Date:	Wednesday 2 March 1949
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire F.24
Owner/operator:	80 Sqn RAF
Registration:	VN306
MSN:	KEA.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Oester, 5 miles north-west of Gutersloh, BZG, West Germany -   Germany
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Wunstorf, Lower Saxony, West Germany
Destination airport:	RAF Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
VN306: Spitfire F.24, built at Vickers Armstrong (Supermarine) at Keevil, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, with Griffon G61 engine. To VAHPA (Vickers Armstrong High Post Airfield) 17-4-46. Returned to Vickers Armstrongs at Keevil, Trowbridge. Wiltshire for modifications and conversion 28-9-46. To 80 Squadron 16-8-48 at RAF Wunstorf, Lower Saxony, West Germany

Written off (destroyed) 7-3-49 when flew into ground near Oester, 5 miles North West of Gutersloh, BZG, West Germany. The Spitfire was the number 2 aircraft during a formation and aerobatic flying training sortie. The formation was pulling out of a shallow dive, but Spitfire VN306 failed to pull out of the dive in time, and flew into the ground at high speed

The subsequent Board of Inquiry concluded that the pilot had experienced a "red out", which is similar to a "black out", which was caused by a surge of blood to the head induced by "g" forces. This obscured the pilot's vision and left him temporarily incapacitated, unable to react to his situation. Pilot is reported to have survived the initial impact, but died shortly afterwards from injuries sustained.

Crew of Spitfire VN306
Pilot III Ronald Arthur Clements (Pilot) RAF - killed on active service 7-3-49

As part of the European occupation forces, British Air Forces of Occupation, 80 squadron continued its patrol and reconnaissance duties from Wunstorf in Germany, until it relocated to Hong Kong in July 1949 (the Tempests having been replaced by Supermarine Spitfire F.24s in 1948).

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.484
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 80 Squadron ORB 1-1-1946 to 31-12-50: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2434/1: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8439303
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p114.html
6. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/VN306
7. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/79816-vn306
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._80_Squadron_RAF#Post-World_War_II_and_disbandment
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_G%C3%BCtersloh#RAF_Control

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
11-Aug-2023 00:48	Dr. John Smith	Added
11-Aug-2023 09:17	Nepa	Updated