Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire.

Spitfire N3196 at Catterick Airfield.

On 26th April 1940 this aircraft hit a sector light on the approach to land at Catterick which damged the undercarriage and the aircraft overturned on landing. The pilot was uninjured. The events surrounding this incident are very similar to that of the 13th April involving Spitfire N3102 and the same pilot; it is possible that the events which resulted in the damage to N3102 were infact the one which saw N3196 damaged.

Pilot - Sgt Isaac Edward Howitt RAF (580341), of Grantham. Uninjured.

Isaac Howitt was born in December 1911, he joined the RAF around September 1936 as a trainee pilot. After training he was posted to 41 Squadron in August 1937. He was commissioned in October 1941 and survived the War having risen to F/Lt. He died in Leeds in 1963.

Spitfire N3196 was built to contract 527113/36 by Vickers Armstrong's (Supermarine) Ltd at Woolston and first test flown on 27th November 1939. It was delivered to 27 MU (ASU) at Shawbury on 2nd January 1940 and issued to 41 Squadron at Catterick on 14th April 1940. It sustained Cat.R/FA damage in the incident detailed above and after inspection by 60 MU it was dismantled and transported to AST Ltd at Hamble on 5th May 1940 for repair. On completion of the repair on 26th August 1940 it was flown to 9 MU at Cosford and then issued to 603 Squadron at Hornchurch on 3rd September 1940 for use during the Battle of Britain. on 7th September 1940 it was shot down by a Bf109 and force landed at Sutton Valence with the pilot being uninjured but Cat.R/FB was sustained and it again was sent to AST Ltd at Hamble for repair three days later. On completion of the repairs it was flown to 39 MU at Colerne (ASU) on 8th February 1941 and then issued to 57 OTU at Hawarden on 7th August 1941. It then went back to AST Ltd at Hamble for unspecified reasons on 2nd January 1942 and was awaiting collection on 16th May 1942 to be then flown to 38 MU at Llandow on 3rd June 1942 and issue to 57 OTU at Hawarden on 4th September 1942. It moved with this unit to Eshott on 10th November 1942 but on 8th December 1942 it suffered unspecified Cat.A(c)/FA damage at Eshott and was then repaired on site and returned to the unit on 12th December. On 9th April 1943 it dived into the ground at Shotley Bridge, Northumberland killing the pilot. Cat.E2/FA damage being sustained and it was written off.