Date:	Thursday 21 September 1944
Time:	day
Type:	Airspeed Oxford Mk I
Owner/operator:	3 (P) AFU RAF
Registration:	DF516
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Flisteridge Wood, Laurel Farm, Hankerton, Wiltshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF South Cerney, Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Airspeed Oxford Mk.I DF516, 3 (P) AFU (3 (Pilots) Advance Flying Unit), RAF: Written off (destroyed) 21 September 1944* when crashed at Flisteridge Wood, Laurel Farm, Hankerton, Wiltshire. During flying training, carrying out flying instructional training on stalling, steep turns, and low flying (although the crew were instructed not to fly below 250 feet) the Oxford collided with a tree which was 20 feet higher than the others and located on a ridge in the woods. Both crew were killed when the Oxford flipped on its back and hit the ground.

Crew of Oxford DF516
Flying Officer Robert James Newton (RCAF J/36366), (Pilot/Instructor, Canadian) aged 22 - killed on active service 21 September 1944, buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking, Surrey
Flight Sgt Ronald Jack Brown (RAAF 437389) (Pupil Pilot Under Training, Australian) aged 19 - killed on active service 21 September 1944, buried at Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, Somerset

*Note that the incident took place on 21 September 1944 - as confirmed by the CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) records. However, due to an administrative error, the aircraft record card for Oxford DF516 is incorrectly dated as "21 September 1945" (one year later, to the day). This error had been replicated by several published sources.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.9. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. The Oxford, Consul & Envoy file (John F Hamblin, Air Britain, 2001)
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft DA100-DZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1987 p 21)
4. http://aircrewremembered.com/newman-robert-james.html
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2667931/newman,-robert-james/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2691542/brown,-ronald-jack/
7. http://www.planetrace.co.uk/1940-1949_28.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
24-Oct-2019 22:35	Dr. John Smith	Added
24-Oct-2019 22:44	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
24-Oct-2019 22:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
28-Oct-2019 09:32	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Operator]