Date:	Thursday 28 July 1949
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	203 AFS RAF
Registration:	TE387
MSN:	CBAF.11487
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	RAF Stradishall, Haverhill, Suffolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Stradishall, Haverhill, Suffolk
Destination airport:	RAF Stradishall, Haverhill, Suffolk

Narrative:
Spitfire TE387, MSN CBAF.11487. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M266 engine. Delivered to the RAF at 6 MU Brize Norton. Oxfordshire 20-7-45. First issued to 19 Squadron, RAF Wittering, Cambridgeshire 23-5-46. To 203 AFS, RAF Stradishall, Haverhill, Suffolk 27-10-1947

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 28-7-49 in a wheels-up force landing alongside the runway at RAF Stradishall, Haverhill, Suffolk after engine failure on approach. At 5,000 feet, shortly after take-off, the engine began to vibrate severely, and the oil pressure dropped. Upon descending to 1,500 feet, the engine failed completely. Altitude was then further lost in the final turn to line up with the runway in order to land, and the Spitfire then belly-landed on the grass alongside the runway at RAF Stradishall. The cause of the engine failure was due to a journal bearing and several connecting rods in the engine failing

Damage initially assessed as Cat. B (Repairable). Re-cat E 18-8-49; not repaired and Struck Off Charge

203 AFS was formed at RAF Keevil on 1 July 1947 by redesignating No. 61 OTU. On 31-8-49 226 OCU moved to RAF Driffield in Yorkshire where it disbanded for the first time by being redesignated as No. 203 Advanced Flying School.

The following month, on 1-9-49, the unit was resurrected at RAF Stradishall and No. 226 OCU's service began a new chapter. It was disbanded to become No. 226 Operational Conversion Unit RAF at RAF Stradishall but reformed at RAF Driffield one day later. It was finally disbanded on 1 June 1954 still at Driffield.

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.517
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 203 AFS RAF ORB for the period 1-6-1947 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR29/1771: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101481
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p112.html
6. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/TE387
7. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/90862-te387
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._8_Flying_Training_School_RAF#History_of_203_AFS
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._226_Operational_Conversion_Unit_RAF
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Stradishall#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Aug-2023 21:36	Dr. John Smith	Updated