Date:	Wednesday 14 December 1949
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor F.4
Owner/operator:	74 (Tiger) Sqn RAF
Registration:	RA451
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Horsham St. Faith, Norwich, Norfolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Horsham St Faith, Norwich, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF Horsham St Faith, Norfolk

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor RA451: Delivered to 39 MU RAF Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire 03/10/1947. To 74 Squadron, RAF Horsham St Faith, Norfolk 28/1/1948 coded '4D-B'.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) when Engine lost power after take-off; swung on approach to single-engine landing and hit hedge, Horsham St Faith, 14/12/1949. The aircraft was taking off from Horsham St. Faith when the port engine failed. The pilot shut down the 'dead' engine, and completed a circuit of Horsham St Faith. However, the pilot was unable to jettison the full drop tank, and this added to the weight of the aircraft, which, in turn caused a high rate of sink.

The pilot opened the throttle of the 'live' (starboard) engine, but this induced a severe swing, and threatened to cause a complete loss of control. The pilot therefore shut down the 'live' (starboard) engine and the aircraft undershot the runway in a forced landing. The pilot - Flight Sergeant (Plutonowy) Henryk Jerka (Polish Air Force, Service Number 705588) was slightly injured. Aircraft Struck off charge as Cat 5(c)

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.563
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft RA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_2009.pdf p.130
5. https://listakrzystka.pl/en/jerka-henryk/
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._74_Squadron_RAF#Meteors,_Hunters_and_Lightnings
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Horsham_St_Faith#Postwar_Royal_Air_Force_use

Date/time	Contributor	Updates