Spitfire Crash Lands in Germany
A Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk XVIIIe SM845 of the Fliegerhorst GmbH & Co.KG crash-landed at Hildesheim Airport (EDVM) on Friday Afternoon. The pilot suffered minor injuries and the aircraft received substantial damage.
A very powerful Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined version of the Spitfire, the Mk XVIII saw all of its service post-World War Two, and mostly in places like the Far East and the Middle East. SM845 is an early production Mk XVIII Spitfire built at Chattis Hill in 1945 and delivered to 39MU.
In late 1945 the aircraft went to 46MU before being shipped to Karachi, arriving in early 1946 and received by the South East Asia Air Command. The aircraft was transferred to the Indian Air Force in late 1947 and served until the late 1950s.
She was acquired by Duxford-based Ormond and Wensley Haydon-Baillie in 1977 and shipped unrestored to California in 1978. Partially restored she returned to the U.K. Restoration was completed by Historic Flying Ltd in Audley End who acquired her and made her first post-restoration flight in 2000.
In 2009 the aircraft was sold to new owners in Sweden. Following a landing accident in 2010, she was acquired by Humberside Spitfire Ltd who contracted Historic Flying Ltd to carry out repairs. She flew again in 2013 wearing the colour scheme of 28 Squadron RAF.
In December 2020 she was sold through Platinum Fighters to Fliegerhorst GmbH & Co.KG and ferried from the UK to MeierMotors of Bremgarten, Germany by pilot John Romain.
Photo: Police Hildesheim
