At 14.25hrs on 6th December 1942 this 403 Squadron aircraft landed at Catterick airfield following an airtest flight and at the end of the landing run the pilot accidentally retracted the undercarriage. The undercarriage collapsed and it was damaged. Spitfire P8742 was used frequently by 403 Squadron in the weeks prior to 18th October 1942 and then not again until 6th December 1942 when this airtest was flown. It may have been serviced in the weeks between 18th October and 6th December 1942 or had suffered damage in an unrecorded and different incident around 18th October 1942.
Pilot - P/O Harry James Dowding RCAF (J/16027).