Date:	Wednesday 13 February 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX
Owner/operator:	CFE RAF
Registration:	BS506
MSN:	EA.3636
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Rochford, Rochford, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Wittering, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
Destination airport:	Southend Airport, Southend, Essex (SEN/EGMC)

Narrative:
Spitfire Mk. IX BS506, MSN EA.3636: Built by Vickers-Armstrong (Supermarine) at Eastleigh, Southampton with Merlin 61 engine. First Flown 21-11-42. To CRD (Controller, Research & Development) at Boulton Paul Aircraft, Wolverhampton 29-11-42. To Vickers Armstrong CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) 24-1-43 for overhaul. Returned to Boulton Paul Aircraft at Wolverhampton 18-2-43 modifications. To 9 MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 18-3-43 upon completion of modifications. First issued to 315 (City of Deblin)(Polish)Squadron, RAF 14-4-43 as "PK-T".

To AST (Airwork Service Training) at Hamble, Hampshire 7-5-43 for repairs and modifications. To 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF 6-6-43 coded "RF-O". To 308 ("City of Kraków") (Polish) Squadron 16-11-43 as "ZF-R". Returned to Airwork Service Training 8-1-44 for major repairs. To 229 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, Essex 17-6-44 as "9R-S". Sustained Cat AC damage on operations 23-6-44, repaired on site. To CFE (Central Fighter Establishment), RAF Wittering, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire 29-8-44.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) when hit obstruction in forced landing in bad weather at Southend Airport, Southend, Essex. At the time of this incident, Spitfire BS506 was being flown by one of the RAF's most famous "ace pilots" - Squadron Leader Robert Roland Stamford-Tuck, DSO, DFC & Two Bars, AFC. The radio of Spitfire BS506 had failed in poor weather, and a landing was attempted at Southend Airport. However, the aircraft failed to stop at the end of the runway at Southend, and ran into an earth embankment beyond the end of the runway.

Also, at the time of this incident, Southend Airfield was also known as "RAF Rochford" and disused, having been placed under 'Care and Maintenance' for the rest of the War between 1-9-44 and 31-12-46

As for the distinguished pilot, Robert Roland Stanford-Tuck's squadron leader rank was made permanent in September 1945, and he became a temporary wing commander in April 1946. He received his final decoration, the American Distinguished Flying Cross on 14 June 1946. He walked away uninjured from the above incident of 12 February 1946, and retired from the RAF and active service on 13 May 1949, having had his permanent rank promoted to wing commander in July 1947. His final accredited aerial kills numbered 27 (plus two shared) destroyed, one (plus one shared) unconfirmed destroyed, six probable's and six (plus one shared) damaged. Robert Stanford Tuck died on 5 May 1987 at the age of 70.

Damage to airframe initially assessed as FAAC (Flying Accident Cat. C) 13-2-46, and thus repairable. However, it was decided not to repair Spitfire BS506, and therefore it was re-cat FACE (Flying Accident Cat. E) on 24-6-46, and struck off charge.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.30 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.69
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft BA100-BZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. Forrester, Larry. Fly for Your Life: The Story of RR Stanford Tuck, DSO, DFC (Fortunes of War). London: Cerberus Publishing Ltd., 2005, 2001. ISBN 1-84145-025-1.
5. CFE RAF ORB for the period 1-1-1946 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR29/1348: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101058
6. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.95: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p032.html
8. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/BS506
9. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=BS506
10. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/83753-bs506
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Stanford_Tuck#Post-war_RAF_career
12. https://www.southendtimeline.com/19351946thewaryears.htm
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Southend_Airport#Early_years
.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Jun-2021 20:49	Dr. John Smith	Added
12-Jun-2021 20:51	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
12-Jun-2021 20:52	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
12-Jun-2021 21:21	TyBlBe	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]
17-Sep-2023 17:22	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]]