Date:	Tuesday 14 July 1953
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor T Mk 7
Owner/operator:	211 AFS RAF
Registration:	WL397
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Worksop, Nottinghamshire
Destination airport:	RAF Worksop, Nottinghamshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor T.Mk.7 WL397, 211 AFS, RAF: delivered 4/7/1952. Written off (destroyed) on 14/7/1953 when undershot on approach to RAF Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

The pilot of Meteor WL397 attempted to extend his glide on final approach to RAF Worksop, whe he realised that his aircraft was undershooting. However, the aircraft stalled, and landed heavily in the grass of the undershoot area. Extensive damage was caused to the port centre section, mainplane, and rear fuselage. The accident flight was the pilot's first solo flight in a Meteor T.Mk.7, and he appears to have escaped uninjured.

The wreckage of Meteor WL397 was initally assessed as Cat.4(R) ("damaged but repairable") and the airframe was sent to Gloster Aircraft at Hucclecote on 18/8/1953 for further asessement and possible repairs. In the event, Meteor WL397 was more seriously damaged than at first thought, and, as a result, it was Struck Off Charge on 4/1/1954 as Cat.5(c), then authorised to be reduced to spares and produce

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.171 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 71)
3. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 372
4. http://rafworksop.btck.co.uk/AircraftBasedatWorksop
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WL
6. http://priorieshistoricalsociety.btck.co.uk/WorksopLife/RAFWorksop
7. http://rafworksop.btck.co.uk/ThosewhoservedanddiedfortheRAF

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
20-Jun-2008 09:32	JINX	Added
12-May-2015 16:41	BlB	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Destination airport]
13-May-2015 07:46	Jixn	Updated [Operator]
04-May-2021 01:23	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]