Another Red Arrows pilot killed

[Almansur]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15640104

Bad luck...

[Guest]

On the ground? WTFO?

[Steve Davies]

The RAF is saying very specifically that he was "ejected out of the aeroplane". The use of the passive suggests that it was either inadvertent or uncommanded.

Edited November 8, 2011 by Steve Davies

[Smokin]

Is the Hawk a zero-zero seat?

[Steve Davies]

Yes.

[Guest]

Is the Hawk a zero-zero seat?

It's not zero-zero with the canopy open or with the canopy closed if you're not strapped in...no different than the Aces II.

Hard to imagine how this happened.

[Steve Davies]

It's not zero-zero with the canopy open or with the canopy closed if you're not strapped in...no different than the Aces II.

Hard to imagine how this happened.

It has been a while since I last flew the Hawk, but memory serves that the procedure is to safe the seat before opening the canopy.

The photos suggest that the canopy was closed at the time of the mishap; the position of his flaps suggest that there was power on the aircraft.

It's therefore likely that the seat pin was removed, the seat was hot, the engine was running and that he was strapped in. Rumours about the sequence of events would support this.