Date:	Monday 18 February 1952
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 8
Owner/operator:	64 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WE860
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Saffron Walden, Uttlesford, Essex, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire
Destination airport:	RAF Wattisham, Suffolk (EGUW)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor F8, WE860, 64 Squadron, RAF: delivered 2/5/1951. Written off 18/2/1952. During a sortie from RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire, the aircraft was diverted to RAF Wattisham, Suffolk. The Meteor was flying in very poor weather, and lost his leader on the final turn of a controlled descent through cloud. The pilot then had problems contacting RAF Wattisham, and, after making an emergency R/T call, he was instructed to divert to RAF Lakenheath. However, the pilot was not able to make contact with Lakenheath.

The pilot then descended through 8/8ths cloud, but could not accurately get a fix in his position in the poor weather conditions, although he was within three miles of RAF Lakenheath. Eventually, with the fuel supply running low, the pilot climbed to 10,000 feet, and ejected safely near Saffron Walden, Uttlesford, Essex

Crew of Meteor WE860:
Flight Sergeant A Verrico, RAF - ejected safely

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.124 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.223
4. RAF Duxford: A History in Photographs from 1917 to the Present Day By Richard C. Smith
5. 64 Squadron ORB (Operations Records Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) For the period January 1 1951 to December 31 1955: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2626/2 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8424985
6. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WE
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron_Walden

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
05-Jun-2008 14:16	JINX	Added
11-May-2015 19:57	DB	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
16-Jul-2019 06:58	angels one five	Updated [Location]
26-Feb-2021 21:29	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
19-May-2021 09:11	Anon.	Updated [Location, Operator]