Delivering his inquest findings, coroner Terry Ryan said there were the hallmarks of an ambush before Maddison opened fire on police in the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane, on May 29, 2017.
Mr Ryan on Tuesday said there were several systemic factors that may have contributed to 42-year-old Sen Const Forte's death and it was possible the fatal shooting may have been prevented.
Maddison, 40, was later shot dead after being warned to surrender more than 80 times during a 20-hour siege.
He had fired at police, including at a helicopter, 21 times.
Mr Ryan described the absence of an overall tactical command during a police pursuit of Maddison as a missed opportunity and a "significant failure of leadership".
He said it was not reasonable for Sen Const Forte and his partner Sen Const Cath Nielsen to call off the pursuit of Maddison, but a tactical commander could have come up with an effective plan.
"Unfortunately the confrontation was left to evolve on Mr Maddison's terms," Mr Ryan said.
"Snr Const Forte and Snr Const Nielsen were, as Snr Const Nielsen described, sitting ducks."
Maddison had been on the run and hiding in a rural stronghold for more than two months, avoiding an arrest warrant for a domestic violence incident.
Police spotted his vehicle in Toowoomba and followed him on the Warrego Highway, before Maddison ambushed them on a dirt road.
"The events that transpired when Mr Maddison exited his vehicle following a marked change in the terrain along the roadway had the hallmarks of an ambush."
He opened fire on police vehicles with automatic weapons, peppering Sen Const Forte's car with 27 bullets.
Sen Const Forte urgently reversed but the vehicle rolled, trapping him and his partner inside.
He was hit at least twice and died within minutes.
Mr Ryan said officers in pursuit would have known Maddison was "undoutably dangerous" but described someone opening fire on officers with a machine gun as unprecedented in Queensland.
He said officers could have been required to wear ballistic vests but noted that it may not have avoided Sen Const Forte being killed.
The inquest that started in 2021 had heard the Toowoomba tactical crime squad had been looking for Maddison, while Gatton police had been investigating reports of automatic gunfire in the area prior to the shooting.
Mr Ryan said reports of automatic gunfire in the area had not been treated with sufficient urgency by Gatton police before the fatal shooting.
He said a more proactive approach could have resulted in Maddison's arrest before the shooting.
Mr Ryan extended his condolences to Sen Const Forte's widow, Susie Forte, who is also a police officer.
"Mrs Forte's grief was undoubtedly amplified by the fact that she was on duty at the time of his death and heard the tragic events as they unfolded (on police radio)," he said.
He acknowledged her courage in participating in the inquest, saying she was "entitled to answers".
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