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Date: | Tuesday 12 August 1947 |
Time: | day |
Type: | Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk IX |
Owner/operator: | 73 Sqn RAF |
Registration: | MJ891 |
MSN: | CBAF. |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | RAF Ta Kali (Ta'qali) -
Malta
|
Phase: | Approach |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Ta Kali (Ta'qali), Malta |
Destination airport: | RAF Ta Kali (Ta'qali), Malta |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:MJ891: Spitfire LF. IX. Built by CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M66 engine. To 33MU RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire 24-12-43. To 403 ("City of Calgary") Squadron RCAF 30-1-44. To 421 Squadron RCAF 27-7-44. To AST (Air Service Training) 19-9-44. To 12FU. To 1 OADU (Overseas Aircraft Delivery Unit) 30-4-45. To Mediterranean Allied Air Force 16-5-45. To 73 Squadron, RAF at Prkos, Yugoslavia 30-4-45. To RAF Hal Far, Malta July 1945, later to RAF Ta Kali (Ta'qali), Malta
Written off (damaged beyond repair) 12-8-47 flew into ground while on landing approach at RAF Ta Kali (Ta'qali), Malta. Pilot returned a sortie with an unserviceable R/T, wiping the undercarriage landing in a cross-wind. Slight injuries to pilot. There was some difficulty removing the aircraft from the runway, and the three other Spitfires were forced to divert to Luqa.
The squadron’s ORB (see link #4) had this to say about this incident. “With only a few more weeks to go to complete a whole accident-free year for the Squadron, this effort is rather disappointing but even so, eleven months without a prang was quite a creditable effort.”
Not repaired: Struck off charge as Cat E 12-8-47
Sources:
1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: 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.330
3. Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft MA100-MZ999
4. 73 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-1-1946 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2430/4:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8420259 5. "RAF Write offs 1947": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No. 1978:
https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1978.pdf 6.
http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p068.html 7.
https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MJ891 8.
https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/85634-mj891 9.
https://aviationinmalta.com/MilitaryAviation/AccidentsMilitary/19401949/tabid/650/language/en-GB/Default.aspx 10.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/403_Helicopter_Operational_Training_Squadron#World_War_II 11.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._421_Squadron_RCAF#Second_World_War 12.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._73_Squadron_RAF 13.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Ta_Kali#Post_war Location
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
29-Aug-2023 18:03 |
Dr. John Smith |
Added |
29-Aug-2023 19:37 |
Nepa |
Updated |