Date:	Sunday 11 June 1950
Time:	11:15
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire F Mk 22
Owner/operator:	611 (West Lancashire) Sqn RAF
Registration:	PK322
MSN:	CBAF.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Woodleigh, Aldershot Road, Fleet, Hampshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Biggin Hill Airport (BOH/EGKB)
Destination airport:	Farnborough Airport, Hampshire (EGLF)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
PK322: Spitfire F.22. Delivered to 33 MU RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire 20-5-45. To Vickers Armstrongs Keevil 29-5-46 for modifications. Issued to 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron as 'RAR-F' 8-2-49.

Written off (destroyed) when collided with Spitfire PK523 during formation practice for RAF Display; wingtips touched, the Spitfire lost its tail and crashed at "Woodleigh", Aldershot Road, Fleet, Hampshire. Pilot killed

Crew of Spitfire PK322:
Pilot Officer Peter Clark Lowthian, Royal Auxiliary AF, aged 25

According to a contemporary local newspaper report ("Aldershot News" - Friday 16 June 1950)

"Week-end Pilot” Killed in Fleet Crash
TAIL FOUND IN GARDEN
Warnings were flashed to fire, ambulance and aircraft crash tenders that two planes had crashed at Fleet on Sunday morning, but what happened was that two Spitfires flying in formation collided in mid-air, and one fell to the ground, its tail assembly falling about 400 yards away.

The pilot, Pilot Officer Peter Clarke Lowthian, of 35, Wavertree Nook Road, Liverpool, was killed instantly. His body, with a partly opened parachute attached, was found a few yards from the wreckage, which fell in a paddock of “Woodleigh,” Aldershot Road, Fleet, the home of Mrs C W Montgomerie. The main part of the plane narrowly missed the roof of the house and broke through a fringe of trees before crashing in a small open space

The plane was taking part in a formation flight from Biggin Hill in a rehearsal for the R.A.F. Display to be held at Farnborough next month. It belonged to No 611 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, from Woodvale, Liverpool. The tail of the machine fell in the garden of “Montrose” Regent Street, Fleet, where it grazed the brickwork of the house in its fall. Many people in Fleet, Farnborough and Aldershot had seen the squadron as it circled the district. The crash occurred as it was flying away from Farnborough airfield.

Mr F Grey, of 31 Albany Close, Fleet, told "The Aldershot News": "I saw the planes flying in close-packed ‘V’ formation. One on the left of the formation -I think if was the second from the outside - seemed to be jockeying for position. It sort of jockeyed into the next aircraft, which rocked but kept flying. The tail dropped off the other machine immediately and spun down to the ground."

“Rolled Over”
Mr Derek Hoar, of "Bursledon," Connaught Road, Fleet, said he was cycling along Connaught Road and looked up to watch about nine planes going over. “One seemed to roll over in mid-air and it dropped out of sight,” he said. “They were flying quite low and one seemed to just tip the tail of another.”

Mr George Stacey, who is 76, had a narrow escape when the tail fell in his garden. He told “The Aldershot News”: “I was in the garden and saw some planes going over. Then I saw a piece of one spin through the air. I called to my wife, Ellen, to come and look at it, not thinking it was going to drop anywhere near us. Just as I pulled her out of the back door the tail crashed at the side of the house.”

Sunbather Watched
Pte Derek Speakman, R.A.M.C., who was sunbathing in the garden of a house in Aldershot Road, Fleet, said the plane did about two spins before it went behind some trees. One of the first on the scene of the crash was Mrs Storey, who lives on the other side of Aldershot Road. She found the pilot was beyond help.

Petrol Danger
Petrol was pouring from the split tanks when firemen arrived and foam was pumped on to the wreckage as a precaution, but there was no fire. Two Hampshire Fire Service appliances dashed from Aldershot, two from Farnborough and one from Hartley Wintney. A fire tender also arrived from the R.A.F. camp at Tweseldown, an ambulance from Aldershot, and crash tenders from the Royal Aircraft Establishment.

Inquest Adjourned
The inquest was opened at Fleet Urban Council Chamber on Tuesday evening. After hearing evidence of identification, the Coroner, Sir Hugh Foster, adjourned the hearing until Wednesday, June 28th, at Aldershot Magistrates’ Court. The Service court of inquiry was held yesterday.

First witness was Pilot Francis Joseph Traynor, of 28a Brompton Avenue, Liverpool. He said that the dead airman was a salesman for Rowntrees chocolate manufacturers. He knew the dead airman very well. He lived at 350 Wavertree Nook Road, Liverpool, and he believed he was 26 years old. The aircraft he was flying, a Spitfire No. PK322, started off from Biggin Hill, Kent, at 11.15 on Sunday morning. Witness heard the crash but did not see it. He had trouble with his machine and took the air 10 minutes after the remainder of the squadron.

Flying Officer Stevens, a medical officer, said he reached the scene of the accident at 12.10 and made a superficial examination of the body. Death was due to multiple injuries.

Flight Lieutenant Richard Gallagher, in charge of Tweseldown Camp, said he received a report of a crash and went to the scene at once by fire tender. He recognized the machine as a Spitfire.

The hearing was then adjourned".

Spitfire PK322 was formally struck off charge as Cat.5 (Scrap) on 28/6/50

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.103 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 Colin Cummings p 61
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. Aldershot News - Friday 16 June 1950 (Report of accident as per the above)
5. Aldershot News - Friday 30 June 1950 (Report of Inquest into the Death of the Pilot)
6. http://www.611squadronrauxaf.co.uk/history/Roll.html
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p085.html
8. https://www.key.aero/comment/862293#comment-862293
8. https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/307076-airshow-related-accidents.html#post3814427
9. http://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/hancrash.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Sep-2013 03:10	JINX	Added
02-Mar-2014 18:41	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location]
16-Oct-2018 13:46	JINX	Updated [Operator, Location]
23-Jun-2019 06:08	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Nature, Operator]
27-Dec-2019 19:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative]
27-Dec-2019 21:36	stehlik49	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator]
27-Aug-2023 09:13	Nepa	Updated [[Aircraft type, Operator, Operator]]