XW838 BLUE

 

First Flight: 8 March 1972. Third to fly

Purpose: Fourth prototype, The first to have the monobloc rotor head designed for production aircraft. Also had a reverse direction tail rotor fitted (not to be fitted to production aircraft, the AH 7, until 1986)

Fate: On 29 August 1974 it conducted a forced landing at Yeovil, Somerset after loss of tail rotor drive. This was caused by a torsional fracture of the input drive gear shaft due to inadequate lubrication. Only the tail now remains and this was placed on an AH 1 fuselage and given the GI serial of TAD009. It spent several years at AETW Middle Wallop but moved to Arborfield when the SAE relocated. The tail boom is the oldest surviving main component of any Lynx.