Date:	Wednesday 29 March 1950
Time:
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 4
Owner/operator:	56 (Punjab) Sqn RAF
Registration:	VW277
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Mud flats near RAF Thorney Island, Emsworth, Hampshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Thorney Island, Hampshire
Destination airport:	RAF Thorney Island
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Meteor VW277/M: The accident pilot was a member of the 56 Squadron formation aerobatic team and was taking part in a practice session in preparation for the coming No. 11 Group formation aerobatic competition. This Meteor was No. 3 in a formation of 4 aircraft performing a roll at about 1500 feet. The pilot of this aircraft pulled away downwards from the formation and in rolling out, struck the ground.

The No. 3 had found himself out of position and chose to pull away downwards rather than break to the side, and the aircraft crashed onto mud flats near RAF Thorney Island and was destroyed. The pilot was killed. With little time to train a replacement to the required standard, the team reluctantly withdrew from the competition.
Pilot:
F/Lt (58142) William Michael CONSTABLE - MAXWELL RAF - killed.

An article in The Aeroplane (June 2013 p.106) was written by a pilot who survived a crash in a similar Meteor F.4 in September 1951. Significantly, he stated “We had been briefed that if losing sight of the leader during a turn, the correct action was to throttle back while breaking away and down”.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.90 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.45
4. The History of RAF Aerobatic Teams From 1920: Smoke On...Go! By David Watkins
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VW
6. http://www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/hancrash.html
7. http://www.alresfordhistandlit.co.uk/NOT%20JUST%20A%20NAME%2017%20Website.pdf (p.225)
8. http://thepeerage.com/p6068.htm
9. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=2867.0;wap2
10. http://www.ukserials.com/prodlists.php?type=730

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-Apr-2013 20:16	angels one five	Added
27-May-2013 05:24	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Narrative]
04-Aug-2013 21:23	JINX	Updated [Operator, Location]
29-Nov-2013 21:30	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source, Narrative]
17-Apr-2015 08:23	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type]
10-May-2015 16:56	Angel dot comma	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
16-Jul-2019 06:36	angels one five	Updated [Time, Narrative]
28-Nov-2019 20:47	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]
16-Dec-2020 20:33	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
19-Nov-2021 22:41	Nepa	Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, Operator]
03-Feb-2022 11:02	angels one five	Updated [Location, Narrative]