Date:	Tuesday 18 February 1947
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk XVIII
Owner/operator:	208 Sqn RAF
Registration:	TZ215
MSN:	6S 676551
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Em Shemer, Shomon Region, 6 km east of Hadera, Palestine -   Israel
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Em Shemer, Shomon Region, Palestine
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
TZ215: Spitfire FR XVIII, MSN 6S 676551. Built ay Vickers Armstrong (Supermarine) at Keevil, Trowbridge, Wiltshire with Griffon G67 engine. To 33MU RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire 30-1-46. To 16FU (Ferry Unit) RAF St. Mawgan, Cornwall 5-6-46. To Mediterranea Air Command (Middle East) 17-7-46. To 208 Squadron RAF, which was based at Em Shemer, Shomon Region, 6km east of Hadera, Palestine between 6-6-46 and 26-3-48 with the Supermarine Spitfire.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 14-2-47 when crashed on takeoff at Em Shemer, Shomon Region, 6km east of Hadera, Palestine. During the take-off run, the Spitfire swung off to the side of the runway, into soft ground, and came to a halt after sinking into the soft ground and then tipping up on its nose. The Spitfire was a write off, but the pilot - Sgt King - survived with minor injuries

Damage assessed as Cat E 14-2-47. Not repaired, Struck Off Charge 3-3-47 as Cat. E2(FA)

RAF Ein Shemer was a Royal Air Force station in Palestine between 1942 and 1948. Before 1948 it was operated by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) as RAF Ein Shemer. During this time, "RAF Ein Shemer was the largest military airfield in the country" and hosted "seven...RAF squadrons and 1,500 RAF personnel. It served as the workplace for as many as 600, mainly Arab, workers. This made it, in the opinion of its Commanding Officer, 'the largest camp of its sort for civilian labour in the Middle East'"

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.271
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. ORB 208 Sqn RAF for the period 1-1-1946 to 31-12-1949: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2465: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505103
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/p114.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/TZ215
8. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/80467-tz215
9. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=TZ215
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._208_Squadron_RAF#After_World_War_II
11. Oral History of 208 Sqn in 1948-49: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80032975
12. 208 Squadron Association Newsletter: http://www.naval8-208-association.com/History1945-50Page09.html
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramat_David_Airbase#RAF_Ramat_David
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ein_Shemer_Airfield#RAF_Ein_Shemer

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Sep-2023 00:59	Dr. John Smith	Added
06-Sep-2023 16:42	Nepa	Updated