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Date: | Saturday 20 February 1954 |
Time: | day |
Type: | Gloster Meteor F.8 |
Owner/operator: | 604 (County of Middlesex) Sqn RAF |
Registration: | WK696 |
MSN: | |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
Other fatalities: | 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | 5 miles south of RAF North Weald, Essex, England -
United Kingdom
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF North Weald, Essex |
Destination airport: | RAF North Weald, Essex |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8 WK696: Awaiting collection 7/7/52, delivered to the RAF 9/7/52. RAF Service with 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron (only) as "J".
Written off (destroyed) 20/2/54 when collided in flight with Meteor WK692 (also of 604 (County of Middlesex) Sqn RAF) and spiralled into ground five miles south of North Weald, Essex. Pilots of both aircraft were killed.
According to the following excerpt from the December 2018 issue of the 600 (City of London) Squadron association newsletter (which had a feature article about 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron):
"The Squadron's first losses occurred on 20th February 1954, when three aircraft took-off from North Weald on a training flight led by Flight Lieutenant Andrew Lang (pilot), the Squadron's Regular Training Officer. This flight was undertaken for the benefit of two recently arrived pilots, Pilot Officer Byron Lewis (pilot) a National Service pilot and Pilot Officer Peter Austin (pilot) a Regular.
While over-flying Chigwell, Essex, Flight Lieutenant Lang advised his section that he had a nose wheel warning light illuminated, and asked Pilot Officer Lewis to fly beneath him for a visual inspection. While doing this the wings of both aircraft touched and the aircraft spun out of control, with both aircraft - WK692/'F' and WK696/'J' - crashing some five miles to the south of North Weald. Both pilots were killed"
Crew of Meteor WK696:
F/Lt (3200088) Andrew LANG (pilot) RAF: killed
Sources:
1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.155 ISBN 0-85130-290-4
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 69)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.26
4.
http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WK 5.
http://nwamuseum.co.uk/IncidentsWestEssexto2000-1.pdf 6. Right of The Line (600 (City of London) Squadron Association newsletter (December 2018):
http://600squadronassociation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/The-Right-of-The-Line-Dec-2018-141218.pdf Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
18-Jun-2008 22:42 |
JINX |
Added |
10-Jan-2012 14:32 |
Nepa |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Phase, Source] |
17-Oct-2018 00:08 |
JINX |
Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
05-Nov-2019 17:23 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator, Operator] |
05-Apr-2020 22:19 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
05-Apr-2020 22:21 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Source] |