Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham (1976 – 8 November 2011) was a Royal Air Force pilot on the Red Arrows aerobatics display team, who died when his ejection seat initiated whilst the aircraft he was in was stationary on the ground and he was conducting pre-flight checks.

Despite a promising career in football, after university Cunningham joined the Royal Air Force in 2000; it had been his boyhood dream to fly with the Red Arrows, the RAF's aerobatic display team.

[5] On 8 November 2011, Cunningham (who was to fly as RED 5), was crewing-in to his aircraft, a Hawk T1, registration XX177, to undertake a training flight and a transit to RAF Valley in North Wales.

[15] It was noted that the initiation of the ejection seat was almost impossible to do accidentally, with senior officers from the RAF at a loss to explain how it happened.

[16] The Service Inquiry into the accident found that the seat firing handle (SFH) safety pin, had been displaced on an earlier flight (4 November 2011) and re-inserted incorrectly so as to appear that it was in the safe position, especially if viewed vertically from above, which is the normal stance when looking at the ejection seat for both aircrew and groundcrew, but actually it was in an unsafe position.

[18] A pre-inquest hearing was held in August 2013, where the coroner heard that Flight Lieutenant Kirsty Stewart, a fellow pilot on the Red Arrows, had a related incident working as an instructor at RAF Valley.

[28][29] One senior aircraftman who was working that day gave evidence at the inquest stating that he had confirmed the firing handle safety pin was in position, which meant it was supposed to be safe according to his training.

[31][28] This means that the yellow and black strap that sits between the pilots legs (the SFH) can be pulled upwards sharply and the seat will deploy.

An RAF training film, MoD Air Publications and aircrew & engineer witnesses, proved otherwise; but the Health and Safety Executive advised the judge that this was irrelevant.

Additionally they have created a new bolt that cannot be over-tightened and will hold the main parachute in place until the ejection seat is initiated and stabilised.

A trial was scheduled to commence in January 2018,[40][41] at which Martin-Baker pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

[43] As part of the guilty plea, Martin-Baker agreed to pay court costs amounting to over £550,000 but refuted the prosecution's allegation that what happened was "not an isolated incident".

[45] There is a memorial at RAF Scampton to Cunningham and fellow Red Arrows pilot, Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging.

A brass plaque, on a wooden plinth in front of a gate guardian Hawk aircraft, reads "...they have slipped the surly bonds of Earth / Put out their hands and touched the face of God... / In memory of / Flt Lt Jon Egging – 20th August 2011 / Flt Lt Sean Cunningham – 8th November 2011".