On 30th September 1941 the pilot of this aircraft was undertaking a patrol of the coast around the north-west of Scotland and was flying in the Cape Wrath area when the aircraft suffered engine failure. The pilot was able to force land the aircraft on the remote beach at Sandwood Bay, in the Cape Wrath area. He was able to strip out some of the removable equipment from the aircraft before the tide ruined it. In April 2016 and through correspondance with his daughter she kindly asked her father for more details about the incident and I was able to update this webpage. Because of the location of the landing he was not able to leave the general area of the beach and the easiest way to rescue him was from the sea; both ends of Sandwood Bay have steep cliffs and also the area he made the landing was in very soft, wet sand. Before force-landing he must have transmitted his position as it only took some twenty minutes for an air-sea rescue aircraft to locate him. Supplies were later dropped from another 124 Squadron aircraft but with his position known a Navy destroyer was despatched to assist him, they sent a rowing boat to pick him up. He was stranded on the beach for around a day and a half before being rescued.

Service personnel at the Sheigra Royal Navy Wireless Direction Finding Station are listed as sending a party to assist.

Spitfire R7154 was a "presentation" aircraft and was paid for by the people of Accrington, it first flew on 26th February 1941 and passed to 124 Squadron on 7th May 1941 via 12 M.U. The main bulk of the aircraft was not removed from the beach before the tide came in and the sea destroyed it. Today the engine block, supercharger and propeller unit are still to be seen in the sand.

Pilot - Sgt Michael Plaistowe Kilburn RAFVR (1165266).

Today part of the propeller and Merlin engine still remain in the sands, which, from time to time still show themselves. Photographs on the internet show that the engine was visible in Summer 2008, In August 2009 I attempted to located the remains but heavy seas over Winter 2008-09 had apparently seen sand cover the area of the beach and therefore the aircraft wreckage was once again hidden from view.

The sands had changed by Easter 2012 when Morgan Morton visited the beach and spotted the engine supercharger.

I thank Morgan Morton for kindly supplying these photographs for inclusion on this webpage.

By Summer 2015 the sands had shifted again when Alistair Iveson visited the area and took these photographs of the engine, propeller unit and general area of the remains. I thank him for kindly supplying these two photographs.

Michael Kilburn received his commission on 4th November 1941. On 24th September 1942 he was awarded the DFC, the Citation for this reads.."This officer has participated in a large number of operational sorties. During the recent Dieppe operations, P/O Kilburn participated in four sorties. He is a skilful pilot, and has destroyed at least two and damaged several more hostile aircraft." He was also awarded the French Croix de Guerre during War for service over France, probably after D-Day. Rising through the ranks he flew with 316 Squadron and commanded 56 Squadron until May 1945. Hugh Halliday's awards research reports that "during the period 6th June 1944 until the liberation of Paris, F/Lt Kilburn was engaged in operations in No.11 Group area during which time he participated in 36 operational sorties in support of the invasion and liberation of France. F/Lt Kilburn is an outstanding flight commander who has led the squadron with much success”.

He remained in the RAF after the War and F/Lt Kilburn relinquished on 8th July 1952. He took up a position with Glosters as chief test pilot where he oversaw the development of the Meteor and the early Javelin before moving to DH and as chief test pilot of the ill-fated Comet aircraft. He moved to North America in the mid 1960's to carry out a similar role for De Havilland.

As a sequel to this incident on 20th June 2009 when the pilot of Rans Coyote G-CCLH was making a low pass on the beach to assess a landing the wheels of the aircraft touched the sand and the aircraft sunk into the sand. It stopped suddenly and tipped onto it's nose damaging the propeller. Before anything could be done the tide came in and it suffered salt water damage. The aircraft was later taken apart and carried out the four miles to the nearest road. This incident occurred some 200 metres from where the Spitfire engine is believed to be. The pilot of the Coyote, Mr Keith Brown, escaped injury. The photograph above featured in a number of newspapers at the time, the photograph below shows exactly the same place only five weeks after the incident when I was in the area on holiday.

Spitfire MD109 is also thought to have been force landed at Sandwood Bay on 20th April 1945.