Meteor Accident Statistics
Do a Hover - it avoids G
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ScouseFlyer
I suspect you would have to go to Kew for more info.
The RAF lost 305 aircraft in 1955 with 182 fatals (down nicely from 1952 when the numbers were 507 and 318) but given you have the basic details it should not be too hard to search at Kew.
JF
The RAF lost 305 aircraft in 1955 with 182 fatals (down nicely from 1952 when the numbers were 507 and 318) but given you have the basic details it should not be too hard to search at Kew.
JF
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Somewhen before 1959 my father witnessed a Meteor accident near York. He lived south of York airfield and his attention was drawn one day to the sound of a jet aircraft above the overcast. A Meteor appeared, diving vertically at what appeared to be full throttle and went in with a terrific bang next to a railway line. By the time he got there there was nothing left; as he understood it even the engines went so far in that all they did was pick up a few bits and fill in the hole. His story has stuck in my mind all these years and I have often wondered as to the details. If anyone can post a link or whatever I would be most appreciative. Tks in antic.
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Meteor
JP Night flying test circa '69 - RHS former Meteor " if you are sweating on the emergencies, I don't do them. sod the book, I lost too many friends doing practice asymetric in Meteors - never one with an actual"
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Was wondering whether anyone on the forum could let me have any details of an accident that occured on 1st April 1955 at Worksop.Flying Officer Stan Jenkins was killed together with I believe a student.Stan was my uncle's closest friend,both of them having been boy entrants at Halton,done their basic flight training together before my uncle was chopped and re-streamed as a flight engineer.Stan gained his wings and went on to become a flying instructor.
SF
SF
1 Apr 1955
WL474 Meteor T7
211 FTS
Near Garmston Lincs
The aircraft was carrying out an asymmetric overshoot when it yawed to starboard. It continued to make a turn but then the live engine stopped and the aircraft rolled onto its back and dived into the ground.
Fg Off Stanley Thomas Jenkins 25 Pilot Instructor
Pilot Off Duncan Herbert Moffat 29 Pilot Student
James J Halley in Broken Wings adds
2 1/2 miles NE of Garmston.
Dived into ground during asymmetric overshoot at Garmston RLG
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In March 1952 on returning from No.4 FTS at RAF Heany, Southern Rhodesia I went to RAF Moreton in Marsh for acclimatisation training (to get used to UK weather). Whiile there I learnt that I was to be posted to RAF Driffield for conversion to Meteors (Mk4). On the last few days of the course we were told that a Meteor was due in. All of us who were scheduled for Meteors rushed out to the tarmac to witness the event.
We watched in awe as the meteor turned onto finals. To our complete horror the aircraft entered a steep diving curve and crashed about half a mile from the end of the runway. The pilot (a RAF Doctor. I think Doc Mack) was killed. Not a very good introduction to the Meteor.
We watched in awe as the meteor turned onto finals. To our complete horror the aircraft entered a steep diving curve and crashed about half a mile from the end of the runway. The pilot (a RAF Doctor. I think Doc Mack) was killed. Not a very good introduction to the Meteor.
14 March 1952
VT283 Meteor F4
203 AFS
Moreton-in-Marsh
Hit trees on approach; landed short of runway and broke up
1 killed
Fish Train
I was probaly the last student of Lou Levitt. Finished my assymetric course at Worksop 20 Mar 58. Great guy and fun to fly with. He had a girl friend who lived just off the end of Scampton R/W so we had to visit her on my first night trip on the Mk7. Five minutes in a max rate turn at 200ft until the lights down below came on then back to Worksop for a few SE circuits.
I was doing the ground school at Bassinbourn in May when I was called out to take a phone call. It was an invite to the funeral. Apparently he'd left £100 in his will for a party. Wish I could have made it.
I was told he was doing a very, very low high speed pass and that the dinghy had inflated. It was the usual sand filled coffin. Don't know if the cause was later revised.
Thanks to Lou I got onto PR Canberras for which I was forever grateful.
I was doing the ground school at Bassinbourn in May when I was called out to take a phone call. It was an invite to the funeral. Apparently he'd left £100 in his will for a party. Wish I could have made it.
I was told he was doing a very, very low high speed pass and that the dinghy had inflated. It was the usual sand filled coffin. Don't know if the cause was later revised.
Thanks to Lou I got onto PR Canberras for which I was forever grateful.
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That makes two of us who have survived from that course! Happy days.
I seem to remember 165 double pumps to get the gear down whilst holding quite a foot force to keep S&L below max gear speed on sortie 3b of the AFS course.
Because of my short legs, I was obliged to have a foam cushion behind me in the T7. I've still got it somewhere. What the system didn't seem to appreciate is that with 150lb+ foot force applied, the foam cushion was compressed so much that it didn't make any significant difference to my crit speed. Oh well, nice thought!
The only time I ever needed to do an asymmetric approach in anger during 25 years of RAF flying was during the Strubby AFS course when doing pre-mediated engine shut downs and relights in an F8. Pity about the relight not working, so I ended up at Waddington with its longer runway.
I also recall enjoying solo night cross country sorties listening to amateur radio break-through on our VHF operating frequency adjacent to the 2meg amateur band. Otherwise, without sidetones in the single-seater, it was very quiet up there on your own at night looking at disembodied luminous dials without the normal-light illumination that we all know today.
