Date:	Friday 25 January 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk IX
Owner/operator:	380 MU RAF
Registration:	ML306
MSN:	CBAF.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Pisa Airport, Pisa, Tuscany -   Italy
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Udine, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Destination airport:	Pisa Airport, Tuscany, Italy
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
ML306: Spitfire LF IX, built by CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M66 engine. To 8MU RAF Little Rissington, Gloucestershire 29-5-44. To 132 Squadron 15-6-44. To GAL (General Aircraft Ltd) 10-11-44 at Hanwell, Middlesex for modifications. To 1 OADU (Overseas Aircraft Delivery Unit) 28-1-45. To MAAF (Mediterranean Allied Air Forces) 2-2-45. To 7 Squadron SAAF in the Middle East in March 1945. The squadron remained in Egypt for a few months, and then in April 1944, equipped with Spitfire Mk IX, rejoined No. 7 Wing in Italy. After the surrender of German forces in Italy, the squadron was sent to the Far East, but the war in the East ended before the squadron could be deployed. It then returned to Ceylon and thereafter back to South Africa. It was disbanded on 10-9-45

To 380MU Udine, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, in September 1945. This unit was formed on 16-5-45 as a 'X' MU for the storage and disposal of equipment, including aircraft and MT, from other disbanding or redeployed units

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 25-1-46 when crashed at Pisa, Tuscany, Italy; while landing at Pisa in a strong crosswind, the aircraft swung to starboard, and ground looped, causing the undercarriage to collapse. While the pilot was uninjured, the aircraft was written off as Cat. E(FA)

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.29 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.49
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft MA100-MZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. ORB 380 MU RAF for the period 1-6-1945 to 31-12-1946: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR29/1085/6: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7162585
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.94: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._132_Squadron_RAF
7. 7 Sqn SAAF ORB for March 1945; National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/108/7: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8407338
8. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/86502-ml306
9. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/ML306
10. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=ML306
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_Squadron_SAAF
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisa_International_Airport

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
23-Jul-2023 16:32	Dr. John Smith	Added
23-Jul-2023 16:39	Dr. John Smith	Updated
23-Jul-2023 16:49	Nepa	Updated
18-Sep-2023 12:08	Dr. John Smith	Updated
23-Sep-2023 20:21	Nepa	Updated