Date:	Sunday 12 December 1948
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire F Mk XIVe
Owner/operator:	613 (City of Manchester) Sqn RAF
Registration:	RM851
MSN:	6S-507237
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Ringway, Cheshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Ringway, Cheshire
Destination airport:	RAF Ringway, Cheshire

Narrative:
RM851: Spitfire FR. XIVe, MSN 6S-507237. Built at Vickers-Armstrong Supermarine with Griffon G65 engine. Delivered to 30MU RAF Sealand, Flintshire 15-10-44. To 430 ("City of Sudbury") Squadron, RCAF 30-11-44. To storage from 31-8-45 when 430 Squadron RCAF disbanded in BZG, West Germany. Next issued to 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron, RAF Ringway, Cheshire coded 'RAT-Y' from 12-8-48

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 12-12-48: the pilot made a bad approach to RAF Ringway, Cheshire, and opted, correctly, to overshoot on the approach, go around again, and attempt to make a circuit, followed by a second approach. However, the Spitfire had landed in soft ground, and the undercarriage had sunk slightly into the soft ground. As a result, the aircraft failed to become airborne again, with the propellor tips striking the ground, and the Spitfire ground looped and 'nosed over', sustaining severe damage.

Not repaired; declared FACE (Flying Accident Cat. E) and Struck Off Charge 2-3-49.

613 (City of Manchester) squadron reformed on 10-5-46 at RAF Ringway (now Manchester Airport), as a fighter squadron within Reserve Command. The unit's home was in Ringway's Hangar No.7, which had been completed for the squadron in spring 1940, a few months after leaving the airport for wartime service elsewhere. No. 613 Squadron was initially equipped with Supermarine Spitfire FR.14s, replacing these in November 1948 by the higher performance Mark F.22s. North American Harvard aircraft were used in the dual training role. The Spitfires and their volunteer flying and ground crews were frequently detached to RAF Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, and other RAF stations, for weekend exercises alongside regular RAF squadrons

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.454
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 613 Squadron ORB for the period 12-6-1946 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2520: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505158
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/p096.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/RM851
8. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=RM851
9. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/102243-rm851
10. 613 Squadron Spitfire at Ringway August 1948 (including RM851/"RAT-Y"): https://www.airhistory.net/photo/9213/RM851
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/430_Tactical_Helicopter_Squadron#History
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._613_Squadron_RAF#Postwar_operations
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Ringway#Post_war

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
09-Apr-2023 14:10	Dr. John Smith	Added
14-Aug-2023 19:36	Dr. John Smith	Updated