Date:	Thursday 8 January 1948
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	203 AFS RAF
Registration:	SM301
MSN:	CBAF.IX.3385
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Chivenor, Barnstaple, Devon, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Chivenor, Barnstaple, Devon
Destination airport:

Narrative:
SM301: Spitfire LF XVI, MSN CBAF. IX. 3385.Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M266 engine. Delivered to 9MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 2-11-44. To 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron, RAF Abbotsinch, Renfrewshire 23-11-44. Cat. C accident 28-12-44; repaired on site and returned to service. 602 (City of Glasgow) disbanded on 15-5-45 at RAF Coltishall, Norfolk. Presumed stored until issued to 61OTU RAF Keevil, Trowbridge, Wiltshire 12-1-46

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 8-1-48 in a wheels-up landing at RAF Chivenor, Barnstaple, Devon. One of two very similar incidents on the same day (8-1-48) at the same airfield (RAF Chivenor) with the same unit (203 AFS, RAF) and the same aircraft type (Spitfire LF. XVI)

The tyre on the starboard undercarriage burst on the take-off run from RAF Chivenor. Despite this, the pilot opted to take-off and continue the sortie (air to ground gunnery firing sortie) in order to discharge the 'live' ammunition on board. Having completed the sortie, the pilot returned to base, and due to the damage of the undercarriage on the take-off run, opted to make a wheels-up landing at RAF Chivenor. The pilot was apparently uninjured.

Not repaired: Struck off charge as Cat. E (G/I) and relegated to ground instructional airframe 6553M 10-5-48

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.360
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 203 AFS ORB for the period 1-6-47 to 31-12-50: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/1771: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101481
5. "RAF Write offs 1948": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No.1 1979: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p100.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/SM301
8. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/90267-sm301
9. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=SM301
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._602_Squadron_RAF#Second_World_War
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Chivenor#1946%E2%80%941949

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-May-2023 17:21	Dr. John Smith	Added
03-May-2023 18:27	Nepa	Updated