Date:	Friday 5 December 1947
Time:
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk III
Owner/operator:	263 Sqn RAF
Registration:	EE404
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Rackheath, 6 miles NE of Norwich, Norfolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Horsham St Faith, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF Horsham St Faith, Norfolk

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor F.III EE404: Delivered to the Station Flight, RAF Acklington, Northumberland 17.10.45. To 263 Squadron, RAF Acklington 11.4.46 coded 'HR' (Commanding Officer's aircraft) later 'HE-D'.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 7-12-47: Engine cut; lost height on overshoot from Horsham St Faith with undercarriage unlocked and crash-landed in a field, at Rackheath, 6 miles North East of Norwich, Norfolk, 5.12.47. One of the aircraft's engines failed due to a defective fuel pump, and the pilot therefore decided to immediately return to base.

On approach to RAF Horsham St. Faith, the pilot selected 'flaps down', before the undercarriage had been fully lowered. Consequently, the undercarriage was not fully 'down and locked'. The pilot then attempted to overshoot the approach to Horsham St. Faith, but was unable to maintain altitude on only one engine, and therefore he force-landed the Meteor in a field at Rackheath, Norfolk on its partially lowered undercarriage.

Crew of Meteor EE404:
Pilot I W.F.E St CLAIR (pilot) RAF- survived OK

Damaged initially assessed as Cat B; to 32 MU RAF St. Athan, South Glamorgan 31.12.47 for repairs. Repairs not proceeded with. Initially intended to be relegated to ground instructional use as (and struck off charge as Cat. E(G/I) 25.5.48). Use as such cancelled, re-cat E 5.8.49 and struck off charge for scrap and components

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 1946-1949 p.356 by Colin Cummings
3. 263 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-4-1946 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2488: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505126
4. Royal Air Force Aircraft EA100-EZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
5. Air Britain Aeromilitaria Summer 2009: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_2009.pdf p.74
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._263_Squadron_RAF#Post-war
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rackheath
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Horsham_St_Faith

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
05-May-2023 14:31	Dr. John Smith	Added
05-May-2023 16:20	Nepa	Updated
05-May-2023 21:33	Dr. John Smith	Updated
06-May-2023 07:39	Nepa	Updated