Date:	Monday 1 April 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire F Mk 21
Owner/operator:	1 Sqn RAF
Registration:	LA219
MSN:	SMAF.4364
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Hutton Cranswick, East Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Tangmere, Chichester, West Sussex
Destination airport:	RAF Hutton Cranswick, East Yorkshire

Narrative:
LA219: Spitfire F.21. Built at SMAF (South Marston Aircraft Factory) with MSN SMAF.4364. Griffon 61 engine. Test flown (possible first flight) by Flight Lieutenant Johnson (Vickers Armstrongs South Martson) for 20 minutes on 30-12-44. Delivered to CRD (Controller Research & Development) charge at Vickers Armstrong (Supermarine) at Eastleigh, Hampshire by P/O Twitabias ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) 4-1-45 for Griffon 85 Rotol contra/prop installation (Type 373 FXIV).

To Rotol, Staverton 31-5-45. To VAHPA (Vickers Armstrong High Post Airfield) 5-6-45 for modifications. Returned to Rotol 15-6-45 for modified spinner installation with oil ring on lead edge of rear shell to prevent oil slinging.

To A&AEE Boscombe Down by/on 31-7-45 for handling trials during August 1945. Then used for carbon monoxide cockpit contamination tests, including 100 hours test flying. Later fit fabric elevators (later metal) trials in September/October 1945.

Transferred to RAF charge, and first issued to 1 Squadron, RAF Tangmere. Chichester, West Sussex, as 'JX-B' on 25-10-45

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 1-4-46. On final approach to land, the flaps blew up, and the aircraft was forced to make a flapless landing, which meant that the approach and landing were too fast. Spitfire LA216 overshot on landing, and hit a hedge at RAF Hutton Cranswick, East Yorkshire.

Damaged initially assessed as FACB (Flying Accident Cat. B): re-cat FACE (Flying Accident Cat. E) and Struck Off Charge 20-4-46

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.35 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.113
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft LA100-LZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 1 Squadron ORB (Operational Record Book) for the period 1-1-46 to 31-12-50: National Archives (PRO Kew) file AIR 27/2388/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8418929
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.97: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p053.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/LA219
8. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/79431-la219
9. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=LA219
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._1_Squadron_RAF#Second_World_War
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Hutton_Cranswick#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Jun-2021 22:47	Dr. John Smith	Added
28-Jun-2021 08:20	Koreckt	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]
05-Jul-2023 17:51	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]]
16-Sep-2023 14:37	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[[Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Operator]]]