[Hornchurch]

As I've remarked before, I live right underneath the 'playground' for most military Jets in East-Anglia, living directly opposite a N.A.T.O. bombing range........ the area usually being a beehive of activity.

Late Wednesday afternoon (this afternoon just gone) an RAF Tornado has had it's Navigator "part-company" with the (perfectly-working) GR.4, with the ejector-seat & it's 'missing occupant' being found (dead) 10 MILES APART (at least, "as the crow flies").

Apparently "he fell" , with NO signs of a parachute......... (the aircraft was inverted at the time)

Bizzare ?

Most Tornado's operate around here, either at Low-level, or VERY low-level, often skimming over the rooftops, with an officially-allowed minimum altitude of 250ft (We're within the M.o.D's officially designated LFA 5 (Low-fly) 'zone', as they (mock) attack the range at low-level).
Everyone local said they'd heard the 'Radio-news reports' which claimed the GR.4 was at no-more than 500ft (media-misreporting ?)

Personally, as an a/c enthusiast of 40 years, I fail to see how the Navigator can exit the plane at the 'reputed' low-level.........

....Yet the seat ends up (literally - on my doorstep) at the edge of the Royal-Family's Estate @ Sandringham.......... BUT the occupant's body (initially missing, later found by an RAF Sea-King in a Village AT LEAST TEN miles away ?????????????
Using a 100bhp motorcycle, it takes me around 20 minutes thru the country-lanes, to get from where the ejector seat was found, to the (small) Village outskirts where his body was located.

The GR.4 MUST have been travelling at a fair-High rate of knots (?)

It was surely at a MUCH HIGHER altitude than the 'media' have suggested

The BBC news report sounds like "an eject" -
YET Sky-news report hints at "He fell out"..........

Yes, I know it's NOT an open-cockpit pre-war Biplane - BUT - I thought that ONLY the Martin-Baker 'seat' would 'activate' the
'Bang-out' charges (small-explosives) that "explode" the canopy milliseconds before the seat 'fires' & leaves the a/c

How on earth can Navigator & seat end up (at least) TEN miles apart - unless Nav' "secretly" undone his 'safety-harness' intentionally ?????????????????

Finally, crew WERE Civilians in an active (potentially) supersonic RAF GR.4 Fighter-Bomber

I'd love to hear some other forumites opinions (sensible please, out of respect, as the man died)

F.V.D. if you're reading, please tell me it sounds "too-suspicious" for a Martin-Baker 'malfunction' ?????????
(given all the 'ingredients')

Here's the links....

Navigator Falls From RAF Tornado |Sky News|UK News
......... &

BBC NEWS | England | Norfolk | Tornado navigator's body is found


No chute - no emergency-call from pilot (GR.4 Landed safely)

As he reputedly "left" the a/c as it was inverted, it makes the '10-mile' gap, between dead-Nav' & Ejector-seat with "no chute" seem even more bizarre ?
Makes you wonder 'How-Long' was the GR.4 "inverted" for & at what height.........
(surely WAY more than the rumoured 500ft ???????

[sniperUK]

Hornchurch,the Tornado was being flown by a BAe crew from Warton so nothing unusual there,please don't speculate on the cause though it wasn't an "ejection" as such,it will all become clear shortly.
RIP

[STARMAN 352ND]

That is a sad thing that happened yesterday..
My thoughts and prayers are with British Aerospace navigator family at this difficult time.
JP