Date:	Sunday 21 April 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Slingsby T.7 Kirby Cadet TX.1
Owner/operator:	45 GS ATC RAF
Registration:	RA889
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Meir Aerodrome, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Meir Aerodrome, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Destination airport:	Meir Aerodrome, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Slingsby T.7 Kirby Cadet TX.1 RA889, 45 GS (Gliding School) ATC (Air Training Cadets), RAF: Written off (destroyed) 21 April 1946 when crashed at Meir Aerodrome, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

After a winch launch, the glider climbed to an altitude of 100 feet, the glider then stalled, and dived into the ground, killing the pilot.

Crew of Kirby Cadet TX.1 RA889:
Mr. Desmond E. Daroux - pilot and civilian flight instructor, died of injuries sustained 22-4-1946 (the day after the accident)

According to a published source - 'Wings Over Meir' by W. Cooke:

"Sunday 21 April 1946
Desmond Daroux (31) of Newcastle-Under-Lyme who had just been appointed a civilian gliding instructor at the Meir, Stoke-on-Trent school took off for his first flight of that day. The glider was winch-launched, Mr Daroux released the cable and on reaching a height of about 100 feet the glider suddenly started to dive steeply and crashed into the ground. Spectators rushed to the scene and found that a sharp piece of plywood from the wreckage had pierced his throat. he was unable to speak and was taken at once to Longton Cottage Hospital (Stoke-on-Trent) where he died the next day. At the inquest, the coroner announced that death had in fact been due to a broken neck".

Meir is a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire situated between Lightwood and Longton. The Meir Park estate (built on the site of the former Meir Aerodrome, which closed on 16 August 1973) extends from Meir uphill to the Meir Heath and Rough Close village hall, located in Meir Heath.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.38. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.125
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slingsby_Kirby_Cadet
4. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/flying-officer-francis-james-sheldrake-glider-pilot-instructor.25934/
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meir,_Staffordshire#Meir_Aerodrome
6. https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/history/gallery/look-through-time-airfields-staffordshire-3274168

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Jul-2021 19:59	Dr. John Smith	Added
10-Jul-2021 20:00	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative]
10-Jul-2021 21:08	Puck	Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative, Operator]