Date:	Saturday 25 May 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Seafire Mk III
Owner/operator:	AFEE RAF
Registration:	NN313
MSN:	WA.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Beaulieu, East Boldre, 2 miles west of Beaulieu, Hampshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Demo/Airshow/Display
Departure airport:	RAF Beaulieu, East Boldre, Beaulieu, Hampshire
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
NN313: Seafire Mk III (built by Westland Aircraft at Yeovil). Delivered to RNDA (Royal Naval Depot Aircraft) 26-8-44. Issued to 801 Squadron, FAA RN 11-44 to 12-44. To 880 Squadron FAA RN 1-45. Damaged when collided with Seafire Mk III NN320 1-2-45 (Pilot: Sub-Lt T F Scott). After repairs, issued to 768 Squadron FAA RN 4-45. Damaged when landed wheels-up 22-4-45 (Pilot: Sub-Lt P B Lane). To AFEE Beaulieu after repairs.

Written off (destroyed) 25-5-46 when spun in off roll at low height during air display at RAF Beaulieu, East Boldre, 2 miles west of Beaulieu, Hampshire (Pilot: Squadron Leader Robin Henry Palmer RAF, (RAFVR 101485), aged 30, killed). Struck off charge as Cat. E 25-5-46 (same day)

As reported in a contemporary local newspaper ("New Milton Advertiser - Saturday 1 June 1946):

"HUNDREDS SEE CRASH
Gallant Pilot Spins to His Death
WHILE DOING AEROBATICS AT BEAULIEU
HUNDREDS of the public who were on a visit to Beaulieu Aerodrome on Saturday saw a gallant flying officer crash to his death while giving a display of aerobatics, which formed part of the programme.

The victim of the tragedy was Squadron Leader Robin Harry Palmer, who was flying a Seafire Mark III —a Fleet Air Arm single-seater fighter which crashed in the centre of the airfield.

"Smoky" Palmer, as this pilot was popularly known, was 30 years of age and his home was at Eston, near Middlesborough, where he was a solicitor before enlisting in the R.A.F.V.R. in September, 1940. He made many friends in the Lymington and New Forest district, and took a great interest in the Lymington Borough Squadron, A.T.C., including the Brockenhurst and Fawley Flights. He was a keen musician.

The County Coroner (Mr. P. B. Ingoldby) held an inquest at Beaulieu Aerodrome on Monday.

Giving evidence, the Beaulieu Station CO., Group Captain Peter Heath, stated that Sqn. Ldr. Palmer took the air to do aerobatics, including two loops, "a loop with a roll off the top," and then two or three rolls. He was not to come below 3,000 feet, and his flying was to last not more than ten minutes.

From Flying Control, witness sew the Seafire in a fast Spin, then at about 1,000 ft, and it crashed. In an intentional spin, with this type of machine, a pilot should pull out at not lower than 5,000 feet as a safety measure. At 1,000 ft., there would be no chance of avoiding a crash. There was no apparent reason for this accident. A spin was not part of the programme.

The Coroner: What would cause this aircraft to go into a spin? — Witness: Loss of flying speed would be about the only thing.

Group-Capt. Heath said the only reason of which he could think for the spin was that the pilot made an error of judgment. He did not think there was any question of a black-out affecting the pilot when he started doing whatever led to the spin.

Flt Lt. R. W. Durrant stated that he was satisfied the Seafire was serviceable and was fully inspected prior to the flight. There was nothing among the wreckage to show what happened.

Flt Lt. J. H. Hodgkiss stated that Sqn. Ldr. Palmer, following a take-off, disappeared in a northerly direction, then came back and landed, taxied to the take-off position, and then took off again. He went in a similar direction. When witness next saw him he was flying parallel with the runway and commencing a roll, at an estimated height of 1,500 ft.

"He got upside down, and the nose of the aircraft tilted upwards," witness continued. "The aircraft stalled, and flicked to the right. The cause of that would be a high-speed stall. It spun to the right, and then crashed."

The Coroner: Do you think that series of events could have been caused by an error of judgment? —Witness: In my opinion, yes.

F./O. W. H. Dempster, medical officer, said that the pilot, who was found lying half in and half out of the cockpit, must have been killed instantly from multiple head injuries.

"I am satisfied this shocking fatality was due really to something over which no-one has any control, and that it was due to some failure of the human element," said the Coroner. He recorded a verdict of death from misadventure".

Pilot Robin Henry Palmer received a commission on 11th April 1941 to the rank of Pilot Officer on probation and would receive promotions to Flying Officer on 11th April 1942 and Flight Lt on 11th April 1943. He was killed on 25th May 1946 flying Spitfire NN313 at the Beaulieu airshow. The Seafire spun in off a roll at 1,500 ft in the local open day display in deteriorating weather. His rank was probably Acting Squadron Leader, as there is no reference to him receiving a full promotion in the London Gazette. He is buried at Eston Cemetery, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire.

Note that Seafire NN313 was attached to the AFEE (Armed Force Experimental Establishment) at RAF Beaulieu, Hampshire, and NOT (despite several reports) the A&AEE at Boscombe Down

1. New Milton Advertiser - Saturday 1st June 1946
2. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.42 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft NA100-NZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.150
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p082.html
6. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2407850/palmer,-robin-henry/
7. http://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/hancrash.html
8. https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/79185-airshow-related-accidents
9. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york43/fk537.html
10. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?20133-Looking-for-picture-of-S-L-Robin-Henry-Palmer-(RAFVR-101485)-KIFA-25-May-1946
11. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=20345.0
12. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/wardead/details.php?qnum=34658
13. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/NN313
14. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/93183-nn313
15. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=NN313
16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Beaulieu#Postwar_military_use
17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_Forces_Experimental_Establishment#Beaulieu_(1945)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Oct-2011 03:17	angels one five	Added
21-Jan-2012 07:14	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport]
21-Nov-2012 00:07	angels one five	Updated [Location, Narrative]
15-Jun-2014 10:41	angels one five	Updated [Operator, Source]
25-Mar-2015 17:04	Heil	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Narrative]
14-Sep-2019 06:42	Nepa	Updated [Time, Operator, Operator]
12-Nov-2019 00:23	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
12-Nov-2019 22:23	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Operator]
20-Jul-2021 15:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, Category]
14-Dec-2021 07:08	angels one five	Updated [Location, Narrative]
16-Sep-2023 10:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Location, Narrative]]