Date:	Sunday 19 December 1948
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk XIV
Owner/operator:	612 (County of Aberdeen) Sqn RAF
Registration:	TX981
MSN:	6S-676451
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Dyce, Aberdeen, Scotland -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Dyce, Aberdeen, Scotland
Destination airport:	RAF Dyce, Aberdeen, Scotland

Narrative:
TX981: Spitfire FR XIV, MSN 6S-676451. Built at Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) at Keevil, Trowbridge, Wiltshire with Griffon G65 engine. To 33MU RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire 11-9-45. To 76MU RAF Wroughton, Wiltshire 26-9-45 for crating and shipment overseas. Shipped on the SS 'Clan MacBrayne' 22-11-45 to the Far East. Not required, returned to 76MU RAF Wroughton for re-erection at an unknown date (presumed early 1946). To 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron, RAF Biggin Hill, Kent 5-7-48. To 612 (County of Aberdeen) Squadron, RAF Dyce later in 1948

Written off (damaged beyond repair) when crash-landed on approach to RAF Dyce, Aberdeen 19-12-48: the pilot allowed the aircraft to undershoot on approach to RAF Dyce, and then failed to apply sufficient power to arrest the descent. The Spitfire then struck the ground short of the runway at RAF Dyce, with the undercarriage fully lowered, but it was still badly damaged.

Not repaired; struck off charge as FACE (Flying Accident Cat. E) 19-12-48.

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.457
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 612 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-6-46 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2518/3: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8423116
5. "RAF Write offs 1948": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No.1 1979: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p114.html
7. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/80175-tx981
8. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=TX981
9. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/TX981
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._615_Squadron_RAF#Post-war
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._612_Squadron_RAF#Post-war:_on_Spitfires_and_Vampires
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_Airport#Early_years

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Aug-2023 19:18	Dr. John Smith	Updated