Spitfire IXT (MJ627/G-BMSB), which operated for the Irish Air Corps as ‘158’, was damaged in a forced landing in Kent on Saturday evening. The aircraft is operated by Warbird Experiences Ltd,. based at Biggin Hill. In a statement, the company said: “We are aware of an incident involving one of our Spitfire aircraft in the vicinity of Hythe. We have spoken to the pilot who has advised that a precautionary landing was made at a non-airfield site. The pilot and passenger are uninjured and at this stage we have no further information.”
The company offers a range of warbird flights from its base at Biggin Hill and from other airfields around the UK. They have 11 aircraft in total including 4 x Spitfires, a Hispano H1112, a Hawker Hurricane, 2 x P-51 Mustangs, 2 x Piper PA32’s and a Eurofox.
History of 158 / MJ627 (From Key.Aero)
Following service with No 441 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, where it was coded 9G-Q, MJ627 suffered a recorded Cat E accident, later reclassified as Cat B. Repaired, it was placed in storage with No 29 Maintenance Unit at High Ercall, remaining there until July 1950 before being sold back to Vickers-Armstrongs for conversion to two-seat configuration.
A Merlin 66 engine (serial 157821/445721), built in August 1943, was fitted to the modified airframe on 11 May 1951. On completion of the work 11 days later it had class B factory markings G.15-171 applied to the fuselage sides. The aircraft was then taken for a 30-minute flight by a company test pilot at Eastleigh. After a second, 20-minute sortie on 24 May, all was found to be satisfactory. It was delivered to the Irish Air Corps as 158 on 5 June 1951 and allocated to the Flying Training School. During January 1958 it went to the Fighter Squadron at Gormanston for four weeks for some pilot continuation training.
Following retirement in April 1960, 158 was used as an instructional airframe by the Technical Training Squadron at Baldonnel until offered for sale the following year. Acquired by John Crewdson of Film Aviation Services Ltd, the Spitfire was transported to Biggin Hill in November 1963 and offered for sale at £1,500 in Flight International. It remained unsold and dismantled, although it was placed on the British civil register as G-ASOZ on 19 February 1964. Purchased first by Tim Davies, it was sold to Maurice Bayliss on 7 September 1976. He registered the aircraft as G-BMSB on 3 May 1978. MJ627 made its maiden post-restoration flight on 8 November 1993, once again carrying No 441 Squadron codes. Today it is registered to Warbird Experiences Ltd and based with the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar.
