Date:	Monday 22 March 1937
Time:	day
Type:	Hawker Nimrod Mk II
Owner/operator:	800 Sqn FAA RAF
Registration:	K2913
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near HMS Courgeous, off Bembridge, Isle of Wight -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	HMS Courageous, off Isle of Wight
Destination airport:	RAF Eastleigh, Hampshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Hawker Nimrod Mk.II K2913, 800 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, Coded "108", HMS Courageous: Written off (destroyed) 22/3/37 when crashed into the sea, off Bembridge, Isle of Wight. Pilot - Flying Officer Christopher Blomfield Jelf (Lt, Royal Navy, aged 24) - was killed.

Royal Naval casualty notes (see link #4) state that the pilot died of "illness" (sic) - which implies that he was recovered from the crash scene, but died of injuries sustained later the same day. According to the official Air Ministry announcement in "Flight" magazine (April 1, 1937 page 331 - see link #6):

"FLYING ACCIDENT
The Air Ministry regrets to announce that Lt. Christopher Blomfield Jelf, Royal Navy (Flying Officer, Royal Air Force), lost his life as the result of an accident which occurred off Bembridge, Isle of Wight, on March 22, to an aircraft of No. 800 (Fleet Fighter) Squadron, embarked on H.M.S. Courageous. Lt. Jelf was the pilot and sole occupant of the aircraft."

Starting 22 Mar 1937 800 Sqn were in the process of transferring from HMS Courageous to the shore base of RAF Eastleigh, Hampshire.

1. Royal Air Force aircraft K1000-K9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1976 page 19)
2. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1937.htm
3. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?314-RAF-officer-deaths-1-1-29-3-9-39
4. http://wight.hampshireairfields.co.uk/iowc.html
5. http://web.archive.org/web/20170912054316/http://www.naval-history.net:80/xDKCas1937.htm
6. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1937/1937%20-%200873.html
7. Air Britain: "The K File - The Royal Air Force in the 1930's"
8. Air Britain: "Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm" (1984)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Mar-2018 21:05	Dr. John Smith	Added
09-Apr-2018 22:16	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Narrative]
09-Apr-2018 22:17	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
10-Nov-2018 13:10	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
14-Jan-2021 20:15	Castleace	Updated [Destination airport, Source, Narrative]