Date:	Friday 1 February 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk III
Owner/operator:	222 (Natal) Sqn RAF
Registration:	EE448
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	1/4 mile west of Fairmile, near Ottery St. Mary, Devon -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Exeter, Clyst Honiton, Devon
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor EE448: Delivered to 222 (Natal) Squadron, RAF 1 July 1945. Written off (destroyed) 1 February 1946 when control was lost during aerobatic practice 1/4 mile west of Fairmile, Devon, and aircraft dived into the ground after failing to recover from a spiral dive. The pilot (who was the Commanding Officer of 222 Squadron at the time) was killed.

Crew of Meteor EE448:
Squadron Leader (39842) George Eric BALL DFC (pilot) RAF - killed in service 1-2-46, buried in Exeter Higher Cemetery, Exeter, Devon.

The 222 Squadron Operations Record Book for 01 Feb 1946 (see link #6) does not really add much to the story. The actual wording is as follows:

"1.2.46 Very good day for flying. The death by flying accident of our C.O. - Squadron Leader Ball - was a hard blow to one and all. He was in charge of the Squadron for only a short time but was extremely popular and efficient organiser".

This was followed by;

"5.2.46 New Squadron Commander arrived Squadron Leader GCF Cooper... Flight Lieutenant Turney drove Mrs Ball up to London in late C. O's car. No flying in the morning due to funeral."

A contemporary newspaper report gave further details ("Western Morning News" of February 5th 1946) when it reported on the Inquest into the circumstances of the Pilot's death:

"Jet Plane's Pilot Killed
EXETER MYSTERY UNSOLVED
No evidence was forthcoming at the Exeter Airport inquest yesterday on Sqn. Ldr. George Eric Ball, D.F.C., to explain why the Meteor jet aircraft he was piloting last Friday went into a spin and crashed. A Battle of Britain pilot, he was aged 27.

[Witnesses] told the coroner they saw the plane spinning and each spoke of white vapour coming from the starboard side of the machine. "The plane continued spinning," said [witness] Mr. Gibbins "and next it dived into the earth, and up came a black cloud as from burning oil. I got to the scene in a few minutes in my pony trap and saw the machine burning in the nose. As the flames spread to the rear the fire in front died down. I saw the pilot was dead."

Arthur F. Buck, senior Inspector of Accidents, Air Ministry, said the pilot was experienced in that type of aircraft, it was possible there was a vapour trail from the wingtip during the spinning.

From a superficial examination of the wreckage there was nothing to give a clue as to the cause of the spin. It was possible that the pilot had been in trouble higher up, dived out of a spin, and then started to spin again, but as yet there was no very clear evidence on that point".

The reported crash location is 1/4 mile west of Fairmile, which lies 160 miles from London, between Ottery St Mary and Cullompton. Fairmile belongs partly to the civil parish of Talaton and partly to Ottery St Mary. Its name (and the name of the pub) is reported to be taken from the road being a "fair mile" from Otter St. Mary, as opposed to other bad roads locally, at approximate co-ordinates: 50.7668°N 3.2966°W

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.29. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.54
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft EA100-EZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1988 p 20)
4. Western Morning News of February 5th 1946
5. Air Britain Aeromilitaria Summer 2009: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_2009.pdf p.76
6. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/28/W2322: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578168
7. 222 (Natal) Squadron ORB for the period 1-1-1946 to 31-12-1950: National Archives (PRO Kew) file AIR 27/2475 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505113
8. RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.95: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
9. Biography of pilot: http://bbm.org.uk/airmen/Ball.htm
10. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2441507/ball,-george-eric/
11. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41161004/george-eric-ball
12. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?21257-460201-Unaccounted-Airmen-01-02-1946&p=124313#post124313
13. Biography of Pilot: https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=18129.0
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairmile,_Devon

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Nov-2019 18:57	Dr. John Smith	Added
21-Nov-2019 18:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
27-Nov-2019 10:59	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Narrative, Operator]
22-Nov-2020 06:13	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Narrative]
07-Jun-2021 00:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
07-Jun-2021 00:17	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
07-Jun-2021 00:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
07-Jun-2021 00:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
14-Jun-2021 20:43	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
14-Jun-2021 20:43	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
18-Jul-2023 21:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Source]]