Spitfire P8168 at Catterick airfield.
On the 22nd of July 1941 this aircraft landed at night at Catterick but struck a protruding edge of the runway, this caused a tyre to burst which then resulted in the undercarriage collapsing.
Similar circumstances had already caused similar damage to Spitfire P3162 earlier in the month. The soil at the edge of the concrete had sunk causing the edge to be slightly raised. It was also the pilots second
mishap at Catterick in less than a month. The aircraft was repaired.
Pilot - Sgt Alan L Bull RAAF (400219), uninjured.
Alan Bull was born in Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia in February 1918. He enlisted in Melbourne. He arrived at 41 Squadron in early
June 1941, the incident detailed above was the third of three mishaps he had within a month while at Catterick.
On 12th August 1941 he was shot down over France and captured and held as a PoW. In April 1945 he was part of well documented forced marches, he escaped and walked back to the Allied lines. He survived the War and died in 1997. Thanks to Steve Brew's 41 Squadron research for this information. His great uncle was with Alan Bull when he escaped.