An RAF Chinook helicopter has been stranded in a field for three days after making a precautionary landing following a suspected hydraulic failure.
The aircraft is being guarded by the RAF in Bere Regis, Dorset, while it undergoes an engineering assessment.
It is thought to have been taking part in a south coast training exercise involving six helicopters when the technical problem arose. A witness said there were attempts to start it up on Friday, only for a hydraulic pipe to split.
It is understood the aircraft, less than 100 yards from the A31, could be there for several more days. It is believed to have come from RAF Odiham, in Hampshire.
Lewis Johnstone, 20, from Poole, who works for a military engineering company, said: “The Chinook went down on Wednesday while taking part in an exercise going on along the whole of the south coast with six helicopters.
“I believe it went down with a hydraulic issue. When they started it again, the hydraulic pipe split, so they shut it down, and I imagine it will be there under guard for a few more days.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “The Chinook has made a precautionary landing. We are in the process of conducting an engineering assessment.”
Last year, an RAF Chinook made a crash landing near the River Mawddach in Gwynedd, west Wales, after a technical fault.
The RAF is shrinking its CH-47 Chinook numbers from 60 to 51, with each Chinook costing a reported £30 million to replace. A Chinook can carry up to 55 troops, or approximately 10 tons of cargo, and can travel at up to 190mph.
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