Date:	Thursday 9 April 1953
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 4
Owner/operator:	203 AFS RAF
Registration:	VT240
MSN:	O-25
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RAF Driffield, East Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Driffield, East Yorkshire
Destination airport:	RAF Driffield, East Yorkshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor F.Mk.4, VT240/"O-25", 203 AFS (Advanced Flying School), RAF: delivered 26/08/1948, and served initially in 1949-50 as "HE-M" (later "M") with 263 Squadron, RAF Wattisham, Suffolk. Later service with 203 AFS, and written off 9/4/1953 in a ground accident at RAF Driffield

The pilot landed normally at RAF Driffield, and was opening up the throttles to take off again (a "roller landing" in which the aircraft lands and take off again without stopping in the interim) when his Meteor (VT240) was struck from behind by Meteor T.Mk.7 WL413/"X-68" (also of 203 AFS). Both aircraft ran along the runway locked together for about 400 yards.

The pilot of Meteor WL413 had made a "short circuit and landing", and had not seen Meteor VT240 beneath him when he was landing.

According to the son of the pilot of Meteor VT240 (see link #6):

"VT240/"O-25" Meteor F.Mk.4 and WL413/"X-68" Meteor T7, 203 AFS Driffield 9 April 1953:

My late father started his advanced flying training on 25 February 1953 with 203 AFS based at RAF Driffield in Yorkshire.He had this mishap on 9 April 1953. He was on a solo flight, exercise 14 which was for aerobatics according to his flight log. He was assigned Meteor IV VT240 code O-25.

On completing the sortie he was cleared to land. On landing before he had cleared the runway there was a big bang and he ended up on the grass. He leapt out of his aircraft and ran like hell. Apparently it was commented by someone that they had not seen a person run so fast with a parachute pack attached.

On looking back my father realised that a Meteor T.VII WL413 code X-68 had landed behind him and hit him. The tail of his aircraft was chopped off and VT240 was officially written off on this date. WL413 was repaired and finally WFU (Withdrawn From Use) at 5 MU Kemble on 4 May 1965.

My father was not blamed for this accident. My father added the following caption to the photos -"Mating season for Meteor's"
Crew of Meteor VT240:
Pilot Officer (3511504) David Barry TAYLOR (pilot) RAF - survived uninjured.

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 359
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1985)
4. 203 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 29/2145/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7162858
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VT
6. Photo of accident: https://www.flickr.com/photos/132337785@N03/50779642222
7. https://www.key.aero/article/station-history-raf-wattisham
8. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205085769
9. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/41243/supplement/7048/data.pdf
10. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/45616/supplement/2817/data.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
23-Apr-2021 23:14	Dr. John Smith	Added
24-Apr-2021 10:41	Koumes	Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Narrative, Operator]