Date:	Monday 11 December 1950
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 4
Owner/operator:	205 AFS RAF
Registration:	VT170
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	High Quebec Farm, Sleights, North Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Middleton St. George, nr Darlington, County Durham
Destination airport:	RAF Middleton St. George, Co.Durham
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor F4, VT170, 205 AFS (Advanced Flying School), RAF: delivered 3rd June 1948.On the 11th December 1950 the pilot of this 205 A.F.S. Meteor was practicing aerobatics on a training flight in an area just off the Yorkshire Coast, the pilot lost his bearings while flying in bad weather. The aircraft eventually ran low on fuel while flying in cloud and a snow storm and the pilot realised that he would have not been able to make a landing back at Middleton St. George. He shut one engine down to save on fuel and after crossing the coast in the Robin Hoods Bay area he found a suitable flat location to make a forced landing. A forced belly landing was made on moorland near High Quebec Farm, Sleights and the aircraft appeared not badly damaged to witnesses spoken to by the Whitby Gazette newspaper reporter.

The pilot escaped injury. After making the landing the pilot walked down to Quebec Farm where the local newspaper reported that he met the owner who gave him a cup of tea! He then walked to the nearest Police station in Sleights before returning to the site with the police who put a guard on the aircraft. Later that day, having contacted his base by telephone, his Commanding Officer came out to collect him by car (not as was recorded in the newspaper - that he made his own way back by train from Whitby).

Flight Lieutenant Harry Leonard Mellor RAF (Pilot, Service Number 51739).

Meteor VT120 was built to contract 6/ACFT/658 by the Gloster Aircraft Co. Ltd at Hucclecote. The record history in the modern Air Britain books detailing aircraft service histories states that it was delivered to the RAF in April 1948 and after acceptance it was issued to 92 Squadron at Duxford who were converting from Meteor F.3's in May 1948. It later transferred to 226 OCU at Bentwaters before moving onto 1 Squadron at Tangmere. I have also received information from a member of the Bentwaters Aviation Society to say that the aircraft was flown by G/Cpt Mike Hobson with 257 Squadron between March and September 1948 which would contradict the offical history as published in the modern Air Britain book.

No.1 Squadron converted to Meteor F.8's in September 1950 and the aircraft was transferred to 205 A.F.S. at Middleton St. George soon after 7th September 1950 when the unit was formed. Though reported not visually badly damaged the aircraft was later assessed and Cat.E2/F damage was recorded following the incident detailed above near Sleights and it was written off.

The pilot, Harry Leonard "Len" Mellor originally joined the RAF as a Halton apprentice in 1934 and became an experienced wartime pilot of propeller driven aircraft. He received his commission on 19th January 1943 to the rank of P/O on probation and was promoted to F/O on 19th July 1943 and to F/Lt (War Subs) on 19th January 1945. During the War he flew 24 operational flights with 49 Squadron flying Lancasters. On the 19th July 1946 his rank of F/Lt was confirmed in the post-War RAF. After his time with 49 Squadron he became a flying instructor and was posted to the Empire Flying School Examining Squadron as an examiner. He then did a ground tour as Adjutant at Finningley occasionally piloting Wellingtons before being head hunted by the Commanding Officer at Middleton St George (also his former C.O. with the EFS) to be a Meteor instructor not long before the incident at Sleights.

At the time of the forced landing at Sleights he was gaining experience on the type. In relation to this incident at Sleights, at the time he is recorded on the basic accident record card as having flown over 2000 hours, however at that time his time flying the Meteor was very short, with just three hours on the type. In the last six months prior to the crash landing he had piloted aircraft for only four hours on any type. He was later awarded the Air Force Cross, Gazetted on 5th June 1952. The London Gazette gives details that he retired from the RAF on 23rd January 1953 but then was "re-employed on the active list" on that date. He was promoted to Squadron Leader on 1st July 1959 and Squadron Leader Mellor AFC finally retired from the RAF on 31st July 1962. He died in November 2014

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.109 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.99
4. The Shields Gazette" from Monday December 11th 1950.
5. The Whitby Gazette" from Monday December 11th 1950.
6. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/46-50/vt120.html
7. https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235023135-gloster-meteor-ditching-dec-1950/
8. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VT
9. https://www.diomedia.com/stock-photo-gloster-meteor-f4-vt170-image18087861.html
10. http://www.dtvmovements.co.uk/Info/History/Accidents.htm

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Jan-2021 20:53	Dr. John Smith	Added
06-Jan-2021 22:02	Dr.Roup	Updated [Operator, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator]