Date:	Tuesday 10 September 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	63 Sqn RAF
Registration:	TE453
MSN:	CBAF.IX.4587
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Ottenbüttel, district of Steinburg, Schleswig-Holstein, BZG -   Germany
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
TE453: Spitfire LF. XVI, MSN CBAF.IX.4587. Built by CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M266 engine. To 29MU RAF High Ercoll, Shropshire 22-6-45. To MacLarens at HAL (Heston Aircraft Ltd), Heston, Middlesex 18-2-46. To 65 Squadron 20-3-46. To 164 Squadron 15-8-46. After the surrender of Germany on 8-5-45, 164 squadron returned to the United Kingdom and was renumbered 63 Squadron RAF on 31-8-46. Officially, transferred to 63 Squadron on 3-9-46

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 10-9-46 when wrecked in force-landing at Ottenbüttel, district of Steinburg, Schleswig-Holstein, BZG, West Germany. The engine of Spitfire TE453 failed while the aircraft was engaged in a low flying training sortie, with the pilot briefed to fly at a maximum altitude of 300 feet.

When the engine failed, the pilot climbed the Spitfire to an altitude of 1,500 feet in order to gain enough altitude and time for an attempt to restart the engine, or position for a safe forced landing. However, the Spitfire's engine could not be restarted, and the aircraft again descended to 300 feet agl (above ground level). The pilot then selected a suitable open space near Ottenbüttel in which to make a 'wheels-up' forced landing.

The cause of the engine was later discovered to be the free rotation of the auxiliary tank control wheel, which allowed the fuel to flow from the front fuel tanks, which would normally feed fuel to the engine collector tank, back into the rear fuel tanks, causing fuel starvation to the engine (even though there was an adequate amount of fuel on board). The pilot apparently survived the forced landing without injuries

Damage assessed as Cat E 10-9-46. Not repaired Struck Off Charge 26-9-46 as Cat. E(FA)

The location of this incident was Ottenbüttel, is a municipality in the district of Steinburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.51 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.214
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. ORB 63 Sqdn RAF for the period 1-9-1946 to 31-1-1947: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2427/19: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8420234
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.103: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p112.html
7. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/90903-te453
8. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/TE453
9. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=TE453
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._65_Squadron_RAF#Post_war
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._164_Squadron_RAF
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._63_Squadron_RAF#Post-war:_enter_the_jets
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottenb%C3%BCttel

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Sep-2023 09:14	Dr. John Smith	Added
14-Sep-2023 09:15	Dr. John Smith	Updated
14-Sep-2023 17:50	Nepa	Updated