Aerial display group's first Spitfire flight from RAF Coningsby since fatal crash

Ready for take-off -- the MkXIX Spitfire PM631 all set for its post-maintenance air test flight from RAF Coningsby. (PHOTO BY: Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight)

placeholder image — Ready for take-off -- the MkXIX Spitfire PM631 all set for its post-maintenance air test flight from RAF Coningsby. (PHOTO BY: Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight)

A Spitfire has flown for the first time from the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF), based at RAF Coninsgby, since a fatal crash in May.

The RAF temporarily grounded all aircraft belonging to the BBMF after the death of a pilot, Squadron Leader Mark Long, a 43-year-old father of two daughters, who was killed when the Spitfire he was flying plunged into a nearby field.

But now the BBMF has confirmed that a MkXIX Spitfire PM631 “completed a partial post-maintenance air test flight on Wednesday, which we hope to complete in the coming days and in addition to currency flying”.

This is a later mark of the Second World War plane, powered by the Rolls-Royce Griffon engine rather than the Merlin engine that powered the 80-year-old Spitfire MK356 that was being flown by Sqn Ldr Long.

A BBMF spokesperson added: “After an extensive, major maintenance programme and detailed safety assessment, the Spitfire PM631 was ready to take to the skies again for the first time since 2021.

“We look forward to her being a familiar sight around RAF Coningsby as the pilots regain flying currency over the coming months.

"At this time, Merlin-powered Spitfires and Hurricanes remain in a flying pause while the investigation into the accident continues.”

The BBMF, inaugurated in 1957, is an aerial display group of wartime fighter and bomber aircraft regularly seen at public and military events, as well as State and royal occasions, every summer.

In a special tribute paid by the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight, the code letters on the side of this Spitfire now spell out the name LONG. (PHOTO BY: Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight)

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The death of Sqn Ldr Long, who lived in Lincolnshire, was the first-ever fatality involving a BBMF aircraft and sent shockwaves across the country. The Prime Minister and members of the royal family were among those who conveyed heartfelt sympathy.

The crash also triggered a full probe by the Defence Accident Investigation Branch which is still ongoing. Sqn Ldr Long’s inquest is expected to resume next month.

Among the tributes that have been paid to Sqn Ldr Long, described by colleagues as a “passionate, professional aviator”, is a decision by the BBMF to paint new code letters on the starboard side of one of its Spitfire aircraft.

A Spitfire TE311, which he probably flew the most during his four years with the group, now bears the letters L-NG which, with the RAF roundel in between the L and the N, appears as LONG.