Date:	Tuesday 25 March 1947
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk XIV
Owner/operator:	28 Sqn RAF
Registration:	SM878
MSN:	6S 585069
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Tengah -   Singapore
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Tengah, Singapore
Destination airport:	RAF Tengah, Singapore
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
SM878: Spitfire FR. XVIII, MSN 6S 585069. Built by Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) at Aldermaston with Griffon G67 engine. To 39MU RAF Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire 18-4-45. To 222MU RAF North Luffenham 10-5-45 for packing and crating for shipment overseas. Shipped on the ss 'Empire Dynasty' 16-5-45, arriving India 7-6-45. To ACSEA (Air Command South East Asia) 5-7-45. To 390 MU RAF Tengah, Singapore for erection and preparation for service July 1945.

To 28 Squadron in October 1945, the squadron replaced its Hurricanes with more Spitfires, (Mk VIIIs and Mk XIVe), concentrating on the Spitfire XIVe by the end of the year. The squadron moved to Penang, Malaya in November 1945, to RAF Kuala Lumpur, Malaya in April 1946, and then to RAF Tengah, Singapore in February 1947.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 25-3-47: this Spitfire suffered a burst tyre on takeoff from RAF Tengah, Singapore. Although the aircraft managed to make a normal take off, upon return to RAF Tengah at the end of the sortie, the pilot opted to make a wheels-up landing, which caused severe damage to the underside of the airframe as it slid along the runway at RAF Tengah.

Damage initially assessed as Cat C (Repairable); however, repairs not proceeded with and this Spitfire was instead Struck Off Charge on 24-4-47 as Cat. E(FA)

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.283
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain 1985)
4. ORB 28 Sqn RAF for the period 1-10-1945 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2405/25: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8419460
5. "RAF Write offs 1947": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No.2 1978: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1978.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p102.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/TP878
8. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/80115-sm878
9. https://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?27064-Spitfire-TP878
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._28_Squadron_RAF#Post-War_
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengah_Air_Base#RAF_Tengah

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Sep-2023 16:52	Dr. John Smith	Added
04-Sep-2023 16:59	Nepa	Updated
04-Sep-2023 17:36	Dr. John Smith	Updated