Date:	Thursday 3 November 1949
Time:
Type:	de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito NF Mk 36
Owner/operator:	29 Sqn RAF
Registration:	RL116
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	8 miles south of Selsey Bill, West Sussex, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF West Malling, Maidstone, Kent
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Mosquito RL116: Took off for a Training flight /Bullseye exercise. 03/11/1949
Collided in mid-air with Lancaster TW908 (148 Sqdn) 8 miles S of Selsey Bill, Sussex, during a Bullseye Exercise. One killed and one missing from Mosquito, seven missing from Lancaster.
Crew of Mosquito RL116:
F/O (58143) Alfred Lawrence MILLER (pilot) RAF: killed (Body recovered by HMS "Romola")
F/Lt (194442) Euan Campbell DALGETY (nav.) RAF: killed

According to a pair of contemporary newspaper reports: ("Birmingham Daily Gazette - Friday 4 November 1949):
"R.A.F. PLANES DIVE INTO THE SEA.
MID-AIR CRASH.
NINE LOST.
AFTER an R.A.F. bomber and a fighter collided and crashed in flames off the Isle of Wight last night, the 81,000-ton liner Queen Mary made a 20-minute detour and prepared to look for survivors. Most of the liner's 1,000 passengers, bound for Southampton from New York, were at dinner when lookouts reported a "colossal flame," 50ft. high, four miles south of the island. They thought a large tanker was on fire.

Lifeboats ready.
Capt. Harry Grattage immediately altered course, increased speed and the crew stood by at "lifeboat stations." Then the Swedish steamer Patria radioed that a plane was in the sea six miles from the Nab Tower and said that she was going to its assistance.

As the Queen Mary swung back on her course, the sloop H.M.S. Redpole dashed out from Portsmouth and R.A.F. planes and rescue launches began to search the area. All that they found was some wreckage and a rubber dinghy.

Late last night the Air Ministry said that the aircraft involved in the crash were a Lancaster, from Upwood, Hunts, which normally carries a crew of about seven, and a Mosquito from West Mailing, Kent, with two on board. They were on night training flights.

Next of kin were being informed the Ministry said."

There was also a report in the "Gloucester Citizen" - Saturday 5 November 1949:

"CHELTENHAM PILOT'S BODY FOUND
After a search by ships and aircraft hopes faded last night for the nine R.A.F. men missing when a Lancaster bomber and a Mosquito collided and crashed into the sea off the Isle of Wight. A minesweeper, H.M.S. Romola, reported that she was returning to Portland with wreckage and a body believed to be that of the Mosquito pilot, Flying Officer A. L. Miller, whose home address was 23, Clarence-square, Cheltenham. He was 23 and single.

A landing wheel, the Lancaster's log book, and a rubber dinghy have also been found. The naval search was discontinued yesterday, but the R.A.F. continued to scour the area with rescue launches and aircraft. A large section of aeroplane wing washed ashore to-day at Middleton, near Bognor, Sussex, has been identified as belonging to one the planes."

1.http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH98%20prodn%20list.txt
2.ORB 29 Sqdn RAF
3.CWGC
4.https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8439205
5.Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J. Halley,
6.De Havilland Mosquito Crash Log. Smith David J (comp.). Earl Shilton
7.Birmingham Daily Gazette - Friday 04 November 1949
8.Aberdeen Press and Journal - Saturday 05 November 1949
9.Dundee Courier - Saturday 05 November 1949
10.Nottingham Journal - Saturday 05 November 1949
11.The Scotsman - Friday 11 November 1949
12.VBS Database BlBe
13. Lincolnshire Standard and Boston Guardian - Saturday 12 November 1949
14. Northampton Mercury - Friday 18 November 1949
15. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?15161-Lancaster-Mosquito-Mid-Air
16. http://wight.hampshireairfields.co.uk/iowc.html
17. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-avro-683-lancaster-b1-selsey-7-killed
18. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=15355.0
19. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH98%20prodn%20list.txt
20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selsey_Bill

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
08-Aug-2013 14:33	Nepa	Added
07-Jun-2014 14:50	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
12-Aug-2014 17:41	wilbur	Updated [Location, Narrative]
25-Jul-2015 07:46	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Location]
27-Aug-2015 19:48	Nepa	Updated [Location]
09-Dec-2018 18:49	Nepa	Updated [Narrative, Operator]
02-May-2019 20:02	Nepa	Updated [Location, Operator]
14-Feb-2020 17:33	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
18-Feb-2020 22:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
12-Jan-2021 21:35	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Nature, Source, Narrative, Operator]
20-Aug-2021 20:10	SD	Updated [Time, Source, Operator]
07-Feb-2022 23:39	Nepa	Updated [Source, Narrative, Operator]
03-Aug-2023 09:38	Nepa	Updated [[Source, Narrative, Operator]]