Read the forum code of contact
By: - 6th February 2014 at 20:22 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Being next-of-kin will open doors/channels to you in the RAF records not otherwise accessible to non-family members of the deceased.
There are others on this forum far more knowledgeable than I regarding how you could go about it. No-doubt they will be along shortly.
I wish you good luck in your search for more information.
Anon.
By: - 6th February 2014 at 23:29 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I wish you luck in your search. I don't wish to speculate but perhaps this will help you understand a little the problems of a successful escape from early jet aircraft.
Rather than bailed out he would have ejected as the Meteor Mk.8 was fitted with a Martin Baker type 2E ejection seat. The operating parameters of these early seats weren't as good as later types and it could be that he ejected too late or too low for the seat parachute to properly deploy. The following is largely from Eject Eject! by the late Bryan Philpott. "It is notable that during 1952/53, 30% of the 32 ejections of RAF airmen proved fatal." These early seats were not the easiest thing to use. The seat was a relatively simple device and did nothing more than get the occupant out of the aircraft and then he was left to his own devices. The airman had then to separate himself from the seat and deploy the parachute despite the shock and dis-orientation of the ejection and there was only 5 seconds before the seat and occupant hit the ground from around a 1000 feet.
I hope this helps
John
By: - 7th February 2014 at 09:30 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Wednesday 25 February 1953 , Yorkshire Evening Post , West Yorkshire, England
Meteor crashes in field, pilot killed A Meteor fighter from Stradishall Aerodrome. Suffolk, crashed In field at Higham, near Bury St. Edmunds today.
It dived Into the ground and disintegrated. The pilot was found dead about mile away, having apparently baled out.
By: - 7th February 2014 at 16:08 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The invaluable "Last Take Off" by Colin Cummings, has this:--
This aircraft was flying at No.3 in a tailchase but pulled away from the section without making an RT call. The pilot ejected at a low height and his parachute deployed just before he hit the ground and he sustained fatal injuries. The Board of Enquiry believed that the pilot may have blacked out and that, on recovering at a low height, he ejected because he was too low to regain control.
I should explain that a "tailchase" was an exercise to teach pilots to dogfight, and involved a leader indulging in violent manouevres in which the 2 or 3 trainees following him tried to hold him in their gunsight. There were many accidents to trainee pilots in this period caused by over exuberance or sheer bravado, while flying aircraft of a performance beyond their capabilities.
By: - 7th February 2014 at 22:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Tony Butler, The Gloster Meteor F.Mk 1 to F.Mk 8 database, The Aeroplane Feb 2014.
"Earninq itself the unenviable title of the "Meat Box", 241 pilots were killed in single-seat Meteors between July 1944 and October 1957".
During the 1950s I think the RAF lost an average of two aircrew a week. Whatever the actual figure it was high enough for a coroner in Yorkshire to as "whether the RAF was training pilots or trying killing them?".
By: - 8th February 2014 at 10:38 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The following is included in a Martin Baker summary of failed ejections:
25.2.53 The pilot of Meteor WH311 ejected from his aircraft successfully, separated from it and pulled his ripcord, but struck the ground before his parachute was completely developed. The ejection height was not known, but it was believed to have been low. Mk.1 type seat used. Cause of failure: Lack of altitude with Mk.1 seat.
By: - 8th February 2014 at 17:35 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There are others on here with far more knowledge of Meteor accidents that I do.
As I understand it though, there were problems with metal fatigue in the rear fuselage.
By: - 8th February 2014 at 22:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
That's a new one on me?
There were some problems with wrinkling around certain parts of the centre section and weaknesses identified with the tank bay longerons and u/c bays , usually due to overstressing of the aircraft, but there was no design flaw nor metal fatigue issues that I have heard of - unless anybody else has further information on the matter?
There were a few instances of what was suspected to be partial lowering of the main u/c leg, or legs, under excess positive 'g' and this led to failures of the structure. However, the manoeuvres that caused the gear to lower were caused, in the main, by poor handling.
Anon.
By: - 9th February 2014 at 12:42 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
aw/cn 12/12/1951, d/d 28/12/1951, w/o 25/02/1953 whilst the aircraft was flying as No.3 of a formation, the pilot ejected when he was at low level, but his parachute failed to deploy fully killing the pilot, the aircraft crashed near Higham, Suffolk, the cause for the pilots ejection was not positively determined.
Taken from WH serials web page.
By: - 9th February 2014 at 12:57 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
That's a new one on me?There were some problems with wrinkling around certain parts of the centre section and weaknesses identified with the tank bay longerons and u/c bays , usually due to overstressing of the aircraft, but there was no design flaw nor metal fatigue issues that I have heard of - unless anybody else has further information on the matter?
Anon.
I'm only going by what I was told by my Brother-in-law some while back. He did his National Service in the RAF, which included working on Meteors, among other aircraft. On one particular Meteor, cracks had developed in the skin of the fuselage, which had been drilled and patched in the normal manor.
He was taken up for an air experience flight in this particular aircraft whereupon the pilot proceeded to do aerobatics. Knowing the repairs which had been done, my Brother-in-law claimed he didn't feel well, so they could fly straight and level.
Not long afterwards, the pilot of the aircraft was killed when the tail of the aircraft fell off.
I don't have any other details of names dates etc, although I think it involved an aircraft from West Raynham ?
By: - 9th February 2014 at 15:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I think the poor old Meatbox is being unfairly treated here. Compared with similar types of the era I guess its safety record was very good. Most accidents were caused by a combination of inexperience and over confidence. The aircraft itself was a very stable and reliable beast, not without some foibles common to most similar types. In the early '50's there was little thought to safety but that was tightened up as a result of the RAF's poor accident record. It is reputed that Churchill asked in the House of Commons why there was such a high rate, to be told that "The rate was considered acceptable". His reply was that "It might be acceptable to a civil servant, but it is not acceptable to me" and this caused a review of procedures with a consequent emphasis on safety.
By: - 11th February 2014 at 19:03 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A big thank you to all of you who have responded to my post. Your comments, thoughts and the information given have been very helpful in enabling us to piece together what may have happened, and in obtaining more information than we have at present. Kind Regards, Karen
By: - 25th February 2014 at 21:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I watched this meteor crash from m'y garden in barrow. As à ten year old it was flying towards stradishall from mildehall tuddenham direction . It went straight up And over And then straight into the ground at higham about two hundred yards Nnorth of the a45 now called the a14 .i don,t remember seeing à parachute or Any other planes about at the Time .the land is still owned by the same land owner i do know the land agent .good luck With your search so sad its something i,ll Never forget if i can be of Any help
Peter chittock
Posts: 2
By: Karen B - 6th February 2014 at 17:35
Hi All,
This is my first post on a forum so not quite sure of the format/procedure, but am hoping someone may be able to help!
I am looking for information for my elderly mother in law who is wanting some 'closure' on the details surrounding her brother's death in a Meteor Crash in 1953. From looking on the internet I gather that accidents at the time in these jets were fairly frequent.
We have various bits of info, but we want to understand what actually happened. All we know if that David bailed out and that his body was found about a mile from the scene. The registration of the aircraft was WH311 and the crash was on 25th Feb 1953 - RAF Stradishall 266 OCU - David John Pointer - he was 19 years old. The accident happened either near Higham or Tuddenham, Suffolk. He had a friend called 'Shepherd' who he graduated with.
We have various details about his Personal number etc - should I be contacting the RAF - will they have more info on the accident than what I can find on the internet?
Any help or advice as to where I might be able to look for further information would be greatly appreciated, particularly from anyone who was at RAF Stradishall at the time.