We ddn't lose anyone on the course, though.
I seem to remember 165 double pumps to get the gear down whilst holding quite a foot force to keep S&L below max gear speed on sortie 3b of the AFS course.
Because of my short legs, I was obliged to have a foam cushion behind me in the T7. I've still got it somewhere. What the system didn't seem to appreciate is that with 150lb+ foot force applied, the foam cushion was compressed so much that it didn't make any significant difference to my crit speed. Oh well, nice thought!
The only time I ever needed to do an asymmetric approach in anger during 25 years of RAF flying was during the Strubby AFS course when doing pre-mediated engine shut downs and relights in an F8. Pity about the relight not working, so I ended up at Waddington with its longer runway.
I also recall enjoying solo night cross country sorties listening to amateur radio break-through on our VHF operating frequency adjacent to the 2meg amateur band. Otherwise, without sidetones in the single-seater, it was very quiet up there on your own at night looking at disembodied luminous dials without the normal-light illumination that we all know today.
We ddn't lose anyone on the course, though.
>amateur radio break-through on our VHF operating frequency adjacent to the 2meg amateur band.<
Did you mean the 2-metre (i.e. 144MHz) amateur band? The RAF had some spot frequency allocations in the 142MHz region and I think still retains a few.
Did you mean the 2-metre (i.e. 144MHz) amateur band? The RAF had some spot frequency allocations in the 142MHz region and I think still retains a few.
Following on from Post 287. The pilot was Sqn Ldr Edward Wintrip Forsyth MACK 31, who was indeed a medical officer.
The accident summary suggests that Sqn Ldr Mack misjudged his approach, as he was not very familiar with the Meteor F4. He is supposed to have made a steep diving turn towards his finals position but the aircraft struck trees before recovering briefly and then breaking up after striking the ground a further 500 yards along.
Old Duffer
The accident summary suggests that Sqn Ldr Mack misjudged his approach, as he was not very familiar with the Meteor F4. He is supposed to have made a steep diving turn towards his finals position but the aircraft struck trees before recovering briefly and then breaking up after striking the ground a further 500 yards along.
Old Duffer
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Meteor accident statistics
This subject was the main reason I did not continue in the RAF as a navigator after national service. I had previously narrowly failed a pilot course, some on those continuing were no better than I.
Before I left National service three of my intake were dead, although one of those was in an Oxford.. I believe one was an oxygen system failure, and one a fuel problem.
Mylate brother an RAF Pilot since 1941 was a QFI and had completed a Meteor conversion course but was considered to old for Meteors. His main comment was the teaching of the importance minimum asymmetric safety speed was not sufficiently taught.
Before I left National service three of my intake were dead, although one of those was in an Oxford.. I believe one was an oxygen system failure, and one a fuel problem.
Mylate brother an RAF Pilot since 1941 was a QFI and had completed a Meteor conversion course but was considered to old for Meteors. His main comment was the teaching of the importance minimum asymmetric safety speed was not sufficiently taught.
Meteor Accident Stats
I have not checked back over the full Thread but there is of course the 'phantom dive' to which the T7 was particularly prone.
Can't remember the full majesty of the problem but basically if the airbrakes are out when the undercarriage is cycled, the legs moving in an asymmetric sequence disturbs the airflow and a stall results. Someone will put me right on this.
I did get it from a pilot's own lips that he and most of his mates never practiced asymmetrics because of the dangers. They would do it dual with an instructor and then fudge it when solo by simply using differential power. He said that when subsequently being checked, the trappers often fudged it too!!!
Of course the Javelin is said to be the only aircraft which it was specifically forbidden to spin.
Old Duffer
Can't remember the full majesty of the problem but basically if the airbrakes are out when the undercarriage is cycled, the legs moving in an asymmetric sequence disturbs the airflow and a stall results. Someone will put me right on this.
I did get it from a pilot's own lips that he and most of his mates never practiced asymmetrics because of the dangers. They would do it dual with an instructor and then fudge it when solo by simply using differential power. He said that when subsequently being checked, the trappers often fudged it too!!!
Of course the Javelin is said to be the only aircraft which it was specifically forbidden to spin.
Old Duffer
The 'Phantom Dive' was thought to be the reason for the last Meteor T7 accident in the RAF when one of The Vintage Pair crashed about twenty years ago. A previous post recalled that the single hydraulic pump was on the starboard engine so the fluid would have taken the least line of resistance and would have led with the starboard mainwheel. With the airbrakes out they would have masked the fin so the yaw would not have been immediately corrected. One thing would have led to another and the aircraft spears in.
Later they had an airbrake restriction to reduce this effect but it could not eradicate it. It is frightening. I was shown it at a safe height in 1961 at Oakington just to demonstrate to me what might happen.
Later they had an airbrake restriction to reduce this effect but it could not eradicate it. It is frightening. I was shown it at a safe height in 1961 at Oakington just to demonstrate to me what might happen.
Off thread a bit but if you spin an aircraft that is longer than it is wide you run a risk of it developing an inertial spin. In extremis it will wind you up into an irrecoverable flat spin.
The 'Phantom Dive' was thought to be the reason for the last Meteor T7 accident in the RAF when one of The Vintage Pair crashed about twenty years ago.