Date:	Thursday 30 March 1939
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk I
Owner/operator:	41 Sqn RAF
Registration:	K9855
MSN:	68
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
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

Narrative:
First Flown 26 Jan 1939, delivered to 41 Squadron 4 Feb 1939 at RAF Catterick, North Yorkshire.

Written off (damaged beyond economic repair) when it overshot the runway on landing at RAF Catterick 'under no wind conditions [with the] ground wet after rain" [AM1180 Flying Accident Card]. The aircraft hit the airfield boundary hedge and tipped onto its nose, 30 Nov 1939.

The pilot was 33403 Plt Off Peter Reginald Whalley WICKHAM (26 Mar 1918-29 Apr 1970), who was on his first operational posting, to 41 Squadron RAF, since graduating RAF College, Cranwell, in Dec 1938. This was only Wickham's eighth hour on the Spitfire and the cause was determined to be 'inexperience on type' [AM1180 Flying Accident Card]. He was not injured.

Though dying at the age of 52, Wickham had an illustrious 24-year career with the RAF, and became a fighter Ace of over 17 victories. He was awarded a DFC in Jul 1941, a second in Aug 1942, a DSO in Aug 1945, and a U.S. Silver Star in Jun 1946. He commanded several squadrons in the UK, Middle East and Far East, worked in the Air Ministry, and was for a period in the late 1950s the British Air Attaché in Berne, Switzerland. He retired as a Group Captain in Mar 1961.

Spitfire I, K9855, was later coded 'DL-R' and assigned to Ground Instructional Duties on 6 Nov 1939. To 1646M at 1AAS Manby, Lincolnshire, and struck off charge 6 Nov 1939.

1. AM1180 Flying Accident Card, RAF Museum, Hendon
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft K1000-K9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1976 page
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p001.html
4. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?12516-41-Sq-Spitfire-forced-landing-before-WW2-N.Yorkshire (rtrvd Aug 22)
5. http://brew.clients.ch/pilotsw23-39.htm#WICKHAM (rtrvd Aug 22)
6. Biplane Fighter Aces from the Second World War, The Commonwealth, ‘Wing Commander Peter Reginald Whalley Wickham DSO DFC and Bar, RAF no. 33403’, http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/commonwealth_wickham.htm (rtrvd Aug 22)
7. Group Captain Peter Reginald Whalley Wickham DSO DFC* USA Silver Star, https://www.americanairmuseum.com/sites/default/files/media/media-51028.pdf & https://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/241076 (rtrvd Aug 22)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Jan-2011 20:28	angels one five	Added
06-Jan-2011 20:30	angels one five	Updated [Narrative, ]
20-Nov-2011 11:45	angels one five	Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Narrative, ]
25-Dec-2011 05:59	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Nature, Destination airport, ]
10-Jan-2012 16:21	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Nature, Destination airport, ]
15-Jan-2012 02:17	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Nature, ]
22-Jan-2012 19:48	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, ]
07-May-2012 13:03	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 00:31	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, ]
05-Nov-2012 00:04	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative, ]
10-Oct-2013 08:28	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, ]
16-Nov-2013 08:44	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Narrative, ]
29-Jan-2014 23:49	angels one five	Updated [Operator, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Narrative, ]
06-Jun-2015 20:16	Gun	Updated [Operator, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
24-Jun-2018 21:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
06-Oct-2018 05:27	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Operator, ]
06-Feb-2021 21:45	angels one five	Updated [Time, Location, Narrative, ]
04-Aug-2022 09:10	Steve Brew	Updated [Date, Source, Narrative, Photo, ]