Date:	Monday 9 June 1952
Time:	09:10
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 4
Owner/operator:	203 AFS RAF
Registration:	VT181
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Dunsdale, 2 miles N of Guisborough, North Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Driffield, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:	RAF Middleton St. George, County Durham
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Meteor VT181 was built to contract 6/ACFT/658 by Gloster Aircraft Ltd at Hucclecote and was delivered to the RAF in April 1948, it was issued to 1 Squadron at Tangmere in June 1948 when the unit converted to the type. It is believed to have been slightly damaged with 1 Squadron when one of the main undercarriage legs collapsed on landing on an unknown date but was repaired. It was later transferred to 203 AFS at Driffield when the unit formed from 226 OCU on 1st September 1949.

At 09.10 hours on 9th June 1952 the pilot of this aircraft made a belly landing near Dunsdale, 2 miles N of Guisborough, North Yorkshire, after running out of fuel on a training exercise. He had become lost whilst out to sea; when he made land he thought he was south of Flamborough Head.

He was told of his rough location and to divert to Middleton St George but by this time he was low on fuel so made the forced landing. The pilot survived although the aircraft was badly damaged.

Crew:
Pilot Officer (583955) Michael Desmond Shirley TOWLER (pilot) RAF - OK

The London Gazette states that his commission was terminated on 19th September 1952. The obvious assumption to make is that he was blamed for this accident at Guisborough and his rank taken away from him

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
2. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, United Kingdom: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4. p 130)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.255
4. 203 AFS ORB (Operations Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/1/1951 to 31/5/1954: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/2145/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7162858
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VT
6. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/yorksother/vt181.html
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunsdale

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
05-Jan-2015 03:23	Dr. John Smith	Added
10-May-2015 17:41	Angel Dick one	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Narrative]
09-Mar-2021 20:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative]
10-Mar-2021 09:42	Zoule	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Nature, Operator]
11-Mar-2021 22:32	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]