You're right about XZ438, a development aircraft pressed into training at Yeovilton.
The drop tanks went asymmetric - my father was a Dunsfold charge-hand in Dunsfold Experimental hangar ( 438's normal home ); he found that after a lunch break, wing tanks had a nasty habit of syphoning - it's pretty sure this is what happened to 438.
I don't mean any insult to the pilot ( whose name I've forgotten ) but maybe a sharp Test Pilot might have got away with it...
I did meet one of the attending groundcrew on a later Harrier trial, he'd realised things were not going according to plan, and made a run for the armoured ATC door; in true Hollywood style he'd just shut it when the main undercarriage hit it !
As for other Seajets hitting masts, I don't know any details but it does tend to sound like 'brave chappies' being idiots...
I was told by a Harrier Test Pilot ( mind, he was no J.F, and wouldn't wake up unless a large cheque was waved under his nose ) that there had been several losses due to the INS toppling in the hover recovery; as the primary instrument, one tended to follow the HUD as it rolled, particularly at night, with disastrous results.
Last edited by Double Zero; 2nd Jun 2010 at 17:43.