Date:	Wednesday 22 October 1952
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 8
Owner/operator:	43 Sqn RAF
Registration:	VZ461
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	North Sea, off Coquet Island, Amble, Northumberland, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Acklington, Northumberland
Destination airport:	RAF Leuchars, Fife (ADX/EGQL)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8 VZ461/"W" 43 Squadron, RAF: delivered 2/8/1950. Written off 22/10/1952, when crashed into the North Sea, off Amble, Northumberland. The aircraft was the number two in a formation of three, and on entering cloud, the pilot called over on the R/T that the artificial horizon had failed.

However, he elected to stay with the aircraft, within visual range of the leading Meteor. During a turn, the pilot of Meteor VZ461 lost sight of the lead aircraft. The pilot of Meteor VZ461 was instructed to make a starboard turn, and rejoin the formation above the cloud base. Instead, the Meteor descended, and struck the North Sea off Coquet Island, Amble, Northumberland. It appears likely that control was lost due to instrument failure. The pilot was killed

Crew of Meteor VZ461:
Pilot Officer Maurice William PRIOR (pilot) RAF - killed in serivce 22/10/1952

The reported crash location was off Amble, a town on the North Sea coast of Northumberland, England, at the mouth of the River Coquet; Coquet Island is visible from its beaches and harbour. Coquet Island is a small island of about 6 hectares (15 acres), situated 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) off Amble on the Northumberland coast, northeast England.

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 WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.148
4. The Fighting Cocks: 43 (Fighter) Squadron By Jimmy Bedle
5. 43 Squadron, RAF ORB (Operations Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/1/1951 to 31/12/1955: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2612/2 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8424252
6. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VZ
7. https://www.nelsam.org.uk/NEAR/Losses/Losses-PostWWII.htm
8. https://www.key.aero/article/last-its-kind
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amble
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coquet_Island

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Mar-2021 21:51	Dr. John Smith	Added
26-Mar-2021 21:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
26-Mar-2021 21:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Narrative]
27-Mar-2021 10:09	MiG17	Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative, Operator]
14-Apr-2021 19:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
14-Apr-2021 19:15	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]