Date:	Thursday 5 December 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk IX
Owner/operator:	6 Sqn RAF
Registration:	ML151
MSN:	CBAF IX.1924
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Syrianochori, Nicosia -   Cyprus
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Nicosia, Lefkosia, Cyprus
Destination airport:	RAF Nicosia, Lefkosia, Cyprus

Narrative:
ML151: Spitfire LF IX, MSN CBAF.IX.1924. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M66 engine. To 8MU RAF Little Rissington, Gloucestershire 24-3-44/ To Miles Aircraft, Woodley, Reading, Berkshire 17-5-44. To 412 Squadron 22-6-44 coded 'VZ' (individual aircraft number obscured by black-and-white 'invasion' stripes). To 39MU RAF Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire 11-12-44. To 1 OADU (Overseas Aircraft Delivery Unit) 29-1-45. To Mediterranean Allied Air Force 7-2-45. Assigned to RAF Middle East Command 23-8-45, and issued to 6 Squadron at RAF Nicosia, Lefkosia, Cyprus

Written off (damaged beyond repair) when ran out of fuel and crashed near Syrianochori, Nicosia, Cyprus 5-12-46. Pilot Flt Sgt Reid safe. The pilot was detailed for a 45-minute sortie to and from RAF Nicosia, Cyprus, although the aircraft had not been refuelled since its previous sortie. This left the fuel state marginal even before the aircraft took off for this sortie, with no margin for error in the event of excessive fuel consumption, diversion or delay in landing. After being airborne for 43 minutes, Spitfire ML151 ran out of fuel, and had to make an 'engine out' forced landing in marshy ground near Syrianochori, Cyprus

The subsequent Board of Inquiry deemed that the incident was an "avoidable accident", in that the Spitfire should have been refuelled before taking off on this sortie.

Syrianochori (Greek: Συριανοχώρι; Turkish: Yayla) is a village located in the Nicosia District of Cyprus. It was annexed by Turkey after the 1974 invasion of Cyprus, and is now part of Turkish Northern Cyprus.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.57. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.254
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 6 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-7-1945 to 31-1-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.104: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p072.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/ML151
8. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/86423-ml151
9. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=ML151
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/412_Transport_Squadron#Second_World_War
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._6_Squadron_RAF#Post-Second_World_War/Cold_War
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrianochori

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
24-May-2023 10:48	Dr. John Smith	Added
24-May-2023 15:47	Nepa	Updated
10-Sep-2023 12:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated
11-Sep-2023 01:29	Dr. John Smith	Updated