Spitfire Mk. XIV RM 927 on its nose May 30, 2025

[kenair]

Spitfire Mk.XIV RM927 went on its nose today May 30th, 2025 at the Parentis airport located in south east France.
While landing, the mark fourteen Spitfire encountered a freshly filled shallow trench and ended up on its nose and destroying the propeller .
No injuries are reported.
The incident involved a Spitfire MK. XIV manufacturer's number 6S-381758 , tail letters RM927 , French registration F- A Y X X and is currently owned by W Air Collection in France.
The incident occurred at the Parentis aerodrome near the town of Biscarrosse. Biscarrosse is located 65 kilometers south of Bordeaux, France or five hundred and fifty kilometers south east of Paris.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh79QQxgah0

[Xrayist]

A question. I know that when, say a P-51 has a prop strike, it can damage the engine and usually requires a careful look and/or repair. Seeing as the Spitfire's prop is wood and seems to break/shatter on impact, does that negate any damage to the engine?

[JohnTerrell]

Here's the full scoop from the owner, W Air Collection, via Instagram:

"Yesterday [May 30th], during taxiing after landing at Biscarrosse, our Spitfire Mk XIV encountered an unmarked ground defect near the edge of the runway. The aircraft came to a stop. Most importantly, the pilot is completely unharmed. The area in question had recently undergone construction work on the runway and its surroundings. However, it appears no inspection was carried out before reopening—neither for the surface nor for signage. Due to the lack of any visible warnings, all visual cues seemed to direct traffic toward this exit that was half ON the runway. Unfortunately, that path led into an extremely soft area containing a concrete slab and drainage grid (part of it on the runway), concealed beneath a layer of sand. The aircraft's wheels struck the obstruction and the plane tipped forward. We appreciate the concern and kind messages from our community. The aircraft will be assessed and repaired by our team ASAP, and we’ll share updates when appropriate but we are confident to bring her back to the sky in a couple of weeks. An official investigation is underway, and we respectfully ask everyone to avoid speculation or assumptions about the event. Let those who were present—and the proper authorities—do their work."

[DH82EH]

A question. I know that when, say a P-51 has a prop strike, it can damage the engine and usually requires a careful look and/or repair. Seeing as the Spitfire's prop is wood and seems to break/shatter on impact, does that negate any damage to the engine?

The fact that the propeller disintegrates, makes for less damage to the engine. It still needs to be deeply inspected. There's a supercharger in there, spinning at about ten times crankshaft speed. Bringing that to a halt in a few rotations is pretty hard on it.

[David Legg]

References to 'south-east' in the lead piece should read 'south-west''.

[Archer]

I remember a Mk.IX doing something like that at EHLE many years ago. It was back flying within weeks. The prudent thing to do is indeed a thorough inspection of your engine but I understand that it is a less invasive one as when you do this with a metal prop.

[Xrayist]

A question. I know that when, say a P-51 has a prop strike, it can damage the engine and usually requires a careful look and/or repair. Seeing as the Spitfire's prop is wood and seems to break/shatter on impact, does that negate any damage to the engine?

The fact that the propeller disintegrates, makes for less damage to the engine. It still needs to be deeply inspected. There's a supercharger in there, spinning at about ten times crankshaft speed. Bringing that to a halt in a few rotations is pretty hard on it.

Thank you for your response.