As with other 2nd TAF units, No.350 squadron was stationed in Europe in early 1945 and in April RM689 suffered damage which required the attention of No.409 Repair and Servicing Unit. The damage must have been extensive, as it was transferred to No.151 Recovery Unit before being returned to Dunsfold. It returned to its squadron on the 12th July and continued in service until 14th January 1946, when it joined No.443 (RCAF) squadron. Two months later, on 20th March, it flew to No.29 MU High Ercall, where it was placed in store, remaining there until February 1949, when it was sold to the Ministry of Supply acting on behalf of Rolls-Royce Ltd, there it was registered as G-ALGT and given a C of A on 8th June 1950. Rolls Royce moved it to Hucknall where it was used for Griffon engine development work and then as a chase/high-speed/taxi/communications aircraft until relegated to display work in the mid-1960’s.
In 1967 it joined the cast of the Battle of Britain film and acquired a set of wing tips which it has since retained, it was restored in 1944 camouflage as “RM619” coded “AP-D” of No.130 squadron.
The 27th June 1992 was the annual RAF Association airshow at British Aerospace’s Woodford airfield and G-ALGT was booked to fly a solo demonstration. The weather at the time of the accident was fine with no significant cloud and a surface temperature of +25°C. The display line at Woodford was orientated along the runway 25/07. The pilot, David Moore flew the Spitfire to Woodford from East Midlands. As he intended to fly back to East Midlands Airport on completion of his display, the Spitfire was refuelled so it had full tanks.
At 2.54pm in front of a large crowd, G-ALGT took-off and the pilot positioned overhead Macclesfield to await his display slot at 3.03pm. He then commenced his routine on time. Three to four minutes into his display, the pilot slowed the aircraft for a low pass along runway 25 with the landing gear and flaps extended. Having completed an intentional go-around he then performed a number of low energy manoeuvres culminating in a shallow wing over in the region of the 07 threshold to position the aircraft for a low pass along Runway 07. This was flown at a height of about 50 feet and continued some 150 metres beyond the position previously used by the pilot as his display centre. At this point, at a speed of about 210 kt, the aircraft pulled up into a looping manoeuvre. Throughout this manoeuvre the engine was heard to maintain a steady note and subsequent analysis of video recording soundtracks indicated that the propeller control had been set for an engine speed of 2400 RPM. Visual evidence from the video recordings also indicated that the RPM had remained stable throughout the manoeuvre.
The display was observed by several practising display pilots who considered that the aircraft was being flown in a spirited but not unreasonable manner. They considered that the entry speed was insufficient for a full loop and assumed that, as he passed the inverted position, the pilot intended to roll out of the manoeuvre into normal flight. This assumption was reinforced when the height achieved by the aircraft at the inverted position was seen to be too low for the loop to be completed. The pilot continued to pull through from the inverted position, however, in an attempt to complete the loop. Initially the rate of pitch was normal but, at about 150 ft, the pitch rate was seen to increase rapidly. The Spitfire then achieved a level attitude before striking the runway at 3.08pm. There was an intense fireball which lasted for some three seconds fuelled by the full tanks of fuel G-ALGT carried.
The emergency services were quickly on the scene and were able to extinguish several small fires before they took hold. Wreckage was thrown along the runway and on to the flat grassed area along its southern side. The airframe broke into its major components with sections of it coming to rest at between 800 and 900 feet from the initial impact point and the engine at about 1600 feet. The Spitfire’s wings, rear fuselage and the fuel tank section of the forward fuselage, though heavily damaged, separated as intact structures but the cockpit suffered complete disintegration and the pilot was thrown out. As a result David Moore received fatal injuries and died at the scene.
The wreckage of G-ALGT was recovered to AAIB HQ at Farnborough and examined. They confirmed as far they could the pre-impact integrity of the structure and the primary flying controls. No evidence was found that there had been any failure in the airframe or any failure or restriction in the controls which could have been a factor in the accident. The conclusions therefore lead to pilot error as the cause.
The Spitfire was flown for displays by Rolls Royce employed pilots. David Moore normally flew executive jet aircraft for the company and he regularly displayed the Spitfire on their behalf throughout the display season. He had been displaying the Spitfire since 1983 and had accumulated about 70 hours on type up to the time of the accident. Displays by G-ALGT were restricted to non-aerobatic manoeuvres until June 1990, when the wing spars were replaced. Thereafter looping manoeuvres were introduced into the display sequence. Since the re-sparing of the wings, the pilot had flown a total of 15 displays and practice displays. His last display before the accident had been on 4 May 1992.
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