Stuff: No need for a ladder, checking visually that the pin was correctly installed is too utterly basic to ignore. Never heard of double checking a critical item, in this case feel and visual observations ?
And as far as Mr Viking is concerned I HAVE walked in very similar shoes to Sean's. So I am VERY critical of the idea of inserting a seat pan firing handle on the rollout and NEVER saw it done because it was certainly not SOP. I question just why it was necessary to insert the pin before safely stopped and parked on the pan. Perhaps there was/is a reason I just don't get it based on the experience of 12 years of flying ejection seat equipped aircraft. After this accident and the associated publicity its a pretty poor state of affairs if Sean is NOT the last to do this. I am not bad mouthing anyone, just critical of the culture based on real life experience and if you wish to be crtitical of any other incident feel free to do so, BUT make it factual and preferrably based on real knowledge or experience.
Never a Red but there have been times when I was rushed but seat checks were NEVER compromised. Perhaps an ejection very early in my career rammed that home and I hammered that home to all my crew and students ( which included commandants designate of CFS and RAFC when I was a standards QFI) for which I make no apology. It served me well.
I could never, ever, say it could NOT have happened to me but I did my damndest to make sure it did not and that includes the double check I mentioned.
Last edited by RetiredBA/BY; 18th Jan 2017 at 20:39.