Spitfire P8548 at Catterick airfield.
At 16.10hrs on 14th November 1941 this 145 Squadron aircraft overshot on landing at Catterick and ran into a ditch, this caused the aircraft to flip onto it's back. The pilot was inexperienced on the Spitfire type. He appears to have sustained serious head and back injuries though went on to continue his flying gaining a commission and surviving the war. The aircraft received repairable damage.
Pilot - Sgt Joseph Rae Smith RAFVR (1062995). Injured.
Spitfire P8548 was built to contract B.981687/39 by Vickers Armstrong’s Ltd, at Castle Bromwich and was delivered to 24 MU at Ternhill on 14th June 1941. The aircraft was initially allocated to 64 Squadron (at Drem) on 21st July 1941 but on the same date it was taken on charge by 222 Squadron at Southend. The aircraft then moved to North Weald with 222 Squadron on 18th August 1941 but on 30th August 1941 it was transferred to 145 Squadron at Catterick. As a result of the damage sustained at Catterick on 14th November 1941 repairable Cat.B/FA damage was the assessment and it was taken away for a repair in works on 22nd November 1941. Following repair at No.1 C.R.U. at Cowley it was eventually taken on charge by No.1 CACU at Detling on 20th July 1942. The aircraft appears to have sustained some form of minor damage on 26th September 1942 which resulted in Cat.A(c)/FA damage, the aircraft was repaired on site and returned to the unit. On 14th April 1943 the aircraft was involved in a midair collision over Kent with Spitfire AD388 of 132 Squadron. Spitfire P8548 crashed near Sittingbourne and was destroyed with Cat.E2/FA Burnt damage being recorded on the paperwork.