Date:	Monday 21 June 1948
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	695 Sqn RAF
Registration:	TE180
MSN:	CBAF IX.4390
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Horsham St. Faith, Norwich, Norfolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Horsham St. Faith, Norwich, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF Horsham St. Faith, Norwich, Norfolk

Narrative:
Spitfire TE180: MSN CABF.IX4390. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M266 engine. Delivered to 9MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 23-5-45. To 695 Squadron, RAF Horsham St. Faith, Norwich, Norfolk, 30-8-45.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 21-6-48 in a wheels-up landing at RAF Horsham St. Faith, Norwich, Norfolk; a brake line securing clip came adrift, and the brake line dropped, causing the undercarriage operating mechanism to jam. While the pilot repeatedly tried to select the undercarriage "down and locked", the undercarriage would not lower, and therefore the pilot was forced to make a wheels-up belly landing on the grass beside the runway at Horsham St, Faith

Damage initially assessed as Cat. C (Repairable). However, re-cat E 23-7-48 and struck off charge

695 Squadron was formed at RAF Bircham Newton, Norfolk, on 1-12-43, from 1611, 1612 and 1626 (Anti-aircraft co-operation) Flights for anti-aircraft co-operation duties, and operated a variety of aircraft in this role. On 11-8-45 the squadron moved to RAF Horsham St. Faith, while a detachment served from 27-7-46 at first from RAF Boxted in Essex and later, between November 1946 and April 1947, from RAF North Weald. The squadron was disbanded on 11-2-49, when it was renumbered to No. 34 Squadron RAF

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985)
3. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.403
4. 695 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-1-1946 to 31-1-1949: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2546: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505184
5. "RAF Write offs 1948": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No.1 1979: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p111.html
7. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/90752-te180
8. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=TE180
9. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/TE180
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._695_Squadron_RAF
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Horsham_St_Faith#Postwar_Royal_Air_Force_use

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Apr-2023 21:24	Dr. John Smith	Added
10-May-2023 20:11	Dr. John Smith	Updated
22-Aug-2023 20:45	Dr. John Smith	Updated