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Date: | Saturday 21 February 1948 |
Time: | day |
Type: | Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI |
Owner/operator: | 501 (County of Gloucester) Sqn RAF |
Registration: | SL553 |
MSN: | CBAF.4666 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | The Solent Estuary, off Ryde, Isle of Wight -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Training |
Departure airport: | RAF Filton, Bristol, Gloucestershire |
Destination airport: | RAF Filton, Bristol, Gloucestershire |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:SL553: Spitfire LF.XVI, MSN CBAF.4666. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M266 engine. Delivered to 6MU, RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire 8-8-45. To 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron, RAF Filton, Bristol, Gloucestershire 10-4-47.
Written off (destroyed) when failed to return 21.2.48: Crashed into the Solent Estuary off Ryde, Isle of Wight. The aircraft was the No.2 aircraft in a 'V' formation of three Spitfires, when it flew into a snowstorm while flying over the Solent Estuary. The formation leader began to descend, but realised that his instruments were giving false readings, due to his failure to use the pitot head heating, leaving the pressure instruments frozen.
The pilot of the aircraft leading the formation ordered the other two Spitfires to 'open up' the formation, but at about this time the number 3 aircraft lost sight of the number 2 Spitfire (SL553), which is presumed to have flown into the sea at this time. Spitfire SL553 was posted as "missing - failed to return" and the pilot was presumed to have perished in his aircraft
Crew of Spitfire SL553
F/O (91279) Norman Bernard Rogers (pilot) RAF- missing, 21.2.48 presumed killed. R.I.P.
No trace of the aircraft or its pilot was ever found or recovered.
Sources:
1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.379
3. Halley, J J,1985, Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100 to SZ999
4. ORB 501 Sqn RAF for the period 1-7-1946 to 31-3-1957: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2495:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505133 5. "RAF Write offs 1948": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No.1 1979:
https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf 6.
https://wight.hampshireairfields.co.uk/iowc.html 7.
http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p099.html 8.
https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/SL553 9.
https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/90093-sl553 10.
https://rauxaf.org/features-roll-of-honour-names-m-to-r/ 11.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._501_Squadron_RAF#Into_the_jet_age 12.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Filton#Post_war_years Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
28-Apr-2013 22:00 |
Dr. John Smith |
Added |
30-Apr-2013 16:38 |
Nepa |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
21-Aug-2013 07:06 |
angels one five |
Updated [Aircraft type] |
04-Sep-2013 05:14 |
JINX |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location] |
09-Jul-2014 08:21 |
angels one five |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Nature] |
09-Jul-2014 08:28 |
angels one five |
Updated [Operator] |
17-Dec-2014 14:49 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Nature, Source] |
26-Dec-2014 11:23 |
angels one five |
Updated [Cn, Nature, Narrative] |
27-Mar-2015 18:34 |
Jixn |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Narrative] |
05-Apr-2015 01:21 |
angels one five |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Narrative] |
08-May-2015 19:22 |
Angel dot comma |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
20-Jun-2018 14:07 |
angels one five |
Updated [Narrative] |
25-Aug-2023 14:05 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [[Narrative]] |