Date:	Tuesday 18 June 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	17 SFTS RAF
Registration:	TD265
MSN:	CBAF.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Harlaxton, Harlaxton, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Harlaxton, Grantham, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Harlaxton, Grantham, Lincolnshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
TD265: Spitfire LF. XVIe. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin 266 engine. Delivered to the RAF at 9 MU Cosford, Staffordshire 17-3-45. First issued to 412 (Canadian) Squadron 7-6-45 at ALG (Advanced Landing Ground) B.152, Fassberg, Germany where they were based between 13-5-45 and 5-7-45. Then to 402 "City of Winnipeg" Squadron, RCAF 28-6-45 also based at Fassberg, Germany. Withdrawn from use and stored when the Squadron disbanded at RAF Fassberg, Germany on 10-7-45.

Next issued to 17 SFTS, RAF Harlaxton, Harlaxton, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, 6-12-45

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 18-6-46 when belly-landed at RAF Harlaxton, Harlaxton, near Grantham, Lincolnshire. The pilot in charge was returning to RAF Harlaxton from a navigation sortie, but did not inform ATC (Air Traffic Control) of his intentions to land back at Harlaxton, nor did ATC give him permission to land. He also approached Harlaxton without "properly" lowering the undercarriage of Spitfire TD265. When ATC realised that he was intending to land, without permission, and with the undercarriage still partially retracted, they signalled to him by firing red VEREY lights (flares) to warn him.

However, the warnings were either ignored (or not seen) by the pilot, and the undercarriage of Spitfire TD265 immediately collapsed upon touchdown at RAF Harlaxton. The pilot (under training) of Spitfire TD265 was Lieutenant N Ozbek of the Turkish Air Force.

Damage to Spitfire TD265 was initially assessed as FAAC (Flying Accident Cat. C) 18-6-46. However, the decision was taken not to repair Spitfire TD265, and it was re-cat FACE (Flying Accident Cat. E) being Struck Off Charge on 26-8-46. As far as is known, the pilot was uninjured.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.44 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.163
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. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p110.html
7. https://www.bcar.org.uk/1945-49-incident-logs#1946
8. https://www.rcafassociation.ca/heritage/history/rcaf-and-the-crucible-of-war/412-squadron/
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/412_Transport_Squadron#Second_World_War
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/402_Squadron#The_Second_World_War
11. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/TD265
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Harlaxton

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
24-Jul-2021 17:54	Dr. John Smith	Added
24-Jul-2021 17:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn]
25-Jul-2021 16:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
26-Jul-2021 17:33	ET44	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]
23-Jun-2023 19:23	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]]
15-Sep-2023 17:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[[Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]]]