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| Date: | Wednesday 19 July 1961 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | Westland Wasp HAS.1 prototype |
| Owner/operator: | 771 NAS FAA RN |
| Registration: | XN333 |
| MSN: | S2/5267 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 2 ½ miles off Portland, Dorset -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | HMS Ashanti off Dorset coast |
| RNAS Portland, Dorset |
XN333 was the Saro P531 Wasp 1st prototype: built at Eastleigh, first flown 20/7/1958 in civilian markings as G-APNU (already registered as such 24/6/1958)
To UK Royal Navy for trials and given military serial XN333. Delivered to Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm 20/10/1959 as 2nd trials airframe, Damaged in a bird strike 11/11/1959 and recovered to HMS Undaunted.
Written off 19/7/1961: ditched into the sea, rolled over and sank 2 ½ miles off Portland, Dorset after suffering failure of the tail rotor support structure at low altitude. The helicopter was conducting operational trials from HMS Ashanti. The pilot was rescued but the observer (Lt. Colin McClure) drowned after being concussed.
Recovered and allocated to ground instruction at Lee-on-Solent as Naval GIA A2519; ended its days on the fire dump at Middle Wallop from 2/9/1964.
Sources:
1. http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1961.htm
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20130321095657/http://daveg4otu.tripod.com:80/dorset/dorcrash.html
3. http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-APNU.pdf
4. https://www.helis.com/database/cn/310/
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saro_P.531
6. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1958/1958-1-
7. http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafsubaqua/rafcms/mediafiles/04F90D75_5056_A318_A85893C085315C27.pdf
7. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1960-62].htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Jun-2013 08:03 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 28-Jun-2013 07:21 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 14-Oct-2013 21:48 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
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