Date:	Thursday 18 December 1952
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 4
Owner/operator:	206 AFS RAF
Registration:	VT218
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	nr Kirton-in-Holland, 5 miles S of Boston, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire
Destination airport:	RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor F.Mk.4 VT218, 206 AFS (Advanced Flying School), RAF: delivered 6/7/1948. Written off (destroyed) 18/12/1952 when this aircraft, and Gloster Meteor T.Mk.7 WG978, were in lne astern formation, and climbing, collided at an altitude of 9,000 feet. The leading aircraft (Meteor VT218) was struck from behind by the following aircraft (Meteor WG978). Both aircraft were near Kirton-in-Holland, 5 miles South of Boston, Lincolnshire.

The fuselage of the leading aircraft (Meteor VT218) was fractured behind the wing, and the fuselage of Meteor WG978 was fractured, and broke off forward of the wing. Of the two crew (one in each aircraft), the pilot of Meteor VT218 bailed out safely, the pilot of Meteor WG978 was killed instantly when the cockpit canopy struck the leading edge of the wing.

Kirton or Kirton-in-Holland is an English village and civil parish in the Borough of Boston, Lincolnshire. It is five miles south of Boston, at approximate co ordiantes 52.92782°N, 0.05978°W

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.139 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.321
4. 206 AFS ORB (Operational Record Book)(Air Ministry File AM/F,540) for the period 1/10/1951 to 31/5/1954: National Archives (PRO Kew) file AIR 29/2146/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7162860
5. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?9765-Meteor-losses-at-206-AFS-RAF-Oakington-1951-to-January-1953
6. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VT
7. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1950s-incident-logs#1952
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirton,_Lincolnshire

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Apr-2021 00:56	Dr. John Smith	Added
04-Apr-2021 10:27	Robbo	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]
04-Apr-2021 21:05	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative]
04-Apr-2021 21:16	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]