Date:	Tuesday 27 July 1948
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk IX
Owner/operator:	EFS RAF
Registration:	MH367
MSN:	CBAF 5487
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Hullavington, Chippenham, Wiltshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Hullavington, Chippenham, Wiltshire
Destination airport:	RAF Hullavington, Chippenham, Wiltshire

Narrative:
MH367: Spitfire LF. IX, MSN CBAF 5487. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M61 engine. Delivered to 65 Squadron coded 'YT-C' 7-8-43. Cat C accident 9-10-43. To 410 RSU 18-12-43 for repairs. Next issued to 229 Squadron, RAF Detling, Kent 3-9-44. To 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF Bradwell Bay, Essex 16-12-44 coded 'DU-Z'. The last combat flight for MH367 was on 18-4-45 escorting 822 Lancasters to Heligoland (VE day was 8-5-45).

Damaged and repaired on site 5-7-45. To ASTH (Airwork Service Training, Hamble) 7-12-45 for repairs and installation of Merlin M63 engine. Next issued to EFS (Empire Flying School) Hullavington, Chippenham, Wiltshire 11-4-47

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 27-7-48 when swung on landing and undercarriage collapsed at RAF Hullavington, Chippenham, Wiltshire. The cause of the accident was attributed to the pilot's inexperience; the landing on 27-7-48 was at the end of pilot's first solo flight on a Spitfire

Damaged initially assessed at Cat. B 27-7-48. However, repairs cancelled and Re-cat E 17-8-48 and struck off charge. As described above, in 1948 MH367 suffered a serious landing accident and was scrapped as it was deemed surplus to supply. Its remains were discovered 40 years later and was incorporated into a Spitfire two-seat project that was underway at the time in the USA. MH367’s first post restoration flight was in November 2006 and was painted in the colours of a Mk. V Spitfire (ER570) flown by Major Robert Levine of the 4th Fighter Squadron, 52nd Fighter Group, United States Army Air Force in Tunisia 1943.

It was then sold to current owner Doug Brooker and arrived in New Zealand early May 2008 and registered as ZK-WDQ (WD-Q was ER570’s squadron code). Since then, MH367 has displayed at all major NZ air shows and is a frequent flier at Ardmore Airport (mostly adventure flights). She is currently painted in the colours of EN520, an 81 Squadron RAF Spitfire that was flown by New Zealand’s highest scoring Ace, Colin Gray.

MH367 is the only two-seat dual control Spitfire in the southern hemisphere and as such allows members of the public the opportunity of flying in Supermarine’s beloved fighter for themselves.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.80. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.434
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p063.html
4. Empire Central Flying School ORB for the period 1-4-1942 to 31-5-1949: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR29/628: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4100337
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/p063.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MH367
8. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=MH367
9. https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=18700
10. https://warbird.co.nz/brochure/spitfire.pdf
11. https://nzwarbirds.org.nz/our-collection/second-world-war/supermarine-spitfire-tr-9/
12. https://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/g-aidn-two-seat-supermarine-spitfires/air_supermarine-spitfire_mh367/
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_Supermarine_Spitfires#New_Zealand
14. https://nzcivair.blogspot.com/2008/06/spitfire-zk-wdq.html
15. https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/83123-spitfire-tr-ix-mh367
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_College_of_Air_Warfare#History
17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Hullavington#History

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

3 December 2009	ZK-WDQ	Lasbrook Holdings Limited	0	Ardmore Airport, Auckland		sub
Bounced on landing

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Apr-2023 21:24	Dr. John Smith	Added
09-May-2023 21:12	Nepa	Updated
20-Aug-2023 01:36	Dr. John Smith	Updated