Father of two died after being ejected from RAF Tornado, inquest hears

A father of two died when he fell from an RAF Tornado that was conducting a routine test flight above Norfolk, an inquest heard.

Michael Harland, 44, was in the rear ejection seat on the flight from RAF Marham on November 14, 2007.

An inquest heard yesterday<18> that the ejection seat somehow became detached from the plane as it flew upside down.

The parachute systems were also disabled, and Mr Harland fell to his death at North Barsham, near Wells in north Norfolk.

The inquest was told that modifications had been made to the ejection seat just prior to the accident, as part of ongoing changes to all Tornados.

Mr Harland had been working as a civilian navigator for BAE Systems, which services Tornados based at Marham.

The inquest at Sprowston Manor Hotel, near Norwich, heard that death was due to multiple injuries and that Mr Harland's head could have struck the tail of the plane when he left the cockpit.

DS Chris Burgess told the inquest that a police investigation was launched in January 2008 and focused on whether Mr Harland's seat had been fitted correctly. He added that no criminal actions resulted from the incident.

Martin Lowe, the MoD expert on ejection seats, said that seats were checked three times – in the maintenance bay, during the installation, and finally there was an independent check.

A MoD Board of Inquiry was launched into the incident, and the MoD said on its website yesterday that the main cause of the accident was the incorrect engagement of the plunger in the top latch window as a result of a raised inner gun piston that prevented the rear seat from being held in position.

It concluded: 'The lack of clear instruction within the procedures relating to ejection seat fitting was a contributory factor.

'As such, a full review of the associated procedures and flight crew checklists has been conducted and forwarded to higher authority, and it is requested formal amendments are incorporated once the inquiry's findings are officially endorsed.'

The EDP revealed three years ago that Mr Harland, a former RAF squadron leader, was married with two children and lived in Woodlands Drive, Colsterworth, a village near Grantham in Lincolnshire.

He had been working at RAF Marham for about four years after leaving the RAF and had served in the Gulf War. The plane involved in the incident made it safely back to Marham.

The inquest is expected to last five days.