One Response to “That Poor Spitfire”

1. RoadRich says:

   June 18, 2017 at 2:13 PM

   I thought I saw this on an aviation website I was poking around at on Monday, but hadn’t clicked through. Per our discussion last night, it could either have been an error with the main gear or braking, or poor management of the tailplane.
   I took another look at this today, and saw that the first plume of dirt came from centerline, which means that’s the point where the propeller first contacts the field. It seems much more like an error managing the tailplane – in other words, improper preparation for the takeoff run, or a sudden quartering tailwind, may have allowed wind to scoop the tail up and ruin the day. It is in fact clear that the tail is not configured the way I would have expected it.
   I saw a report today that explained it did in fact take place during the aircraft’s takeoff roll, which doesn’t change the possibilities all that much compared to landing.