Red Arrows tragic
 

Reading the Metro a few minutes ago.
Red Arrows pilot killed , ejector seat activates whilst plane is still on ground.

Such a Shame especially after there last accident not to long ago!!

Yeah, really sad. :(

The Red Arrows are such a great spectacle, i hope another incident so recently after the last doesn't cause people to start questioning the need for a display only team in todays economic climate.

Got a txt from the folks who live near the incident, very sad to loose another member of a fleet of 9.

Very strange though as there are so many safety features and interlocks surrounding the Emergency Jettison of the seat. It's not just one leaver being pulled that starts the process.
Although I do know of a harrier seat being fired through the roof of a hanger, with the ground crew maintenance guy still in the footwell of the cockpit (with very brown trousers).

not good at all.

Scott,

the software stuff I have done with regard to seat jettison years ago although not on this aircraft didnt have much safety around it, ie. if you pull it you want it to go off and if decision is made to pull it then it needs to happen.. years and years ago they removed a second pull, used to be one above and one below seat and realised that meant another near second of decision on which handle to pull..

RIP

All that said though obviously the canopy jettison didnt happen :( so maybe a malfunction

Shame to lose another in such a short period of time. Obviously they are operated and maintained to the highest of levels, but is the Hawk just beginning to show it's age now?

Looks like it was Red 5, Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham, RIP, Legends, All of them.

Seeing the pictures this morning the canopy was down but the EJ panel which blasts/shatters prior to the seat going up was gone.
So it looks like the canopy was down, aircraft was all set for take off, EJ live and at the discretion of the pilot.

weird

Such a great shame for the team as a whole after such a bad few months. First the accident while training in Cyprus, then Bournemouth and now this...lets hope that they get to the bottom of what caused these tragic incidents and that nothing else bad happens to them for a long time and that they can get back to being the best of the best again.