Date:	Friday 17 May 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX
Owner/operator:	165 Sqn RAF
Registration:	MJ586
MSN:	CBAF.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Bentwaters, Woodbridge, Suffolk
Destination airport:	RAF Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire

Narrative:
MJ586: Spitfire LF. IX. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin 66 engine. Delivered to the RAF at 9 MU Cosford, Shropshire 30-11-43. First issued to 84 GSU (General Servicing Unit) 26-5-44. Into service with 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron 15-6-44 as "LO-D". The Squadron was based at RAF Ford, Arundel, Sussex, at the time, later moving to ALG (Advanced Landing Ground) B.11/Longues-sur-Mer, France on 25-6-44, thence to ALG B.19/Lingèvres, France 13-8-44. During this period Spitfire MJ586 was regularly flown by the "ace pilot" Pierre-Clostermann. He was one of the first Free French pilots to land on French soil, at temporary airstrip B-11, near Longues-sur-Mer, Normandy on 18-6-44. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross shortly afterwards

To 127 Wing HQ 17-8-44. FAAC (Flying Accident Cat. C) 14-9-44. To AST (Airwork Service Training) 29-12-44 for repairs. To 4 FSCU Dyce 17-5-45. Thence to 165 Squadron. RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk as "SK-H" 7-6-45

FACB (Flying Accident Cat. B) engine failed, and the aircraft force-landed on the disused airfield of RAF Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire 17-5-46. The cause could be said to be "pilot error" in that the pilot selected fuel to be drawn from the auxiliary drop tank...however, at the time, Spitfire MJ586 was not fitted with one!

Due to the aircraft attempting to draw fuel from a drop tank that was not there, an airlock developed in the fuel system; the engine failed and could not be restarted. Therefore, the pilot decided to make a wheels-up belly landing at the disused airfield at RAF Nuthampsted, Hertfordshire

Although Spitfire MJ586 was deemed "damaged beyond repair" (FACE - Flying Accident Cat.E). It was also deemed to be of use as a Ground Instructional Airframe 5948M at 4SoTT (4 School of Technical Training, RAF St. Athan) where it was assigned from 4-6-46

The reported crash location of RAF Nuthampstead is a former Royal Air Force station in England. The airfield is located mostly in Hertfordshire between the villages of Nuthampstead and Anstey and the hamlet of Morrice Green in Hertfordshire and Langley, Lower Green and Clavering Park Wood in Essex. The eastern part of the airfield including part of the East-West Runway, the Fuel Store, the dispersal areas of 600 and 601 Squadrons and the northeastern perimeter track were all in Essex. RAF Nuthampstead is located four miles to the east of the A10 Hertford to Royston Road.

Nuthampstead was transferred from the USAAF to RAF Maintenance Command on 10-7-45. The airfield was used as an ordnance store until being placed under care and maintenance on 30-10-54. Nuthampstead was finally closed on 1-3-59.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.42 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.147
3. 165 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-1-1946 to 31-7-1946: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/1087/81: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8390639
4. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.99: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p067.html
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._165_Squadron_RAF
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._602_Squadron_RAF#Second_World_War
8. Spitfire MJ586/LO-D, June-July 1944: https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Spitfire/RAF-602Sqn-LO/pages/Spitfire-LFIX-RAF-602Sqn-LOD-Pierre-Clostermann-MJ586-TC15015-Supermarine-Spitfire-MkIX-Page-13.html
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Clostermann#World_War_II
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Nuthampstead#RAF_Maintenance_Command_use

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Jul-2021 13:45	Dr. John Smith	Added
18-Jul-2021 20:14	Tu104	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]