Date:	Saturday 21 February 1948
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	501 (County of Gloucester) Sqn RAF
Registration:	SL553
MSN:	CBAF.4666
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	The Solent Estuary, off Ryde, Isle of Wight -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Filton, Bristol, Gloucestershire
Destination airport:	RAF Filton, Bristol, Gloucestershire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
SL553: Spitfire LF.XVI, MSN CBAF.4666. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M266 engine. Delivered to 6MU, RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire 8-8-45. To 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron, RAF Filton, Bristol, Gloucestershire 10-4-47.

Written off (destroyed) when failed to return 21.2.48: Crashed into the Solent Estuary off Ryde, Isle of Wight. The aircraft was the No.2 aircraft in a 'V' formation of three Spitfires, when it flew into a snowstorm while flying over the Solent Estuary. The formation leader began to descend, but realised that his instruments were giving false readings, due to his failure to use the pitot head heating, leaving the pressure instruments frozen.

The pilot of the aircraft leading the formation ordered the other two Spitfires to 'open up' the formation, but at about this time the number 3 aircraft lost sight of the number 2 Spitfire (SL553), which is presumed to have flown into the sea at this time. Spitfire SL553 was posted as "missing - failed to return" and the pilot was presumed to have perished in his aircraft

Crew of Spitfire SL553
F/O (91279) Norman Bernard Rogers (pilot) RAF- missing, 21.2.48 presumed killed. R.I.P.

No trace of the aircraft or its pilot was ever found or recovered.

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.379
3. Halley, J J,1985, Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100 to SZ999
4. ORB 501 Sqn RAF for the period 1-7-1946 to 31-3-1957: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2495: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505133
5. "RAF Write offs 1948": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No.1 1979: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. https://wight.hampshireairfields.co.uk/iowc.html
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p099.html
8. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/SL553
9. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/90093-sl553
10. https://rauxaf.org/features-roll-of-honour-names-m-to-r/
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._501_Squadron_RAF#Into_the_jet_age
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Filton#Post_war_years

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
28-Apr-2013 22:00	Dr. John Smith	Added
30-Apr-2013 16:38	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
21-Aug-2013 07:06	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type]
04-Sep-2013 05:14	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location]
09-Jul-2014 08:21	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Nature]
09-Jul-2014 08:28	angels one five	Updated [Operator]
17-Dec-2014 14:49	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Nature, Source]
26-Dec-2014 11:23	angels one five	Updated [Cn, Nature, Narrative]
27-Mar-2015 18:34	Jixn	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Narrative]
05-Apr-2015 01:21	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Narrative]
08-May-2015 19:22	Angel dot comma	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
20-Jun-2018 14:07	angels one five	Updated [Narrative]
25-Aug-2023 14:05	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Narrative]]