7 December 2022
Carolyn Grace, former Spitfire pilot, has been killed in a car accident in Australia.
An announcement was made by Daisy Grace, Carolyn’s daughter-in-law, this morning: “It is with great sadness that we must announce that Carolyn Grace has been killed in a car accident on Friday the 2nd of December 2022. This is a traumatic, and unexpected, loss to all of us and at this time we would like to request that you respect the family’s privacy.”
Carolyn took on operating and flying the Grace Spitfire, ML407, after her husband Nick Grace was killed in a car accident in 1988.
Nick, an engineer as well as a pilot, rebuilt the Spitfire over five years and first flew it in 1985. ML407 is an important aircraft, flying more than 176 operational missions during WWII including combat on D-Day over Normandy.
Carolyn told the BBC in 2011, ” To keep our Spitfire operational and keep it for the embodiment of my husband I had to learn to fly it. There had to be another Grace in the cockpit.”
Carolyn made her first solo flight in the Spitfire in 1990 and went on to earn her Display Authorisation and flew the aircraft at airshows and flypasts. ML407 is currently operated by Ultimate Warbirds.
4 comments
This is very sad news. My condolences to her family and all in the warbird community.
The Directors, Members and Volunteers, of the Wight Aviation Museum at Sandown Airport on the Isle of Wight, were shocked and saddened to hear of the untimely death of Carolyn, yesterday, and wish to express their sincere condolences to her family and close friends. She will be greatly missed in the world of aviation and particularly as a well known Spitfire pilot.
What bitter irony that both her and her husband were killed in car accidents. A sad loss for us all.
Caroline was my inspiration to get my Pilots licence. I couldn’t believe the news when I heard what had happened. As bob said what a bitter irony.