Meteor III incident at Stoke Orchard?

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Member for

16 years

Posts: 729

While browsing the PRO archives I came across the following entry under the CAA accident report archive:

"Meteor 3 (EE-493); Location: Stoke Orchard Airfield; Report No.: W2340"

It's dated April 1946.

This got me curious - does anyone have any more details?

Original post

Member for

19 years 1 month

Posts: 88

As far as I can see, just one Meteor was lost during April 1946......

23 April 1946

245 Squadron
Meteor III EE293
RAF Colerne

Causality

F/O. Desmond William Machray Crawshaw

The pilot was making a single engined landing crosswind but he allowed the aircraft to stall and it spun into the ground.

Details from 'Final Landings' - C. Cummings

Hope this is a help

Regards
Peter

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,598

Meteor 3 (EE-493);

EE493 was on delivery from Glosters both engines cut due to fuel blockage and aircraft belly landed Stoke Orchard 9.4.46 (Flt Lt A P S Cloke from 2 FP (2 Ferry Pilots) OK aircraft repaired at Glosters until crashed again on 12.5.48 and then turned over to Maintenace Serial 6604M

Member for

16 years

Posts: 729

Thanks all.

I've been researching the history of Stoke Orchard for a while and this stood out because of the date. I know Stoke Orchard ceased to be used by the RAF for flying late 1945 although the WAAF school took over the buildings after.

I was thrown a bit as I knew Gloster had the two factories just north of the airfield and I first I wondered if the aircraft had been at the airfield in relation to that - but then logic kicked in and I realised you probably wouldn't operate a meteor from a grass aerodrome.

I assumed it was an emergency or such, thanks for confirming it.