Date:	Wednesday 5 June 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	17 SFTS RAF
Registration:	SM197
MSN:	CBAF.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near RAF Barkston Heath, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Barkston Heath, Grantham, Lincolnshire (EGYE)
Destination airport:	RAF Barkston Heath, Grantham, Lincolnshire (EGYE)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
SM197: Spitfire LF.XVI. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin 266 engine. Delivered to the RAF at 8 MU Little Rissington, Gloucestershire 19-10-44. To 84 GDC 15-10-45. To 29 MU RAF High Ercall, Shropshire 15-11-45. To 17 SFTS, RAF Barkston Heath, Grantham, Lincolnshire 27-2-46

Written off (damaged beyond repair) due to engine failure on approach to RAF Barkston Heath, Grantham, Lincolnshire 5-6-46. At the conclusion of an authorised aerobatics sortie, the engine failed to respond to the pilot's input, possibly due to an airlock in the fuel system. The pilot responded by making an immediate 'wheels up' landing short of the airfield at RAF Barkston Heath.

Damage initially assessed as FACB (Flying Accident Cat. B) 5-6-46. However, it was decided not to repair Spitfire SM197, and it was re-cat FACE (Flying Accident Cat. E) and Struck Off Charge 20-6-46

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.43 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.155
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 17 SFTS ORB (Operations Record Book) for the period 1-2-20 to 31-12-49: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/699 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4100408
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.100: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/92571-mb197
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MT987
8. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=SM197
9. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p100.html
10. https://www.bcar.org.uk/1945-49-incident-logs#1946
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Barkston_Heath#Royal_Air_Force_use

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Jul-2021 19:33	Dr. John Smith	Added
21-Jul-2021 20:03	Anon.	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Operator]
21-Jul-2021 20:03	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Operator]
25-Jun-2023 02:32	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Operator, Operator]]
16-Sep-2023 09:41	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[[Operator, Operator]]]