Date:	Friday 8 March 1946
Time:	afternoon
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vc
Owner/operator:	AHQ Levant CF RAF
Registration:	MA881
MSN:	CBAF.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Kolindia, Transjordan -   Jordan
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Lydda, Lod, Palestine
Destination airport:	Kolindia, Transjordan, Jordan
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Spitfire Vc MA881: built by CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M50 engine. To 39MU RAF Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire 17-7-43. To 82MU RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire 8-8-43 for packing and crating for shipment overseas. Shipped on the ss 'Fort Thompson' 14-8-43, arriving Casablanca. Morocco 1-9-43. Posted as "missing" 26-9-43 when reported as having "failed to return" from combat operations. Apparently, later located and retrieved, as brought back on charge with Middle East Air Command.

To 32 Squadron RAF, which had converted to the Supermarine Spitfire by July 1943. Operations included a deployment to Greece, where it took part in the Greek Civil War from September 1944 to February 1945. To RAF AHQ Levant Communications Flight, Transjordan later in 1945. As per the file at the National Archives at Kew:

"AHQ Levant Communication Flight, Lydda, later Communication Flight Levant, based at Lydda and Beirut (Palestine/Lebanon).".

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 8-3-46 when the undercarriage jammed and aircraft belly landed at Kolindia, Transjordan, Jordan. The Board of Inquiry attributed the main cause of the incident to pilot error; the pilot failed to make certain that the undercarriage was fully "down and locked", with the result that the undercarriage immediately collapsed on touchdown.

Air Headquarters Levant was a command of the British Royal Air Force established on 1-12-41, by renaming the command known as H.Q. RAF Palestine and Transjordan. It controlled RAF units in the Mandate of Palestine and in the Emirate of Transjordan. Prior to being disbanded on 27-7-48, Air H.Q. Levant was a sub-command of RAF Middle East Command and its successors. RAF Middle East Command became a sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command in February 1943

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.34. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.90
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft MA100-MZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. AHQ Levant CF RAF ORB for the period 1-4-1942 to 31-7-1948; National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR29/894/2: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7162278
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.97: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/101055-ma881
7. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=MA881
8. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MA881
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Transjordan#1946_independence

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Sep-2023 16:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated