ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 235485
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 2 April 1954 |
| Time: | afternoon |
| Type: |  Supermarine Seafire Mk XVII |
| Owner/operator: | 764 Sqn FAA RN |
| Registration: | SP351 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Cold Kitchen Hill, 4.5 miles SW of Warminster, Wiltshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester |
| HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Supermarine Seafire XVII SP351: Built by Cunliffe-Owen, and delivered to the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm RNDA (Royal Navy Depot Aircraft) 26/2/46, and taken on charge. Stored at RNAS Culham, Oxfordshire 7/3/46. Issued to 764 Squadron FAA RN
Written off (destroyed) 2/4/54. Crashed at Cold Kitchen Hill, Kingston Deverill, four and a half miles southwest of Warminster, Wiltshire. After his instructor at HMS Heron (RNAS Yeovilton) had told the pilot in his preflight briefing not to fly below 300 feet the aircraft crashed when it flew into high ground. (At approximate co-ordinates 51.14312 N,2.22206 W).
The aircraft was reported as "missing" on Friday 2/4/54 when it failed to return from this training sortie and it was not reported to have landed anywhere else. The wreckage was not found until the following day after a second search of the area where the aircraft was anticipated to have flown had taken place.
It flew into Cold Kitchen Hill and exploded on impact. The hill rises to 900 feet amsl (Above Mean Sea Level) and at the time of the crash the summit of the hill was obscured with rain and mist. The pilot had only been posted to RNAS Yeovilton six weeks before to begin his training course. The probable cause of the accident was a CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) as it seems that the pilot either never saw the hill top until it was too late - or never saw it at all.
Pilot of Seafire SP351:
Sub-Lieutenant Andrew Munro Agnew, RN (pupil pilot under training, aged 22) - killed on active service 2/4/54.
The body of the pilot was recovered and was buried at the Naval Cemetery at St. Bartholomew's Church at Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset.
Sources:
1. Wings Over Somerset: Aircraft Crashes since the End of World War II By Peter Forrester
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File ADM 1/25332: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4846444
3. http://orapweb.rcahms.gov.uk/wp/00/WP000517.pdf
4. http://dorset.hampshireairfields.co.uk/dorcrash.html
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p102.html
6. https://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1954.htm
7. https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/local/cold-kitchen-hill-wiltshire
8. https://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walk-2936-description
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Apr-2020 21:18 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 24-Apr-2020 21:24 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 25-Apr-2020 09:15 | Allach | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator] |
| 14-Nov-2020 18:30 | angels one five | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 28-Jul-2023 01:34 | angels one five | Updated [[Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation