Date:	Tuesday 27 August 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk IX
Owner/operator:	8 OTU RAF
Registration:	MK683
MSN:	CBAF.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Chalgrove, Oxfordshire
Destination airport:	RAF Chalgrove, Oxfordshire

Narrative:
MK683: Spitfire HF.IX, built by CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M70 engine. To 9MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 5-4-44. To 118 Squadron, Skeabrae, Orkneys. On 10-3-44, 118 Squadron, moved back to Skeabrae, remaining in the Orkneys for four months.

118 Squadron moved south again in July 1944, flying escort missions over Normandy from RAF Detling, Maidstone, Kent until August. The Squadron moved to RAF Westhampnett in Sussex at the end of August, and to RAF Manston in September, flying escort missions for Bomber Command's heavy bombers during daylight raids. Spitfire MK683 sustained a Cat C (Repairable) accident on operations 1-11-44; re-cat E 16-11-44 and struck off charge.

The short-range Spitfire was not ideal for the long-range escort missions now required, and in January 1945 118 Squadron, by now based at RAF Bentwaters, re-equipped with the longer-ranged North American P-51 Mustang. However, MK683 was brought back on charge 9-3-45 and refurbished for further service. Next issued to 8 OTU RAF Chalgrove, Oxfordshire 14-8-45.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 27-8-46 when swung on landing, ran off the runway and tipped up onto its nose at RAF Chalgrove, Oxfordshire. During a sortie from RAF Chalgrove a piece of Perspex (a compass deviation card) fell out of its stowage onto the cockpit floor, and then became lodged beneath and behind the Spitfire's rudder bar.

On landing back at RAF Chalgrove, the aircraft developed a swing off the runway, which the pilot attempted to correct by applying the rudder. However, the Perspex compass correction card was 'wedged' behind the rudder bar and restricted movement of the rudder controls. The Spitfire then ran off the runway on landing and tipped up onto its nose.

Damage assessed at Cat. E 27-8-46. Not repaired and Struck Off Charge 26-9-46 as Cat. E(G/I). To ground instructional airframe 6162M at RAF Benson. Oxfordshire 26-10-46

8 OTU was formed on 18-5-42 at RAF Fraserburgh, by merging the Photographic Reconnaissance Conversion Flight of 3 School of General Reconnaissance, RAF Squires Gate and 'K' (Photographic Reconnaissance Advanced Training) Flight of 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (1PRU), RAF Detling. It was part of No. 17 Group Coastal Command. It trained aircrew on a wide range of photo-reconnaissance aircraft, including the Supermarine Spitfire and de Havilland Mosquito. It was disbanded when it became 237 OCU on 1-8-47

Chalgrove Airfield (ICAO: EGLJ) is a former Second World War airfield in Oxfordshire, England. It is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north-northeast of Benson in the heart of South Oxfordshire between Henley and Oxford; about 42 miles (68 km) north-northwest of London.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.47. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.204
http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p071.html
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft MA100-MZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 8 OTU RAF ORB for the period 1-5-42 to 31-7-47: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/637: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4100346
5. RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.103: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p071.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MK683
8. http://www.sonsofdamien.co.uk/spitfire%201.htm#MK683
9. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/80500-mk683
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._118_Squadron_RAF#Second_World_War
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._237_Operational_Conversion_Unit_RAF
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Royal_Air_Force_Operational_Training_Units
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalgrove_Airfield#Royal_Air_Force_use

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
08-Jun-2023 20:26	Dr. John Smith	Added
09-Jun-2023 08:19	Nepa	Updated
14-Sep-2023 16:25	Dr. John Smith	Updated