Date:	Wednesday 26 June 1940
Time:
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk I
Owner/operator:	602 (City of Glasgow) Sqn RAF
Registration:	N3190
MSN:	431
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Kitchen Moss, Pentland Hills, south of Balerno, Midlothian, Scotland -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Drem, East Lothian
Destination airport:	RAF Turnhouse, Lothian

Narrative:
N3190: Spitfire Mk.Ia (c/no. 431) First Flown 23-11-39. Delivered to 24 MU 4-12-39. Issued to 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron 3-5-40 as LO-P; damaged ops aircraft abandoned over Pentland Hills Midlothian 26-6-40. SOC 2/7/40


According to a published biography of the pilot, Flying Officer John Galloway Edward Haig for this period:
"In the early hours of 26th June 1940 Turnhouse was bombed by German intruder aircraft. Haig was airborne at this time and may have shared in the destruction of a He.111 ten miles south of Dunbar, the Heinkel was also attacked by Flight Lt. A.V.R Johnstone, also of 602 Squadron.

With his fuel running low, Haig requested permission to land at Turnhouse, base of 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron. This was refused because of the possibility of German intruders still being in the area and preventing the switching-on of the flare path.

Haig therefore turned away to open country; shortly afterwards his engine failed and as it was too dark to attempt a forced landing he baled out, spraining an ankle on landing. His Spitfire crashed at Harperrigg Reservoir, at Kitchen Moss, Pentland Hills, south of Balerno, Midlothian.

Having convinced a local farmer that he was not German, Haig was taken back to Turnhouse by the farmer in his lorry, it ran into a bomb crater when near the aerodrome!"

The reported crash location of Harperrig Reservoir is a reservoir in West Lothian, Scotland, UK, to the west of the Pentland Hills, four miles south of Mid Calder, at approximate Coordinates 55°50′0″N 3°26′40″W.

Note that the official Air Ministry file (AIR 81/994) is in error: It states "Spitfire N3190 crashed in France [*sic], 26 June 1940. Flying Officer J G E Haig: injured". The actual crash location was over 400 miles away!

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air britain, 1977 p 18)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/994: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502445
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p003.html
4. http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Haig.htm
5. First of the Few: 5 June - July 1940 By Brian Cull
6. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showpost.php?p=6218&postcount=2
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harperrig_Reservoir

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Aug-2008 11:29	Anon.	Added
18-Aug-2011 01:08	Uli Elch	Updated [Nature, Narrative]
04-Dec-2011 19:52	angels one five	Updated [Cn, Phase, Nature, Narrative]
26-Dec-2011 12:29	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
28-Dec-2011 06:13	Nepa	Updated [Operator]
04-Nov-2012 21:36	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Narrative]
03-Oct-2019 20:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
04-Oct-2019 06:29	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]