Date:	Wednesday 18 December 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire F Mk 21
Owner/operator:	2 FP RAF
Registration:	LA187
MSN:	SMAF.4332
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Atcham, 5 miles east of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:	RAF Aston Down, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire
Destination airport:	RAF Cosford, Shropshire

Narrative:
LA187: Spitfire F.21, MSN SMAF.4332. Built at HPA (High Post Airfield) with Griffon G65 engine. First Flight 27-1-44. Third prototype Supermarine Type 356 Spitfire F.21. Retained by manufacturers for flying trials 1-4-44 of Griffon G61 installation at South Marston (pilot Alex Henshaw). Initially fitted with Spitfire Vc type wing. Taxi trials 13-7-44 and tests to determine of Centre of Gravity 22-7-44. Test flights by Jeffrey Quill, Furlong Shea-Simmonds, and Banner 7-44 until 1-45. Large chord metal rudder installation 12-8-44. Cockpit hood and port door blew away during dive 16-8-44. Began spinning trials 9-10-44 at A&AEE Boscombe Down 7-1-45, followed by weights and Center of Gravity loads; returned to VA HPA (Vickers Armstrong High Post Airfield). Returned to A&AEE Boscombe Down 3-3-45 for positional error climb and level speed and cooling trials. Cat. B accident 17-12-45. To ASTH (Airwork Service Training Hamble) for repairs and modifications. To 2FPP (Ferry Pilots Pool) at RAF Aston Down, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire for transfer to 9MU RAF Cosford 18-12-46

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 18-12-46: pilot became lost and force landed on disused airfield at RAF Atcham, 5 miles (8 km) east of Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Overshot runway on approach, struck 6-pounder guns and wrecked. Struck off charge 9-1-47 as Cat. E(FA) (Colour scheme PR blue upper deep sky under)

RAF Atcham was returned to the RAF Flying Training Command on 14-3-45 becoming a satellite of RAF Tern hill. RAF Atcham was abandoned on 22-10-46 and disposed of on 20-1-58

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft LA100-LZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1988)
2. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
3. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.258
4. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.104: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p053.html
6. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/LA187
7. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/79399-la187
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire_(Griffon-powered_variants)#Mk_21_(type_356)
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Atcham#Back_to_Royal_Air_Force_control

Supermarine Spitfire F Mk21, 3rd prototype LA187 February 1944 pic.twitter.com/uYvkiHN3ah

— Ron Eisele (@ron_eisele) February 27, 2023

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
25-May-2023 08:18	Nepa	Updated
10-Sep-2023 10:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated