Date:	Saturday 23 June 1951
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor T Mk 7
Owner/operator:	602 (City of Glasgow) Sqn RAF
Registration:	VW438
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Newport-on-Tay, 5 miles NNW of RAF Leuchars, Fife, Scotland -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Leuchars, Fife (ADX/EGQL)
Destination airport:	RAF Leuchars, Fife (ADX/EGQL)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor VW438, 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron RAF: delivered 12/5/1949. Written off 23/6/1951 when crashed at Newport-on-Tay, Fife. The pilot was flying his first solo on the Meteor T.7, and was caught out by deteriorating weather, and running low on fuel. He was guided back to base (RAF Leuchars, Fife) by CGA (Ground Controlled Approach), but overshot his first attempt at landing at Leuchars, and had insufficient fuel to attempt a second circuit and GCA Approach.

The pilot then tried to force land in the vicinity of Newport-on-Tay, some five miles to the north-north west of RAF Leuchars, but struck trees on the attempted forced landing, and was killed on impact.

Crew of Meteor VW438:
Pilot Officer (2683591) Andrew ANDERSON (pilot) RAF - killed on active service 23/6/1951

According to the official record, published in the "London Gazette" on 31/7/1951 (see link #7) his promotion to Pilot Officer had taken place on 11/5/1951, some six weeks earlier, and the official record of his promotion notes "since deceased".

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.115 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.149
4. 602 (City of Glasgow) Sqaudron RAF ORB (Operations Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/6/1946 to 28/2/1957: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2505 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505143
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VW
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport-on-Tay
7. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/39298/supplement/4104/data.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
31-Jan-2021 17:35	Dr. John Smith	Added
31-Jan-2021 20:13	Quenten74	Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative, Operator]