Britain’s Royal Air Force will ground a fleet of World War II-era aircraft following a deadly crash of one of its Spitfire fighters, the warplane famous for resisting the German Luftwaffe in the 1940 Battle of Britain.
A Spitfire flown by squadron leader Mark Long crashed in the English town of Coningsby on Saturday afternoon, according to British officials. The plane was preparing for a flyover when it went down. Although emergency rescuers responded quickly, Long’s injuries were deemed not survivable and he was declared deceased at the crash site.