Date:	Tuesday 11 January 1955
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIX
Owner/operator:	THUM Unit (Temperature & Humidity Unit fy.Short Bros)
Registration:	PM652
MSN:	6S.687108
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	RAF High Ercall, Shropshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Survey
Departure airport:	RAF High Ercall, Shropshire
Destination airport:	RAF St. Athan, Glamorgan, South Wales
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Spitfire Mk.XIX: Delivered to the RAF at Benson 26-11-45. PROV 22-7-46. To 541 Squadron 29-7-46. To 237 OCU 30-4-48 APHDU 18-1-49 FAAC 17-5-49. To the THUM (Temperature and HUMidity) Unit, RAF Hooton Park, Cheshire 1-5-51. By 1950 the piston-engined Mosquitoes were being replaced by jets, which were unsuitable for the task, and the last RAF THUM flight was made from West Malling on 30 April 1951.

The following day [1-5-51] a newly formed civilian THUM Flight, operated by Short Brothers and Harland, under the control of RAF Home Command, flew its first sortie from RAF Hooton Park. Flying RAF Spitfires the unit soon moved to RAF Woodvale where it remained for the next 7 years. The THUM Flight made its ascents over Worcester, and most were made at 1500 GMT. The Unit's strength was four Spitfire Mk.XIXs coded "A" to "D". Spitfire PM652 was "C". Repaired on site by 49 MU RAF Colerne for special fitment 17-7-54

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 11-1-55 when engine lost power, and aircraft belly-landed RAF High Ercall, Shropshire. Some sources state that PM652 was damaged en route back to its base at RAF Woodvale, Southport, Lancashire from RAF St. Athan, Glamorgan, South Wales after repairs and maintenance. Damage assessed as Cat.5(FA) 11-1-55. Struck Off Charge 31-1-55

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.167 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.112
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p089.html
5. https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/71335-t-h-u-m-flight
6. https://www.aerosociety.com/media/4853/the-meteorological-research-flight-and-its-predecessors-and-successors.pdf (page 28)
7. https://derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/13753/thum-flight-1953-woodvale-speke

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
20-Sep-2013 09:33	JINX	Added
27-Mar-2015 17:30	Dandy	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location]
20-Jun-2018 15:47	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport]
05-May-2020 20:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]