Spitfire P7967 near Catterick airfield.
On 5th June 1941 this 41 Squadron aircraft damaged it's undercarriage on a attempted landing at Catterick during a night-landings practice flight. One of the main wheels
broke off and the remaining leg jammed down and dispite various attempts by the pilot to shake the leg up, including flying inverted, the pilot was ordered to a
bandon the aircraft after climbing to 12,000 feet. The aircraft crashed in the region of one and a half miles south-west of Catterick airfield at 00.45hrs and
the pilot landed without injury. Strangely this incident is not mentioned in a list I have access to compiled with police records in the North Riding, had this
aircraft crashed away from the aerodrome this would have been likely, given the pilot baled out and the aircraft was probably destroyed other similar incidents
are covered in the police records. If this location is correct it would be between the villages of Hornby and East Appleton.
Pilot - Sgt Raymond Chapman (971230).
Steve Brew's 41 Squadron research gives extra information as to Sgt Chapman. He was born in the Durham area in May 1917 and was posted to 41
Squadron in April 1941. On 12th August 1941 he was shot down over France and taken PoW.
Spitfire P7967 was built as a MkIIa to contract B981687/39 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd at Castle Bromwich. It was delivered to 45 MU at Kinloss
on 24th February 1941 and then issued to 41 Squadron at Catterick on 5th April 1941. Following the incident above Cat.E2/FA was recorded and the
aircraft was struck off charge on 11th June 1941. I thank Graham Sharpe and Steve Brew for their input in this webpage.