Date:	Friday 27 August 1948
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire F Mk 22
Owner/operator:	73 Sqn RAF
Registration:	PK555
MSN:	SMAF.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Ta Kali (Ta'qali) -   Malta
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Ta Kali (Ta'qali), Malta
Destination airport:	RAF Ta Kali (Ta'qali), Malta

Narrative:
PK555: Spitfire F.22, built at SMAF (South Marston Aircraft Factory) with Griffon G61 engine. To 33MU RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire 10-10-45. To VASM (Vickers Armstrong South Marston) for modifications and Conversion 27-5-46. To Pershore 14-11-47. To RAF Middle East Command 27-11-47. To 73 Squadron, RAF Ta Kali (Ta'qali), Malta 29-1-48

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 27-8-48 when bomb carrier detached on landing at RAF Ta Kali (Ta'qali), Malta, causing severe damage to the underside of the aircraft. Pilot uninjured

Not repaired: re-cat E and Struck Off Charge 28-10-48 at 137 MU RAF Luqa, Malta

NOTE: The base's name reflects an anglicised corruption of the correct Maltese spelling of Ta' Qali, other phonetic variants of the correct name also appear regularly.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.423
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 73 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-6-1946 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2430/4: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8420259
5. "RAF Write offs 1948": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No.1 1979: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. https://aviationinmalta.com/MilitaryAviation/AccidentsMilitary/19401949/tabid/650/language/en-GB/Default.aspx
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p085.html
8. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/PK555
9. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/79680-pk555
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._73_Squadron_RAF#World_War_II
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Ta_Kali#Post_war

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Sep-2013 03:49	JINX	Added
25-Mar-2015 18:40	Don Diego	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
18-Aug-2023 00:23	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Aircraft type, Operator]]
20-Aug-2023 00:47	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[[Aircraft type, Operator]]]
18-Sep-2023 19:19	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[[[Aircraft type, Operator]]]]