Date:	Monday 4 May 1953
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor T Mk 7
Owner/operator:	205 AFS RAF
Registration:	WH246
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Great Smeaton, Hambleton, North Yorkshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Middleton St. George, near Darlington, County Durham
Destination airport:	RAF Middleton St. George, near Darlington, County Durham
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor T.Mk.7, WH246, 205 AFS (Advanced Flying School), RAF; delivered 27/3/1952. Written off (destroyed) 4/5/1953 when crashed at Great Smeaton, Hambleton, North Yorkshire

At the end of an Instrument Flying Training sortie from RAF Middleton St. George, near Darlington, County Durham, the pilot ascertained that RAF Neasham was nearby, and so the Meteor made a low level, high speed "beat up" of the airfield, during which the aircraft struck a radio mast.

After climbing to an altitude of 1,200 feet, the Meteor went out of control, and was seen to descend rapidly to port, then dive towards the ground - a dive from which it did not recover. Both crew were killed.

Crew of Meteor WH246:
Flight Lieutenant Anthony TURNER, RAF (QFI Instructor Pilot, aged 24) - killed in service 4/5/1953
Flying Officer (607192) Kenneth Belton BONES, RAF (Pupil Pilot Under Instruction, aged 22) - killed in service 4/5/1953

Note that, despite several published sources, stating that Great Smeaton is in "County Durham", it is, in fact, a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on elevated ground near the River Wiske, which is a tributary of the River Swale. Great Smeaton is approximately nine miles south of RAF Middleton St.George on foot.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p. 144 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 364
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain)
4. 205 AFS ORB (Operations Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/1/1951 to 31/5/1954: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/2145/2 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7162859
6. https://www.nelsam.org.uk/NEAR/Losses/Losses-PostWWII.htm
7. http://www.dtvmovements.co.uk/Info/History/Accidents.htm
8. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WH
9, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smeaton
10. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/39445/supplement/447/data.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Jun-2008 02:15	JINX	Added
12-May-2015 13:05	Charlie Harper	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
26-Apr-2021 22:16	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]