Darth Vader and the Death Star.

Also, some Y-Wings fly upside down.

Actual/canon background for Jek Porkins:
Jek Tono Porkins was a male human trader and pilot from Bestine. He decided to abandon his homeworld after the Galactic Empire moved in and developed a new military base there, and he ended up joining the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

In 0 BBY, Jek Porkins flew an X-wing starfighter for in the Rebel Alliance Starfighter Corps during the Battle of Scarif. The battle ended with the theft of the technical readouts for the Death Star, a moon-sized Imperial battlestation.

During the Battle of Yavin, Porkins flew a T-65B X-wing starfighter as part of Red Squadron, where his callsign was "Red Six." When Garven Dreis ordered the destruction of one of the deflection towers on the surface of the space station, Biggs Darklighter and Porkins both destroyed it with their starfighter's laser cannons. Porkins' craft struck debris from the tower and began to malfunction, causing him to drift over the Imperial turbolaser batteries mounted on the surface. Ignoring Biggs' warning to eject from the craft, Porkins was killed almost instantly by ground fire.

Source:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jek_To...