Date:	Saturday 19 September 1953
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 8
Owner/operator:	74 (Tiger) Sqn RAF
Registration:	WA836
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Demo/Airshow/Display
Departure airport:	RAF Horsham St Faith, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8 WA836, 74 (Tiger) Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) 19/9/53 when broke up during low level run over the airfield at Battle of Britain Display at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. The aircraft was making a moderately fast turn in a shallow dive over the airfield at RAF Coningsby. It then began a roll to the right, but as it passed through 90 degrees, it broke up in the air, and pieces fell over a wide area, including the spectator area.

The crash was attributed to Double mainplane failure due to previous overstressing of the airframe. The pilot was killed and 2 persons on the ground were injured.

Crew:
Flying Officer Patrick Russell Ward, RAF (pilot, Service Number 3126349, aged 21) - killed on active service 19/9/53

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p 120. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 413
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 11)
4. Two Pilots killed in Air Displays – Accidents to Meteors". The Times (52732). London. September 21, 1953. p. 3.
5. 74 Squadron ORB (Operations Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/1/1951 to 31/12/1954: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2629/2 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8424990
6. National Archives (PRO Kew) File BT233/177: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C424298
7. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WA
8. https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/300245-meteor-accidents-1953-a.html
9. http://www.bcar.org.uk/1950s-incident-logs#1953
10. https://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/464907-air-display-accident-lincolnshire-c1954.html
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_air_show_accidents_and_incidents_in_the_20th_century#1953

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
31-May-2008 14:32	JINX	Added
06-Jun-2008 22:15	JINX	Updated
06-Mar-2010 22:41	angels one five	Updated [Location, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
06-Mar-2010 22:42	angels one five	Updated [Source, Narrative]
12-May-2015 17:09	BlB	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Narrative]
21-Jun-2017 18:21	Anon.	Updated [Narrative]
04-Jan-2020 00:30	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Source, Narrative]
04-Jan-2020 16:58	stehlik49	Updated [Operator, Operator]
16-May-2021 17:34	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Destination airport, Source]
16-May-2021 17:39	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
16-May-2021 22:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
17-May-2021 13:37	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]