Date:	Wednesday 18 June 1947
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	CBE RAF
Registration:	SL563
MSN:	CBAF 5677
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Marham, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Marham, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF Marham, Norfolk

Narrative:
SL563: Spitfire LF.XVI, MSN CBAF 5677. Built by CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M266 engine. Delivered to 33 MU RAF Lyneham 23-8-45. Issued to the CBE 7-3-46 (CBE - Central Bomber Establishment, Marham).

Written off 18 Jun 1947, when the pilot (Air Commodore John Herbert Thomas Simpson, CO RAF Cottesmore) was flying Spitfire SL563 of the Central Bomber Establishment on a practice flight when, on approaching to land, he discovered he could not select the undercarriage down and was forced to carry out an emergency wheels up belly (skid) landing at RAF Marham, which he managed successfully. For his actions he received the Air Force Cross.

SL563 was not repaired; instead struck off charge and sold scrap Eyre Smelting 10-3-48

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 p311
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain 1985 page 5)
4. CBE RAF ORB for June 1947: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR29/1323: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101033
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/p099.html
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Simpson_(RAF_officer)#Royal_Air_Force
8. http://www.rafweb.org/Biographies/Simpson_JHT.htm
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Marham#Cold_War_(1946%E2%80%931982)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Dec-2014 15:43	Dr. John Smith	Added
31-Mar-2015 18:49	Unites	Updated [Operator, Location]
14-May-2023 19:25	Nepa	Updated [[Operator, Location]]
14-May-2023 21:48	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[[Operator, Location]]]
31-Aug-2023 03:31	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[[[Operator, Location]]]]
31-Aug-2023 20:05	Nepa	Updated [[[[[Operator, Location]]]]]