Date:	Tuesday 20 March 1951
Time:
Type:	de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito NF Mk 36
Owner/operator:	85 Sqn RAF
Registration:	RK991
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	North Sea, 48 miles east of Harwich, Essex, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF West Malling, Kent
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Mosquito RK991: Took off for Night navigation sortie. 20/03/1951
During a night navigation sortie, the aircraft got into an uncontrollable spin, and the two crew members bailed out before the aircraft crashed into the North Sea, 48 miles east of Harwich, Essex. According to some published sources, the exact crash location was 51 degrees 57 minutes North, 2 degrees, 14 minutes east. Both crew members survived the bale-out, but both were killed before they could be rescued: the pilot died from exposure and hypothermia, and the navigator drowned. 20/03/1945
Crew:
F/O (1862730) Ian John Duncan MACKENZIE (pilot)) RAF - killed
F/Lt (157.629) John Stewart CHRISTIE DFC (nav.) RAF - killed

1. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/_DH98%20prodn%20list.txt
2. ORB 85 Sqdn RAF
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983)
4. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.124
5. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8427643
6. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?17869-Mosquito-RK991.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
20-Feb-2014 09:57	Nepa	Added
12-May-2014 17:31	Nepa	Updated [Location, Departure airport]
29-Jul-2014 15:17	DG333	Updated [Location, Narrative]
04-Dec-2014 21:43	Iwosh	Updated [Total fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Narrative]
24-Jul-2015 20:48	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type]
08-Jan-2019 20:49	Nepa	Updated [Source, Narrative, Operator]
02-May-2019 19:52	Nepa	Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Operator]
16-Jan-2021 16:56	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
16-Jan-2021 16:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
19-Jan-2021 21:04	Allach	Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Operator]
05-Jul-2021 09:41	Anon.	Updated [Time, Source, Operator]
05-Jul-2021 09:55	Next	Updated [Operator]
25-Aug-2021 09:57	TB	Updated [Narrative, Operator]