Date:	Thursday 24 July 1947
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire F Mk XIV
Owner/operator:	17 Sqn RAF
Registration:	RM985
MSN:	6S 381781
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Nakaumi Lake, off Miho Airbase, 11 km NW of Yonago, Tottori Prefecture -   Japan
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Iwakuni Air Base, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
Destination airport:	Miho Airbase, Yonago, Tottori Prefecture. Japan
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
RM985; Spitfire F. XIV, MSN 6S 381781. Built by Vickers Armstrong (Supermarine) at Keevil, Trowbridge, Wiltshire with Griffon G65 engine. To 9MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 5-2-45. To 215MU RAF Locharbriggs, Dumfries 25-2-45 for packing and crating for overseas shipment. Shipped on the ss 'Fort Camosun' 17-3-45, arriving India 11-5-45. Shipped to Japan 26-9-46. To 17 Squadron RAF in October 1946. In April 1946, No. 17 Squadron arrived in Japan to form part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. The squadron remained here until it disbanded on 23-2-48.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 24-7-47 when engine cut on overshoot, and aircraft ditched into a seawater lake off Miho Airbase, Yonago, Tottori Prefecture. Japan.

The subsequent Board of Inquiry discovered that the ground crew had failed to properly secure the filler cap on the glycol coolant tank. This led to a loss of coolant, the remaining coolant 'boiling' and the Spitfire's engine to severely overheat. The pilot attempted to make an immediate landing at Miho Airbase, but approach too fast, and therefore attempted to overshoot and 'go around again'. However, during the attempted overshoot, the Spitfire's Merlin engine failed completely, and the pilot was forced to ditch into a seawater lake (Nakaumi Lake) off Mido Airbase. The pilot was apparently rescued, and sustained only minor injuries

Nakaumi (中海) is a brackish lake located between Tottori and Shimane prefectures in Japan. The lake is enclosed by the Shimane Peninsula to the north and Yumigahama Peninsula to the east. It is the fifth largest lake in surface area in Japan.

Miho Airbase (美保飛行場) (IATA: YGJ, ICAO: RJOH), also known as Yonago Airport is now a Japan Air Defense Force (JASDF) base located 11 km northwest of Yonago in Tottori Prefecture. It is owned and operated by JASDF and shares the runway with civil activities. Hence it is known to the military as "Miho Airbase" and as "Yonago Airport" for civil operations.

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.323
3. Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
4. 17 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-4-1946 to 23-2-1948: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2400: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505038
5. "RAF Write offs 1947": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No. 1978: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1978.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p097.html
7. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/102088-rm985
8. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=RM985
9. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/RM985
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._17_Squadron_RAF#Post-War
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miho-Yonago_Airport#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-Aug-2023 11:40	Dr. John Smith	Added
30-Aug-2023 11:41	Dr. John Smith	Updated
30-Aug-2023 18:09	Nepa	Updated