Date:	Monday 14 January 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb
Owner/operator:	17 SFTS RAF
Registration:	BL474
MSN:	CBAF.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Harlaxton, Harlaxton, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Harlaxton, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Harlaxton, Lincolnshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
BL474: Spitfire Vb. Built by CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin 45M engine. To 12 MU RAF Kirkbride, Cumberland 9-12-41. First issued to 123 Squadron, RAF Turnhouse, Edinburgh, East Lothian 27-12-41 coded XE-G. To 167 Squadron, RAF Ludham, Norfolk 16-4-42. To 165 Squadron, RAF Ayr, Scotland 27-5-42 coded SK-L. The squadron moved to RAF Eastchurch, England on 15-8-42 to take part in sweeps over northern France, moving to RAF Gravesend on 20-8-42 and again to RAF Tangmere on 2-11-42, until returning to RAF Peterhead, Scotland on 29-3-43.

Category C (Repairable) damage on operations 5-6-42; repaired on site, and returned to 165 Squadron. FACB (Flying Accident Cat. B) 22-1-44. To Short Brothers & Harland at Rochester for repairs and overhaul.

Next issued to 17 SFTS (Service Flying Training School) at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire 29-5-45. Based at RAF Cranwell, the unit used RAF Harlaxton as a relief landing ground.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) when undershot landing at RAF Harlaxton, Lincolnshire. Damage initially assessed as FAAC (Flying Accident Cat. C) 14-1-46. However, it was decided not to repair Spitfire BL474, and the airframe was re-cat E, then Struck Off Charge 31-1-46

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft BA100-BZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1988 p 29)
2. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.27 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
3. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.36
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p023.html
5. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1945-49-incident-logs#1946
6. 17 SFTS ORB (Operations Record Book) for the period 1-2-20 to 31-12-49: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/699 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4100408
7. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.93: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
8. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/BL474
9. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/96379-bl474
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._123_Squadron_RAF#Second_World_War
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._167_Squadron_RAF#Second_World_War
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._165_Squadron_RAF
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Harlaxton#List_of_units_posted_to_RAF_Harlaxton
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._1_Flying_Training_School_RAF#Third_formation_(1947_%E2%80%93_1948)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
01-Jun-2021 22:09	Dr. John Smith	Added
02-Jun-2021 17:08	Sysel	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]
26-Jul-2023 14:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]]