Spitfire K9988 at Leconfield airfield.
On 21st February 1940 this Spitfire collided with another aircraft at 14.15hrs at Leconfield airfield while the Spitfire
was being scrammbled. The other aircraft is believed to have been Magister N3859 and was struck whilst the pilot of this Spitfire was trying to
avoiding hitting a Battle. The collision caused damage to both aircraft, deemed enough to write both off at a later date.
A second Spitfire may also have been involved in the accident but is this was the case its identity is not known nor is it properly recorded
The collision is mentioned in 60 MU's ORB, and they recovered K9988 on 24th February 1940. The pilot of the other aircraft was
almost certainly killed and is named on the specific webpage.
Pilot - F/O John Swift Bell RAF(Aux) (90051), of Lincoln. Uninjured.
John Bell joined 503 (Aux.) Squadron in 1935 and received his commission to P/O on 22nd April 1935 in the Reserve. 503 Squadron was disbanded in November 1938 and
absorbed into 616 Squadron which was a bomber squadron at the time but later transferred to Fighter Command in December 1938. He was called up when War was declared. In June 1940
he was shot down over Dunkirk but baled out and was picked up by the Royal Navy. He was credited with damaging a Heinkel HeIII over Yorkshire on 1st July 1940.
He was Mentioned in Despatches on an unknown date. F/O John Bell was sadly killed on 30th August 1940 flying Spitfire X4248 during the Battle of Britain. His aircraft crashed on approach to land at West Malling after being in combat with an Me109. He was twenty three years old and is buried in Eastgate Cemetery, Lincoln.
Spitfire K9988 was built to contract 527113/36 by Vickers Armstrong's (Supermarine) Ltd at Woolston and first test flown on 23rd May 1939. It was delivered to 66 Squadron
at Duxford during the same day. It then transferred to 616 Squadron based at Leconfield on 14th November 1939 during the squadrons conversion from Battles to Spitfires. Following
the incident detailed above Cat W/FA damage was recorded and after assessment by 60 MU it was deemed beyond repair and was struck off charge on 16th March 1940. It is also of
note that there is no mention of this accident or incident on the aircraft's record card but the incident is recorded in the ORB. It had flown a total of 84.30 hours.