Date:	Friday 15 February 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk XIVe
Owner/operator:	16 Sqn RAF
Registration:	MT852
MSN:	6S 643784
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near RAF Celle, Lower Saxony, West Germany -   Germany
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Celle, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Destination airport:	RAF Celle, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
MT852: Spitfire FR. XIVe, MSN 6S 643784. Built by Vickers Armstrong's (Supermarine) at Keevil, Trowbridge, Wiltshire with Griffon G65 engine. To 33MU RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire 29-3-45. To 84GSU 12-4-45. To 268 Squadron 19-4-45 at Twente. In April 1945 268 squadron, at that time under the command of Squadron Leader C.T. P Stephenson DFC, moved from Mill to Twente in the Netherlands and commenced re-equipment with the Supermarine Spitfire FR. XIVe, a dedicated reconnaissance version of the Rolls-Royce Griffon engine variant of the Spitfire, which was used alongside the remaining Mustangs, at that stage a mix of a limited number of Mustang Mk. IA and larger number of Mustang Mk. II aircraft. The squadron used these up to and after VE Day in May 1945. After VE-Day the squadron continued on as a part of the occupying Allied forces and moved to Celle in late May 1945

Next issued to 16 Squadron: On 19-9-45, as a part of the general restructuring of the post-war RAF and repatriation home of Commonwealth aircrew, 268 squadron was disbanded at Celle in Germany and reformed/renumbered as 16 Squadron RAF at the same location

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 15-2-46 when flew into a tree descending out of low cloud on approach to RAF Celle, Lower Saxony, West Germany. The pilot lost control of his aircraft while low flying in cloud, probably due to being disorientated. The aircraft dived sharply out of cloud, but the pilot was unable to pull out of the dive in time, and the Spitfire struck trees before disintegrating. The pilot was killed.

Crew of Spitfire MT852
Flying Officer (177688) George Albert Cook, RAFVR (pilot, aged 22) killed on active service 15-2-46, buried at Celle War Cemetery, Celle, Landkreis Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany

Aircraft Struck Off Charge at 35WSU 28-2-46 as Cat. E(FA)

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.37. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.77
3. Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999.
4. 16 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-2-1946 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2399: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505037
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.95: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2101471/george-albert-cook/
7. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18496822/george-albert-cook
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p075.html
9. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=MT852
10. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MT852
11. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/79867-mt852
12. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/wardead/details.php?qnum=9147
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._16_Squadron_RAF#Second_World_War
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._268_Squadron_RAF#Second_World_War
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celle_Air_Base#Allied_occupation_1945_until_1957
.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Jul-2023 00:46	Dr. John Smith	Added
14-Jul-2023 01:04	Dr. John Smith	Updated
14-Jul-2023 07:50	Nepa	Updated
17-Sep-2023 17:13	Dr. John Smith	Updated