Spitfire X4662 near Hotham, Market Weighton.
On 6th April 1941 this 485 Squadron aircraft was belly landed in a ploughed field around a mile north of the village of Hotham, near Market Weighton when the engine cut out
during a training flight. The pilot was not injured and was able to exit his aircraft and telephone his base from a farm near to his position. 485 Squadron were
formed at Driffield in early March 1941 and were working up to being fully operational for the weeks after formation, it was crewed with many New Zealand nationals.
The aircraft was repaired and written off following a fatal crash in Yorkshire later in the year.
Pilot - P/O Richard Barrett RNZAF (391324).
Eleven days after this incident the pilot belly landed another Spitfire at Driffield airfield. F/Lt Barrett was killed flying Mustang FX993 with 65 Squadron on
17th May 1944, he is buried in Frederikshavn Cemetery, Denmark and was twenty four years old.
Spitfire X4662 was built to contract B.19713/39 by Vickers Armstrong's (Supermarine) Ltd. at Woolston and was first test flown on 1st November 1940 and was
flown to 9 MU at Cosford on 8th November 1940. On 20th December 1940 it was taken on charge by 611 Squadron at Rochford and on 27th January 1941 it moved with
the unit to Hornchurch. On 15th March 1941 it transferred to 485 Squadron at Driffield and as a result of the incident detailed above Cat.A/FA damage was recorded,
it was dismantled and returned to Driffield for repair and was back on charge with 485 Squadron on 25th May 1941. On 25th June 1941 it was transferred to 61 OTU
at Heston then on 17th July 1941 it transferred to 131 Squadron at Catterick. On 27th July 1941 Cat.E2/FA damage was recorded when the aircraft broke up during
aerobatics and crashed near Northallerton with the then pilot being sadly killed. It was struck off charge on 1st August 1941 when the paperwork went through.