Date:	Tuesday 22 June 1948
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	236 OCU RAF
Registration:	TE339
MSN:	CBAF IX.4513
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Kinloss, Morayshire, Scotland -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Kinloss, Morayshire
Destination airport:	RAF Kinloss, Morayshire

Narrative:
Spitfire TE339: MSN CBAF IX.4513. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M266 engine. Delivered to 29MU RAF High Ercoll, Shropshire 9-6-45. To 6 OTU, RAF Kinloss. No. 6 OTU reformed for the last time on 19 July 1941 at RAF Thornaby again operating a wide variety of aircraft including Lockheed Hudsons, de Havilland Tiger Moths and Bristol Buckmasters until 31-7-47 when at Kinloss the unit was disbanded and became No. 236 OCU

To 236 OCU, RAF Kinloss Morayshire 31-7-47; 236 OCU was formed at RAF Kinloss on 31-7-47 and operated a variety of aircraft including Avro Lancasters, Airspeed Oxfords and Bristol Beaufighters until 30 September 1956 when it was disbanded for the first time to become the Maritime Operational Training Unit on 30-9-56.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) when crash-landed at RAF Kinloss. Morayshire 22-6-48; the pilot 'held off' from committing to a landing at RAF Kinloss. As a result, the Spitfire made a 'hard' landing from too high an altitude above the runway, and landed heavily on the starboard undercarriage, which immediately gave way on touchdown, causing substantial damage to the underside of the airframe.

Damage initially assessed on 22-6-48 as Cat. B (Repairable). However. re-cat E 23-7-48 and struck of charge. The pilot seems to have survived uninjured.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.53. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985 p 53)
3. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.422
4. 236 OCU ORB for the period 1-8-47 to 31-12-50: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/1640: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101350
5. "RAF Write offs 1948": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No.1 1979: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/TE339
7. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/90832-te339
8. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=TE339
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Kinloss#Cold_War
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._236_Operational_Conversion_Unit_RAF#No._236_OCU

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Apr-2023 20:45	Dr. John Smith	Added
22-Aug-2023 20:26	Dr. John Smith	Updated