Coroner slams ejector seat manufacturer for failing to warn RAF of defects which led to death of Red Arrows pilot From ground was hurled 300ft into air and parachute failed on way down Ejector seat maker Martin Baker had known of issues since 1990 Inquest heard defective seat could launch with only slight pressure Coroner recorded narrative verdict and criticised manufacturer's silence Tragic: Flt Lt Sean Cunningham, 35, died on the runway at RAF Scampton near Lincoln in 2011 because of a defective ejector seat A Red Arrows pilot who died when his ejector seat went off unexpectedly was failed by a manufacturer who knew it was defective for more than 20 years but did not tell the RAF, a coroner said today. Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham's seat's firing handle was in the wrong position when the airman entered the cockpit, and went off while he was on the ground. Following a three-week inquest, Central Lincolnshire coroner Stuart Fisher recorded a narrative verdict and said: 'There was a very serious failure of communication by Martin Baker (the manufacturer) in my view'. Mr Fisher described a safety pin that goes through the firing handle as 'entirely useless' and said its presence was 'likely to mislead'. 'The seat's designer and manufacturers had failed to appreciate the consequent risk of incorrect pin provision,' he said. RAF personnel missed 19 chances to spot that the ejection seat was in an unsafe position and the pin was incorrectly housed, the inquest heard. The coroner also said that Martin Baker was aware of issues with the over-tightening of crucial nuts and bolts in the mechanism of the seat which would cause the main parachute not to deploy properly. However despite being aware of these issues since 1990, Martin Baker failed to pass on the warnings to the Ministry of Defence, the coroner said. When Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham was fired into the air but the main parachute on the Mk 10 Martin Baker seat, which should have saved his life, failed to deploy and he suffered multiple injuries. Hero: Comrades carry Flight Lieutenant Cunningham at his funeral, who was shot 300ft into the air and his parachute failed to deploy, leaving him fatally injured The coroner said: 'Automatic separation from the ejection seat and main parachute deployment failed to occur. Very shortly thereafter and when still retained in seat there followed a high- velocity impact with the ground from which he suffered no survivable injuries. The coroner said Flt Lt Cunningham's fatal injuries were suffered as a result of his impact on the ground. Lawyers acting for the family today confirmed it had secured an undisclosed settlement from the Ministry of Defence in December 2013 following a full admission of liability for the incident in July that year. Bereft: Sean's family paid tribute to him today but admitted it was difficult to accept the manner in which he died in 2011 Speaking after the verdict, Flt Lt Cunningham's father Jim said: 'Our son Sean died aged 35 doing what he loved, which was flying with the Red Arrows. From the age of 17, he had wanted nothing more than to join the Royal Air Force and serve his country, which he did with utmost pride and sense of duty. He served a number of tours in Iraq flying Tornados in close air support of coalition forces. 'Sean's death was a tragedy which we hope the evidence revealed in this inquest will help to avoid in the future. We are very grateful to the coroner, Mr Fisher, for allowing a full exploration of how this tragic death occurred. 'We still find it difficult to accept that so many people could have missed, between Sean's last sortie on Friday and the following Tuesday, what should have been obvious to those having a duty to ensure the safety of the seat, and we remain unconvinced as to that aspect of the coroner's finding. Nevertheless, we accept that how the seat firing handle came to be in a position where it could be inadvertently activated may never be fully understood. We welcome the conclusions of the coroner, which confirm what we knew all along, which is that Sean was blameless and his tragic death was preventable. We therefore welcome the coroner's recommendations, which we hope and pray will ensure that no family such as ours has to endure such a pointless and avoidable death'. In a statement released after the hearing today, Air Commodore Terry Jones, speaking on behalf of the MoD, said: 'The tragic loss of Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham is still keenly felt by the Royal Air Force, the Red Arrows and all of Sean's former colleagues. Sean had an enthusiasm for flying and life that endeared him to all. His tragic accident has been a shattering blow to everyone on the team in particular. Now that the inquest into this tragic event has concluded it is time to reflect on what a wonderful man and pilot Sean was. We were extremely privileged to have known him and to have had him within our ranks.