Date:	Sunday 4 May 1952
Time:	15:05 LT
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIX
Owner/operator:	THUM Unit (Temperature & Humidity Unit fy.Short Bros)
Registration:	PM549
MSN:	6S/683460
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Woodvale, Southport, Lancashire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Woodvale, Southport, Lancashire
Destination airport:	RAF Woodvale, Southport, Lancashire (EGOW)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
PM549: Spitfire PR.XIX. Delivered to the RAF at 6MU Brize Norton 30-6-45. To RAF Benson 24-8-45. To 2 Squadton, RAF BAFO (British Armed Forces of Occupation) 22-11-45, at RAF Celle, Lower Saxony, West Germany. To 1 BRSD 23-8-48. To Short Bros & Harland, Rochester, Kent 10-4-51

Spitfire PM549 "A" of the Temperature and Humidity Monitoring Flight (THUM Flight), RAF Woodvale, was written off 4-5-1952: The pilot was experiencing problems with his radio, and decied to return to base (RAF Woodvale, Southport, Lancashire) and land to have the radio repaired. He began a steep turn on the final approach to Woodvale at 300 feet, with the wheels and flaps down, during which time the aircraft stalled, rolled onto its back, and dived into the ground. The pilot was killed. Spitfire PM549 was Struck Off Charge the same day as Cat.5(s)

Crew of Spitfire PM549
Flying Officer (172080) Kenneth Gordon Samuel HARGREAVES, RAF (pilot, aged 36) - killed 4-5-1952

The THUM Flt was formed at Hooton Park in April 1951, operated by Short Brothers and Harland, under the control of RAF Home Command, flew its first sortie from RAF Hooton Park on 1-5-1951. Flying Spitfires PR.XIXs, the unit soon moved to RAF Woodvale where it remained for the next 7 years. The THUM Flight made its ascents over Worcester, and most were made at 15:00 GMT The job was to carry out meteorlogical flights for the Central Forcasting Office at Dunstable. Thus freeing up RAF Units that had done the job beforehand.

The first three aircraft used were Spitfire XIXs PM549, PM577 & PM652 (Coded "A" "B" and "C" respectively). Later they had PM631, PS853 & PS915. All three of the latter machines are still extant and flying today. The flight moved to Woodvale in July 1951. The last Spitfire sortie was flown on 10 June 1957, the last operational flight by an RAF Spitfire anywhere in the world, some 21 years after the prototype had flown. After that date, DH Mosquito's took over the job.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, United Kingdom: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4. p 125)
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.244
3. http://derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/13753/thum-flight-1953-woodvale-speke?page=1&scrollTo=72035
4. https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/71335-t-h-u-m-flight
5. https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/494165-thums-spitfires.html
6. http://www.south-lancs-aviation.bravepages.com/Woodvale%20Incidents.htm
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p089.html
8. https://www.aerosociety.com/media/4853/the-meteorological-research-flight-and-its-predecessors-and-successors.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
20-Sep-2013 03:24	JINX	Added
28-Jan-2014 23:23	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
23-Apr-2014 08:26	angels one five	Updated [Operator, Narrative]
23-Apr-2014 08:33	angels one five	Updated [Operator, Narrative]
27-Mar-2015 17:36	Jixon	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
20-Jun-2018 15:47	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport]
22-Feb-2021 22:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport]
06-Mar-2021 14:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative]
06-Mar-2021 14:53	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]