BBMF Spitfire comes off runway during landing

A Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) came off the runway while landing at Coningsby on May 11.

Spitfire MK356 left the tarmac following a “minor technical fault” and was “brought swiftly to a halt on the grass”, a Royal Air Force (RAF) spokesperson told the BBC.

There was no further damage to the warbird or runway, and the pilot was not injured.

MK356 was built in 1944 and was fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 engine.
MK356 was built in 1944 and was fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 engine. Flickr Commons/Alan Wilson

The 78-year-old example was part of a batch of Mk IX Spitfires built at the Castle Bromwich factory in early 1944. It was fitted with full-span wingtips and a Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 engine with a two-speed, two-stage supercharger optimised for low altitudes, making it a low flying (LF) Mk LFIXe.

Joining the BBMF in 1997 wearing 443 Squadron code letters 2I-V, the aircraft also featured clipped wingtips. Full-span wingtips were added at a later date.

In 2017, MK356 was painted in desert camouflage, representing a Spitfire Mk IX of 92 Squadron in Tunisia in 1943.

Pictured are three aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) in the skies above Lincolnshire. Top left is Hurricane LF363, painted to represent 249 Squadron Battle of Britain Hurricane ‘GN-F’ on its port side. GN-F was the aircraft flown during the Battle of Britain by fighter ace Wing Commander Tom Neil DFC and Bar AFC AE LdH. 'SD-A' code letters on LF363's starboard side are the code letters of the 501 Squadron Hurricane flown by Paul Farnes DFM also during the Battle of Britain. Centre left is Lancaster PA474 wearing 460 Squadron (RAAF)'s AR-L on her portside and 50 Squadron VN-T on her starboard side. Right is a Spitfire MK356. 'MK' has been painted in a desert camouflage to represent Spitfire Mk IX EN 152/QJ-3 of 92 Squadron based in Tunisia during 1943.
Pictured are three aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) in the skies above Lincolnshire. Top left is Hurricane LF363, painted to represent 249 Squadron Battle of Britain Hurricane ‘GN-F’ on its port side. GN-F was the aircraft flown during the Battle of Britain by fighter ace Wing Commander Tom Neil DFC and Bar AFC AE LdH. 'SD-A' code letters on LF363's starboard side are the code letters of the 501 Squadron Hurricane flown by Paul Farnes DFM also during the Battle of Britain. Centre left is Lancaster PA474 wearing 460 Squadron (RAAF)'s AR-L on her portside and 50 Squadron VN-T on her starboard side. Right is a Spitfire MK356. 'MK' has been painted in a desert camouflage to represent Spitfire Mk IX EN 152/QJ-3 of 92 Squadron based in Tunisia during 1943. MOD Crown Copyright/Cpl Phil Major