Ejector Seat Manufacturer Admits Failings In Red Arrows Death

Ejector seat manufacturer Martin-Baker Aircraft Ltd has admitted breaching health and safety law at Lincoln Crown Court over the death of Red Arrows pilot Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham.

Statutory Director of the company, John Martin, pleaded guilty on behalf of the company to Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The company said in a statement following their guilty plea: 

"Martin-Baker’s priority has and will always be the safety of the aircrew who sit on the Company's seats."

"We appreciate that the Health and Safety Executive, during this process, has acknowledged this dedication and track record of saving lives." 

Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham, who was based at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, was killed in 2011.

At an inquest into his death in 2014, Central Lincolnshire coroner Stuart Fisher criticised Martin-Baker for failing to warn the RAF about safety issues.

His ejector seat initiated during the pre-flight checks of his Hawk XX177 jet while on the ground and stationary at the Lincolnshire airbase.

The serviceman was thrown 300ft into the air before plunging to the ground at the RAF aerobatics team's base.

The parachute on the ejector seat did not deploy and the South African-born airman later died in hospital.

Flt Lt Cunningham qualified for his private pilot's license at the age of just 17, before going on to join the Red Arrows.

He had previously spoken to a local paper about his enthusiasm for the job, saying:

"Being on the Red Arrows team has been my dream job and something I have wanted to do since I can remember. I remember seeing them on the telly and thinking I want to be able to do that."

Martin Baker provides ejection seats for 93 air forces worldwide, with the products fitted into multiple types of aircraft, including the F-35 Lightning II.

The company claimed in 2014 that since the first live ejection test in 1946, a total of 7,450 lives have been saved by the company’s ejection seats.

No sentencing date has been set. A hearing has been arranged at Lincoln Crown Court for 12/13/14 February 2018, however.

A HSE spokesperson said: "HSE acknowledges the defendant's guilty plea but will not make a further comment until after sentencing."

Read Martin-Baker's full statement below: 

"Firstly and most importantly we express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham.

"Today, Martin-Baker Aircraft Company entered a guilty plea to a single breach of Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This plea was entered following detailed and lengthy discussions with the Health and Safety Executive which have considerably narrowed the issues from when its investigation first started. It should be noted that this was an isolated failure relating to the tightening of a nut during maintenance procedures conducted by RAF Aerobatic Team (RAFAT) mechanics.

"Martin-Baker Aircraft Company has designed and manufactured ejection seats for 73 years and in that time these ejection seats have been flown by 92 air forces, with over 17,000 seats currently in use. Our ejection seats have saved the lives of 1,050 British Royal Air Force and Navy aircrew, with a further 6,009 aircrew lives saved around the world.

"Martin-Baker’s priority has and will always be the safety of the aircrew who sit on the Company's seats. We appreciate that the Health and Safety Executive, during this process, has acknowledged this dedication and track record of saving lives.

"A further and more detailed press statement will be released at the conclusion of these proceedings."