Incident Supermarine Spitfire Mk I K9837,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 87279
 
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.

Date:Thursday 8 June 1939
Time:
Type:Silhouette image of generic SPIT model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Supermarine Spitfire Mk I
Owner/operator:41 Sqn RAF
Registration: K9837
MSN: 50
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:RAF Catterick, North Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase: Landing
Nature:Military
Departure airport:RAF Catterick, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:RAF Catterick, North Yorkshire
Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
Narrative:
Spitfire K9837: (c/n 50 - 50th production Spitfire)
05/01/39: Delivered to 41 Squadron at RAF Catterick, North Yorkshire

08/06/39: Written off in a wheels-up landing at RAF Catterick, North Yorkshire, after a night-flying exercise. According to the Air Accident Card, the pilot F/O (37715) H. Peter Blatchford forgot to lower undercarriage on approach: "landed with u/c retracted. Forgot to lower u/c".

The Form states that the station claxon had been switched off and the R/T was not working, so the pilot could not be warned of the fact his undercarriage was not lowered as he came in to land. The suggestion was therefore made by the investigating officer that some form of warning device should be fitted to the aircraft. The accident card notes that both the Squadron and Station Commanders concurred, feeling that such a modification was "essential before this type of accident will be eliminated." Additionally, a suggestion was made that the undercarriage might be linked to the flaps, instead of the pilot having to pump the undercarriage down with a lever.

As a result, the investigating officer found the “Pilot to blame but [that there were] mitigating circ[umstance]s.”

17/08/39: Struck Off Charge
17/08/39: Reassigned as ground instructional airframe: to 1628M at 2AAS, RAF Weeton
31/05/44: "Reduced to produce" (scrapped)

Sources:

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft K1000-K9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain,1976 page 79)
2. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p001.html
3. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?12516-41-Sq-Spitfire-forced-landing-before-WW2-N.Yorkshire
4. http://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/K9837
5. AM Form 1180 Air Accident Card, RAF Museum

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
05-Jan-2011 17:05 angels one five Added
25-Dec-2011 04:24 Nepa Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Location, Narrative]
10-Jan-2012 15:17 angels one five Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Location, Destination airport]
15-Jan-2012 01:59 Nepa Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Nature, Destination airport]
22-Jan-2012 19:14 angels one five Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative]
05-May-2012 11:36 Dr. John Smith Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
30-May-2012 00:19 Nepa Updated [Operator, Location]
04-Nov-2012 03:49 angels one five Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative]
17-Jan-2014 05:44 angels one five Updated [Operator, Nature, Narrative]
06-Jun-2015 20:06 Gun Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport]
18-Dec-2016 02:22 angels one five Updated [Location, Narrative]
29-Mar-2018 16:15 Dr. John Smith Updated [Location, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
06-Feb-2021 07:02 angels one five Updated [Narrative]
09-May-2022 07:46 Steve Brew Updated [Time, Source, Narrative]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org