Date:	Friday 24 September 1948
Time:	day
Type:	De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	24 RFS RAF
Registration:	N6927
MSN:	82171
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Lyndcroft Nurseries, North Mundham, Runcton, West Sussex, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Rochester Airport, Rochester, Kent
Destination airport:	Hamble Airfield, Hamble, Hampshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 82171 (Gipsy Major #81097): Taken on charge as N6927 at 6 MU RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire 29.6.39. To 22 ERFTS, RAF Teversham, Cambridge 9.39. Unit renamed 22 EFTS upon outbreak of war 3.9.39. To 24 EFTS RAF Sealand, Flintshire 12.6.44; to RAF Rochester, Kent 3.46. To 24 RFS RAF Rochester, Kent 26.6.47

Written off (destroyed) 24.9.48, when collided with Gloster Meteor F.3 EE461 of 1 Squadron, RAF Tangmere. The Tiger Moth spun out of control and dived into the ground at Lyndcroft Nurseries, North Mundham, Runcton, West Sussex. The pilot - PII (2602295) Leslie Ernest WELLS, RAFVR - was killed.

The Gloster Meteor crashed at Crimsham Manor Farm, Lagness, and the pilot - F/Lt (59352) John BURLS, RAF - was killed

According to the following contemporary newspaper report, which reported on the inquest into the death of the pilots ("Chichester Observer" - Saturday 2 October 1948)

"TWO AIRCRAFT COLLIDE AT 2,000 FEET.
'PLANES CRASH THREE MILES APART.
TRACTOR DRIVER'S NARROW ESCAPE

A jet Meteor Mk. III from the R.A.F. station, Tangmere, returning to land at its base in the afternoon of last Friday week collided with a Tiger Moth 2,000 feet above Runcton. Both 'planes crashed to earth, the Meteor at Crimsham Manor Farm, Lagness and the Moth in a greenhouse at Lyndcroft Nurseries, North Mundham. The pilots, who were both killed instantaneously, were Flight Lt. John Burls, a South African, stationed at Tangmere and whose widow resides at "Beech Brow," Bassett Road, Bognor Regis, and Pilot II Leslie Ernest Wells, R.A.F.V.R., of Shooters Hill, London, S.E.18, who was attached for his annual training to No. 24 Reserve Flying School, Rochester.

The acting C.O. of the jet pilot's squadron at Tangmere stated in evidence at the inquest held at Tangmere on Tuesday that he had detailed F/Lt. Burls to do half an hour's air symmetrical (sic) single-engine flying at reduced power and aerobatics above 10,000 ft. On being informed of the accident he went to Lagness where he identified the aircraft. Witness said that Burls had 800 flying hours to his credit but had only flown a Meteor once before. He had, however, passed the usual tests and was fully capable of handling the machine.

Another Pilot's Evidence.
Pilot II Henry Bramwells, also attached to the Rochester training school, said he was flying another training plane and accompanying Wells on a navigational flight. They had been briefed to fly to Hamble, land for lunch and refuelling and return to Rochester via Hastings. "While we were lunching at Hamble," he said, "Wells told me that when he got clear of Portsmouth he intended to turn towards the coast and fly parallel with it. Before we reached the Chichester area he turned towards the coast and' at that time I was about a mile away from him. Shortly afterwards I observed a Meteor on my port side."

All three aircraft were at about 2,000 ft., witness said, and he had a good view of both of the other planes. He did not think there was any danger of a crash because he thought the Meteor would pass behind the tail of Wells' Moth. "As the Meteor appeared to do this," he said, "I saw a large object in the sky a little above the Meteor. Looking below, I saw the Moth in a steep dive. I recognised the wreckage in the sky as part of the Moth owing to its yellow finish." Witness flew on to Shoreham where he reported the accident. At the time of the collision, both planes were behaving normally and were not "stunting."

The station medical officer at Tangmere, F/Lt. J. D. S. Rowntree testified that he found the Moth pilot lying by the tail of his crashed aircraft at Runcton, suffering from very severe injuries which must have caused his instantaneous death. Deceased's identity card was on him. F/Lt. Rowntree then went to Lagness where he found the wreckage of a Meteor and fragments of flesh which he was able identify as human remains.

Dived Under Tractor.
At the time of the collision Charles Henry Cole, a tractor driver at Crimsham Manor Farm, Lagness, said he was sitting on his tractor when he saw the Meteor coming towards him at terrific speed. "It was losing height and I thought it would hit me," he said. "I got under the tractor. The plane crashed about 30 or 40 yards away. There was a flash and a lot of smoke and pieces of aircraft were spread over a large area."

Other eye witness accounts included those given by Commander William Eames Wilson, R.N. (retd.), of Springdale Cottage, Runcton, and Alfred George Foot, of 23, Critchfield Lane, Bosham. Commander Wilson was in his garden when he heard the impact, saw the Moth crash and phoned Tangmere aerodrome. Mr. Foot, a labourer working on the Council building site at North Mundham said that as a result of a conversation he was having about the Berlin air lift he looked up and saw the two planes. He also witnessed the collision and the crash of the Moth.

F/Lt. G. A. Stroud, R.A.F.V.R., of No. 24 Reserve Flying School, said that Wells, who was 24 years of age was a fully qualified pilot with 270 hours flying time, mostly in Tiger Moths.

The jury had no hesitation in returning a verdict of accidental death."

Crew of Gloster Meteor F.3 EE461:
Flight Lieutenant John Burls, RAF (Pilot, Service number 59352) - buried at St. Andrew's Church, Tangmere, Chichester, West Sussex
Crew of Tiger Moth N6927:
Pilot II Leslie Ernest Wells, RAFVR (Pilot, Service Number 2602295) - buried at St. Andrew's Church, Tangmere, Chichester, West Sussex

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.80 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946-1949 p 433-434 by Colin Cummings
3. Chichester Observer - Saturday 2 October 1948
4. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=5270.0
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p821.html
6. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=10807.0
7. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
8. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=%20N6927
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Mundham

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
09-Feb-2020 01:24	Dr. John Smith	Added
09-Feb-2020 11:50	Iwosh	Updated [Operator, Operator]
02-Sep-2021 20:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative, Category]
04-Sep-2021 04:59	DandyF.	Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative, Operator]
17-Sep-2021 17:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative]
17-Sep-2021 20:50	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]