Date:	Saturday 6 July 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk IX
Owner/operator:	225 Sqn RAF
Registration:	PV315
MSN:	CBAF.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Campoformido, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Udine -   Italy
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Campoformido, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Udine, Italy
Destination airport:	Campoformido, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Udine, Italy
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
PV315: Spitfire LF. IX. Built by CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M66 engine. To 39MU RAF Colerene, Chippenham, Wiltshire 2-10-44. To 215MU RAF Locharbriggs, Dumfries 12-10-44 for packing and crating for overseas shipment. To 1 PATP and shipped on the 'LS.1353' 24-10-44, arriving Casablanca, Morocco 3-11-44. To 40 Squadron SAAF by 31-12-44 coded "WR-D". Struck Off Charge 23-8-45, but brought back on charge by MAAF (Mediterranean Allied Air Forces) 30-8-45 for Middle East Air Command. To 225 Squadron, Campoformido, Udine, Italy coded "WU-J" by 1-7-46

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 6-7-46 in a wheels-up landing Campoformido, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Udine Italy. The aircraft landed with its undercarriage retracted due to pilot error; the pilot simply forgot to check that the undercarriage was 'down and locked' during final approach!

Damage assessed as Cat. E 6-7-46. Not repaired, and Struck Off Charge 31-10-46 as Cat. E2(FA)

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.179
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 225 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-7-1946 to 31-7-1947: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/1398/37: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8395163
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.101: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p094.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/PV315
8. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/87706-pv315
9. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=PV315
10. https://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?11328-No-40-squadron-SAAF-Spitfire-1945-ITALY&p=66192#post66192
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._225_Squadron_RAF
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campoformido

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Jun-2023 19:33	Dr. John Smith	Added
18-Jun-2023 20:58	Nepa	Updated