Date:	Friday 28 May 1948
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	203 AFS RAF
Registration:	TE348
MSN:	CBAF 11462
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near RAF Winkleigh, 2 miles NW of Winkleigh, Torridge, Devon, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Chivenor, Barnstaple, Devon
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Spitfire TE348: MSN CBAF 11462. Built by CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M266 engine. Delivered to 9MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 13-6-45. To 61OTU, RAF Keevil, Wiltshire 11-2-46. Unit became 203 AFS at RAF Keevil, Wiltshire

Written off (destroyed) when dived into ground near RAF Winkleigh, 2 miles North West of Winkleigh, Torridge, Devon 28-5-48: pilot killed

The Spitfire was being used for battle formation training, during which the pilot rolled the aircraft into a half roll at 6,000 feet, presumably with the intention of 'pulling through' and completing the roll. However, after the half roll, the Spitfire was seen to dive into the ground in an almost vertical attitude, with no attempt to recover.

Crew of Spitfire TE348:
P.IV Kenneth John NELSON (pilot) RAF - killed on active service 28-5-1948

The Subsequent Board of Inquiry concluded that the accident was down to two probable causes: either the pilot "pulled excessive 'g'' which rendered him unconscious, and/or he was distracted by severe stomach pains, which had reported prior to taking his last, fatal flight.

During World War II, the RAF Winkleigh Airfield was used by the Royal Norwegian Air Force from 1944 as the main training Centre in the UK after Norway shifted from Little Norway in Toronto Canada to re-locate the training facilities to a place nearer to the War theatre. The former RAF base, 2 miles North West of the village, is now the site of the West of England Transport Collection, which stores over 200 cars, lorries and buses of historical interest. It is not normally open to the public

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.399
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 203 AFS ORB for the period 1-6-47 to 31-12-50: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/1771: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4101481
5. "RAF Write offs 1948": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No.1 1979: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p112.html
7. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/90116-te348
8. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/TE348
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._8_Flying_Training_School_RAF#History_of_203_AFS
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Chivenor#1946%E2%80%941949
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winkleigh

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
22-Apr-2023 20:29	Dr. John Smith	Added