Tornado Decants

This is old news now. I was checking the date when RAF Marham changed
their ILS frequency for runway 24. I established it at between one and
three years ago. Then up popped a sad story, carried in an accident
report dated 2007.

A civilian crew - pilot/WSO - were flying a post service check on a
Tornado, and got as far as the negative G excursion to discover any
loose bits and pieces - and they found one.

After rolling inverted, the weapons officer's seat started sliding
down its rails (It had been repaired/replaced on the maintenance effort)
bust through the canopy, and skewered the civilian on the rudder while
dropping away unaided. The pilot was disoriented by a mini-tornado of
bulkhead insulation, and when it settled, he could see clear through to
the aft bulkhead in the aft seat, so he knew nothing good had happened.
He got back to Marham OK, after calling for support.
They found the WSO, dead as a dodo, still in the seat.

Brian W