At 11.55hrs on 11th December 1942 this aircraft was making a landing at Sherburn following a ferry flight from Vickers Armnstrong Ltd at Castle Bromwich to join No.45 Maintenance Unit at Kinloss. As the No.7 Ferry Pilot Pool, A.T.A. pilot was about to make a landing at Sherburn in Elmet (probably to re-fuel) he saw two men appear from behind an obstruction and who then stood in his path. Instead of flying off and making a circuit of the airfield or making a second attempt to land on a clear runway he opted to land the aircraft on this first approach. The aircraft landed heavily and the undercarriage collapsed but was later repaired.
Pilot - FO Philip Lambert Gibbs ATA (M.479).
Philip Gibbs died in the Swindon area in 1980.
Spitfire JG714 was built to contract B.981687/39 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Castle Bromwich and after test flying was allotted to 45 M.U. at Kinloss. It was awaiting collection on 11th December 1942 and was collected by a pilot from 7 F.P.P. (based at Sherburn in Elmet). On landing at Sherburn later in the day on 11th December 1942 the damage resulted and after assessment Cat.B/FA damage was recorded. It was dismantled and sent for repair at a factory but which factory is not yet known. On 14th August 1943 it was flown to 82 M.U. at Lichfield for dismantling and packing for overseas service. On 3rd November 1943 it arrived 304 M.U. (304 M.U. was an aircraft erection unit) at Santa Cruz airfield, Bombay. In India nothing more of it's service is known until it was recorded as missing on Ops on 5th February 1944. Cat.E(m) was recorded and it was written off.
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