Lonewolf and RP
I am afraid you like many others confuse serviceability with airworthiness. On the day of XV230's accident the aircraft was serviceable, it just wasn't airworthy. Whilst MoD did not agree with the coroner's findings, initially, the aircraft was "prematurely" withdrawn from service less than two years later, despite an extensive replacement programme of fuel and hot air pipe couplings.
DV