Perhaps we should not forget the accident which killed Lt. Cdr Taylor Scott RN, Harrier Test Pilot operating from Dunsfold.
He was doing a routine test flight on a GR5 ( ZD325 ) when the drogue fired undemanded at 35,000 ft, dragging him through the canopy.
The chute was shredded on the tail temperature probe, and he fell to his death.
The aircraft carried on under autopilot, and was photographed
with the seat still in by a Galaxy sent to look when the radio went unanswered.
No cast-iron fault was ever found, theories range from him motoring the seat down to avoid the evening sun, onto a wander lamp which had fallen from it's stowage on the aft bulkhead ( now deleted ).
I photographed attempts to recreate this, I believe out of 40 or so tries it worked once - usually the seat just sprang sideways.
Another theory was that the new OBOGS failed and he became hypoxic, pulling the manual separation instead of 100% oxygen.
In theory an interlock prevents manual separation working unless the main eject handle has already been pulled, but in reality checks found the interlock ineffective on many seats.
The fact the Mk 12 was the first MB seat to incorporate electronics caused a bit of pondering too.
Personally from my unenlightened view, I've always thought the fact Taylor was doing cabin pressurisation checks might be relevant - barostatic release...
After this, initially GR5's were stored grounded in specially brought in temporary hangars, then later allowed to fly at less than 10,000, then finally cleared.
There is a memorial to Taylor ( which also mentions Jim Hawkins who died in the 1st Hawk 200, (remember the Hawk is a Dunsfold, not Warton, product ! ), Bill Bedford and to the P1127 itself - used to be the gate guardian briefly -beside an ex ETPS Hunter at Dunsfold.
There's also a simple brass plaque ' died testing' on a beam in the pub outside Dunsfold, the Three Compasses.
His family were never even told about these simple memorials until his brother stumbled on something on
www.harrier.org.uk
- which says a lot about late BAe...
I'm not sure how this tallies with 'every seat tried worked' statistics...