News arrived yesterday about Spitfire landing accident at Ardmore Airport, south of Auckland, New Zealand. Rare two-seater Spitfire TR Mk. IX MH367 came to a heavy landing and struck the ground shattering the propeller and causing the undercarriage to give way. The aircraft bounced and then skidded on its belly, ending up digging its nose in the ground at the side of the runway.

Fortunately, the pilot Doug Brooker, although shaken by the event, has walked away unscathed. Mr. Brooker is also the owner of the aircraft, which currently is one of only two airworthy Spitfires in New Zealand. It was imported from the US last year, and at the time I reported about bizarre incident with the US customs which considered this machine to be a military export!

Sadly, this wasn’t the only incident suffered by the aircraft. Earlier this year it suffered a heavy forced landing on Hood Aerodrome.

Press articles about this accident can be found under the following links:

• $3m Spitfire overshoots landing strip
  see also picture gallery attached to this article
  [New Zealand Herald]
• Rare Spitfire crash lands in Sth Auckland
  [TVNZ]
• WWII spitfire fighter plane crash
  [Stuff.co.nz]
• Pilot fine but Spitfire damaged
  [NZ City]