Just to flesh out my
Spit pilots had a name for such prop strikes, "Pecking"
From "Spitfire - The History", Morgan & Shacklady.
The Mk. VIII was fitted with the Merlin 60 Series engines which resulted in a longer engine cowling (the first of the "long nose" aircraft) and there was a tendency for pilots on landing to misjudge their attitude to the runway, and allowed the nose to tilt forward and then drop back to complete the landing run. Inevitably, the tilt forward resulted in the propeller striking the ground and damaged the tips. This was known as ‘pecking’ or ‘bogging’. JG246 was sent to Rotol Airscrews for installation and trials of a cropped propeller to determine how short the blades could be without their characteristics being drastically altered. At 8ft 3in length there was a reduction in overall performance and at 7ft 1 lin this reduction became pronounced. A normal prop was of 10ft 9in diameter.
The results of the experiments were relayed to the service Maintenance Units and they did enable engineering personnel to ascertain if an aeroplane with a broken or damaged propeller could be air ferried for repair.
The very first Spit (prototype) was destroyed in a "pecking" incident, having flown 151:30 hours, the pilot suffering injuries that later proved fatal.