Date:	Monday 21 October 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk IX
Owner/operator:	48 MU RAF
Registration:	MK312
MSN:	CBAF IX.1530
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Hawarden, Flint Road, Saltney Ferry, Flintshire, Wales -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales
Destination airport:	RAF Hawarden, Flintshire

Narrative:
MK312: Spitfire LF IX, MSN CBAF. IX.1530. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M66 engine. To 9MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 26-1-44. To Flight Refuelling Ltd, Tarant Rushton, Dorset 8-2-44. To 17 APC South 29-2-44. To CFE FLS (Central Fighter Establishment Fighter Leaders School), RAF Millfield, Northumberland 5-10-44. Cat C (Repairable) accident 13-2-45. To 48MU RAF Hawarden, Flintshire for repairs and long-term storage

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 21-10-46: undercarriage failure when landing at RAF Hawarden, Flint Road, Saltney Ferry, Flintshire, Wales. On the final approach to land, the undercarriage "three greens" (green lights) were illuminated, indicating that the undercarriage was fully "down and locked" - but this misled the pilot - the undercarriage was in fact not lowered. Although red VEREY lights (flares) were fired by ATC (Air Traffic Control) to warn the pilot, he apparently did not see them, and proceeded to go ahead with the landing. He thus made a 'wheels up' belly landing on the airfield at Hawarden.

Damage initially assessed as Cat B 21-10-46; not repaired, re-cat E 10-2-47 and struck off charge

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents: 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.235
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft MA100-MZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1988)
4. ORB 48 MU RAF Hawarden for the period 1-1-1946 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR29/1506: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101216
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.103: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p069.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MK312
8. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/88759-mk312
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawarden_Airport#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
28-May-2023 20:03	Dr. John Smith	Added
16-Aug-2023 21:47	Dr. John Smith	Updated
31-Aug-2023 20:02	Nepa	Updated
13-Sep-2023 10:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated
23-Sep-2023 20:14	Nepa	Updated