Date:	Wednesday 25 March 1953
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 8
Owner/operator:	DFLS RAF
Registration:	WA809
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF West Raynham, Norfolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF West Raynham, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF West Raynham, Norfolk
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8 WA809, DFLS (Day Fighter Leaders School), RAF: delivered 5/2/1951. Written off 25/3/1953, when wrecked in a landing accident at RAF West Raynham, Norfolk.

Shortly after take off from RAF West Raynham, the pilot found that the response from the aileron controls was perceived as being "sloppy", and he decided to end the sortie and return to RAF West Raynham. The pilot decided not to overshoot, and, as the Meteor landed in an "overweight" condition (the aircraft still had a full fuel load on board, due to having only flown a few minutes) the brakes faded during the landing run, failing to slow down the aircraft by any appreciable extent.

The Meteor ran off the end of the runway at RAF West Raynham at speed, and collided with a concrete obstacle in the overshoot area, which ripped off the aircraft's undercarriage. Despite being wrecked (the aircraft was deemed as "damaged beyond repair") the pilot survived uninjured.

The loss of Meteor WA809 was the second Meteor F.Mk.8 of the RAF DFLS to be lost in a flying accident in two consecutive days - see also Meteor WH358, which crashed the previous day.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.142 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 353
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983)
4. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WA

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
31-May-2008 13:30	JINX	Added
05-Jun-2008 22:18	JINX	Updated
12-May-2015 12:59	Cliford	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Destination airport, Narrative]
21-Apr-2021 17:23	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
21-Apr-2021 17:24	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
21-Apr-2021 17:43	Cliford	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Nature, Operator]