Date:	Tuesday 8 July 1947
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire F Mk XIV
Owner/operator:	107 MU RAF
Registration:	NH753
MSN:	6S 583891
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Mediterranean Sea, South of Rhodes, Dodecanese, South Aegean -   Greece
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:	RAF Kasfareet, (LG-212), Ismailia Governate, Egypt
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
NH753: Spitfire FR XIV, MSN 6S 583891. Built at Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) at Aldermaston with Griffon G65 engine. To 33MU RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire 28-2-45. To 82MU RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire 24-8-45 for packing and crating for shipment overseas. Shipped on the ss 'Ocean Gallant' 17-9-45, arriving India 14-10-45. Later (in early 1946) to 107 MU RAF Kasfareet, Ismailia Governate, Egypt

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 8-7-47 when the engine failed, the aircraft was abandoned, and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, South of Rhodes, Dodecanese Islands, South Aegean Region, Greece. The pilot was on a sortie from RAF Kasfareet, Egypt, and was flying on the fuel supplied by the drop tank, The engine cut out, and the FUEL WARNING light was illuminated. The pilot then operated the 'wobble pump' in order to re-start the fuel supply, but was unable to re-start the engine. Therefore, he opted to abandon the aircraft and bail out over the Mediterranean Sea, south of Rhodes, Greece.

The aircraft was not fitted with fuel booster pumps, and as such, should have only been flown on the fuel from the drop tank until it was approx. 80% empty, at which point the fuel supply should have been switched to the main tanks. Thus, the main cause of the incident could be attributed to 'pilot error' - in that the pilot mismanaged the fuel supply. As stated, the pilot bailed out, and was rescued.

Note: Some published sources claim that the aircraft involved was a Spitfire Mk. IX, and that the serial was "MK753". However, that is clearly an error - the serial MK753 was allocated to a Spitfire IX of 165 Squadron (coded 'MK-E') which was struck off charge on 3-2-47...several months before the above incident.

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.317
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain 1985)
4. 107 MU RAF Kasfareet ORB for the period 1-4-1947 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR29/1531: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101241
5. "RAF Write offs 1947": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No.2 1978: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1978.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p080.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/NH753
8. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/79979-nh753.
9. https://www.canalzoners.co.uk/RAF%20Kasfareet/Kasfareet%20-%20M%20Taynton.htm
10. https://107muassociation.weebly.com/1946.html
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-Aug-2023 22:02	Dr. John Smith	Added
30-Aug-2023 22:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated
31-Aug-2023 20:06	Nepa	Updated