RAF jet navigator's widow 'confident' of improvements

Former RAF flyer Mike Harland, 44, of Colsterworth, Lincolnshire, died after his seat slipped from an RAF Tornado as a test pilot flew at about 450mph about 5,000 miles above Norfolk in November 2007.

A coroner yesterday said there was a "conflict of evidence" about the cause of the accident, as a jury recorded an accidental death verdict following an inquest in Norwich.

But Mr Harland's widow, Helen, said she hoped the findings of the coroner and a separate RAF inquiry would "safeguard against the repetition of such a tragedy".

"She (Mrs Harland) is confident that all the proper inquiries have been made and that the finding of the subsequent (RAF) board of inquiry has been significant in improving the procedures in servicing aircraft," said a family spokeswoman after the hearing.

"...Hopefully, as a result of the findings of the coroner and Board of Inquiry, they will safeguard against a repetition of such a tragedy."

Mr Harland, who worked for manufacturer BAE Systems, had flown from RAF Marham near King's Lynn, Norfolk, in November 2007 with test pilot Mark Williams after the two-seater Tornado GR4 had undergone a lengthy service and been fitted with new parachutes.

Jurors were told that Mr Harland's seat had slipped, causing his cockpit canopy to automatically shatter. He had fallen, still strapped to the seat, then been hit by the tail of the plane causing multiple injuries.His body was found in a field.

The plane was landed safely at Marham by Mr Williams, 50, a former RAF pilot who lives near Grantham, Lincolnshire.