Date:	Saturday 7 February 1953
Time:
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 8
Owner/operator:	500 (County of Kent) Sqn RAF
Registration:	WH513
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Leybourne, 2.5 miles NW of RAF West Malling, Kent, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF West Malling, Maidstone, Kent
Destination airport:	RAF West Malling, Kent
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor F.Mk.8, WH513, 500 (County of Kent) Squadron, RAF: Awaiting collection 26/2/1952, delivered 14/3/1952. Written off 7/2/1953, in a flying accident on approach to RAF West Malling, Maidstone, Kent. The pilot made three approaches to RAF West Malling in deteriorating weather conditions, but on the final GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) talkdown by the ATC (Air Traffic Control) at West Malling, the pilot found that his aircraft was badly positioned for an approach, and therefore he decided to make an emergency landing in a field at Leybourne, Kent. The pilot survived uninjured.

The reported crash site of Leybourne is a small village and civil parish in Kent, England. Leybourne is adjacent to New Hythe, Larkfield and West Malling, at approximate co ordinates 51.304120°N 0.422560°E. RAF West Malling (now the Kings Hill housing estate) is 2.5 miles south west of the crash site.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.141 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p 339
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 12)
4. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WH
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leybourne

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Jun-2008 13:32	JINX	Added
14-Jun-2013 18:24	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Destination airport]
11-Apr-2021 21:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
11-Apr-2021 21:02	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
18-Aug-2021 10:45	BlBe	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Destination airport, Operator]