Date:	Thursday 7 July 1955
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 8
Owner/operator:	72 (Basutoland) Sqn RAF
Registration:	WL178
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8 WL178: Delivered 23/3/54. Sole RAF service career was with 72 Squadron at Church Fenton

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 7/7/55: The pilot abandoned take off from RAF Church Fenton, North Yorkshire, and raised the undercarriage in order to facilitate an emergency stop. Aircraft caught fire due to fuel leak from ventral tank igniting, and was badly damaged. (Some sources state "burnt out"). The pilot was apparently only slightly injured.

Remains taken to 60 MU RAF Rufforth, North Yorkshire, where struck off charge as Cat.5(s) 13/7/55; reduced to produce and components at Rufforth.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.171 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 72)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.141
4. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WL

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
19-Jun-2008 19:30	JINX	Added
15-Jan-2012 02:40	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source]
23-May-2020 18:18	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
27-Dec-2020 15:50	Jixon	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Operator]